Mr. De la Bèreasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will take steps to lift the restrictions on hairdressers' tools, in view of the fact that all other trade tools are excluded from restrictions?
§ Colonel LlewellinHair clippers are not controlled under the Limitation of Supplies Orders, but I am afraid that it is not possible to regard solely as hairdressers' implements for the purposes of similar exemption scissors and razors, which are, of course, articles of general use. Hair waving and hair drying machines are normally produced by firms heavily engaged on munitions work and cannot be supplied in larger quantities than at present.
Mr. De la Bèreasked the President of the Board of Trade whether, with a view to ensuring equitable and proportionate supplies to wholesale houses supplying independent hairdressing establishments, he will consider the registration of these wholesalers; and whether, as under the existing regulations manufacturers tend to allocate almost exclusively to the larger sources and bigger establishments, he will make some provision whereby a supply is secured for each individual hairdressing establishment that was in existence at the outbreak of war?
§ Colonel LlewellinI presume that my hon. Friend refers to registration under the Limitation of Supplies Orders. The Home Trade Register established under the Miscellaneous Order already includes wholesalers but the Cloth and Apparel Register is confined to manufacturers, merchant converters and exporters. The Toilet Preparations Register is confined to manufacturers and exporters. I am not prepared to extend either of these latter Registers to cover wholesalers. Manufacturers have been told that so far as possible they should allocate supplies in proportion to the pre-war uses of their customers subject to adjustment for areas where there has been a substantial change of population owing to evacuation. If my hon. Friend has any particular case of inequitable distribution in mind and will give me the name of the retailer or manufacturer concerned I shall be glad to make inquiries.