Captain Shawasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport whether he can give an estimate of the contribution to the war effort in saving of petrol and tonnage effected by the restriction put on retail deliveries throughout the country?
§ Mr. Noel-BakerYes, Sir, housewives and retail traders have made an important contribution to the war effort by their ready acceptance of the restrictions imposed by schemes for the rationalisation of retail deliveries. By the many small individual economies which the schemes secure, we have, up to the present time,320W saved petrol at ah annual rate of about 25,000,000 gallons. About 34,000 vehicles have been released. Over one half of these economies are in the distribution of foodstuffs. These results are an encouragement for the further steps now being taken to rationalise deliveries of milk, bread and coal.