§ Sir W. Edgeasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether 193W his attention has been called to the closing down by the egg branch of his Department of the packing station of Mr. J. E. Ratcliffe, of Church Farm, Ratby, Leicestershire; and whether as this man has traded for 25 years as collector and wholesale retailer; has acquired an electric grader at the cost of £50 as a condition of obtaining a packer's licence, granted last year; is, with his wife, the sole worker, both being over military age; and as 75 per cent. of the eggs handled are brought to the station by local producers, thus avoiding any waste of petrol, he will reconsider the closing of this packing station?
§ Mr. MabaneI am fully aware of the suspension of the packing station of Mr. Ratcliffe. There were eight packing stations in Leicester and its immediate neighbourhood and investigation proved that the needs of the area would be fully met by three. The other five, selected after careful consideration, of which Mr. Ratcliffe's was one, were therefore closed to meet the urgent need for economy in transport and man power. My Noble Friend is not prepared to reconsider this decision. My information is that most of the small quantity of eggs handled by Mr. Ratcliffe were either collected by himself or by a licensed buyer. Mr. Ratcliffe will, I understand, be compensated for his loss of business from a fund contributed to by the remaining packers.