§ Sir P. Hurdasked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether he has considered the suggestion recently sent to him that it should be made known to the general 797W public, through broadcasts, posters and newspaper advertisements, that by going to bed half an hour earlier each evening for the next few months they may save enough coal in the form of electricity and gas to remove all anxiety about the adequacy of supplies for munitions and the great offensive; and whether he will now act on the suggestion?
Major Lloyd GeorgeMy hon. Friend's suggestion has been under examination in my Department, and while the annual saving in fuel that would result if everyone went to bed half an hour earlier might be of the order of a million tons of coal a year—a very valuable saving—only a relatively small amount of this total would be in a form of gas and electricity. Such a saving would not relieve anxiety in regard to these fuels, especially, as the greatest demand for electricity is in the morning. Publicity from my Department is therefore being directed first towards the need for general economy in the use of fuel, and secondly towards economy in gas and electricity, in the latter case particularly between 8.30 a.m. and 1 p.m.