§ Mr. T. Reidasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many food ration cards should have been issued in Malaya recently; and how many were actually issued.
§ Mr. Rees-WilliamsThere is no system of national registration in Malaya, and I am therefore unable to say exactly how many food ration cards should have been issued. Preliminary census results in the Federation of Malaya show an estimated population of 4,877,678, but this figure
94W
Field End. Victoria Road 1938. 1946–7. 1938 1946–7. Parcels posted … … … … 9,880 26,247 6,188 7,592 Registered items posted … … … … 4,495 36,912 4,945 17,476 Savings Bank transactions … … … … 13,141 47,782 14,725 38,026 Postage, etc., stamps sold … … … … £5,076 £16,881 £3,680 £14,009 Insurance stamps sold … … … … £6,306 £14,835 £2,525 £3,857 Postal Order transactions … … … … 73,021 82,187 85,389 71,277 is not final and is certainly an underestimate. The number of cards issued is 5,965,559. In the Colony of Singapore the respective census and ration card figures are 938,079 and 960,526. Immediate corrective steps are being taken in areas which show a substantial discrepancy between the census and the ration card figures.