§ 25. Mr. Henderson Stewartasked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware of the shortage of children's shoes in London; and to what extent maldistribution is the cause of this shortage.
§ Mr. Belcher:I am not aware of any particular shortage in the London area, but if the hon. Member will give me details of any specific complaints he has received I will look into them.
§ Sir R. Glynasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that there is a shortage of women's shoes, sizes 8½, 9 and 10; that many women wearing these sizes have been unable to obtain shoes for several years past and have been obliged to wear men's shoes; and what steps he proposes to take to remedy this state of affairs.
§ Mr. Belcher:Yes, Sir; I know that as a result of the general scarcity of footwear there has been a natural tendency for the less popular sizes to be under-produced; but the general footwear position is improving, and the production of larger sizes will rise as more workers return to the industry and increasing supplies of lasts and equipment required for these sizes become available.