A History of the Ministry of Information, 1939-46

12 - 10 -

FUEL STOCKS.

Purpose.

The Ministry of Fuel and Power wished to know the level of domestic stocks of fuel in December 1942, in order to discover what success the measures they had taken to increase these stocks had achieved.

Method.

The inquiry was addressed to housewives in England, Scotland and Wales. They were asked what were their stocks of four fuels, coal and coalite, coke and anthracite, concurrently with other questions on such different subjects as their consumption of prepared foods and what difficulties they had in obtaining certain articles of apparel and household use. It was necessary to adopt this procedure in order to be able to fit in the inquiry at the short notice we were given. The advantage in this, at a time when Fuel Economy was being very much discussed, and a number of orders restricting stocks were in operation, was that the questions could be asked after an adequate introduction had been secured, and the nature of the inquiry was clear. A copy of the questionnaire is appended.

Sample.

The sample was a purposive one, in that the number of housewives to be interviewed in the different income groups was laid down in advance, as were the numbers to be taken in each region. A numerical analysis of the final total of 6,593 interviews is as follows:-

Analysis by Income Groups.

Wage of Chief Wage Earner

1. Up to £3.12.0. 2149
2. £3.12.0. - £5.0.0. 2107
3. £5. 0.0 - £10.0.0. 1413
4. £10.0.0. and Over 481
Unclassified 443
6593

Analysis by Civil Defence Regions.

1. North 455
2. North East 565
3. North Midland 216
4. East 441
5. London 1049
6. South 467
7. South West 511
8. Wales 354
9. Midland 702
10. North West 1071
11. Scotland 636
12. South East 126
6593

Towns Visited were as follows:-

1. Newcastle
South Shields
Bishop Auckland
2. Hull
Leeds
York
Bradford
Sheffield
Barnsley
3. Nottingham
Derby
Leicester
Retford
4. Peterborough
Cambridge
Norwich
Attleborough
Ipswich
5. London
6. Oxford
Aylesbury
Winchester
7. Bristol
Gloucester
Salisbury
Trowbridge
Exeter
Newton Abbott
8. Cardiff
Newport
Merthyr Tydfil
13 - 11 -9. Birmingham
Lichfield
Coventry
Wolverhampton
Kidderminster
Dudley
10. Carlisle
Penrith
Preston
Manchester
Wigan
Liverpool
Stalybridge
Wilmslow – Birkenhead
Chester
11. Glasgow
Kilmarnock
Ayr
Perth
Edinburgh
12. Tunbridge Wells
Maidstone
Chichester
14 - 12 - 15 - 13 - 16 - 14 -

QUANTITIES HELD BY HOUSEHOLDS,

The only analyses adopted in this report are by Income and by Region. All are presented in a condensed form.

Analysis by Income Group.

Coal & Coalite

Table 1
Up to £3.12.0. £3.12.0. to£5. £5. to £10. Over
£10.
Unclassified All Groups
No. % No. % No. % No. % No. No. %
None 88 4 55 3 38 3 9 2 8 198 3
Up to 5 cwt. 1280 59 883 42 393 27 49 10 138 2743 41
Over 5 cwt. 774 36 1154 55 1070 68 419 87 291 2608 55
Quantity unspecified 7 - 15 1 12 1 4 1 6 44 1
SAMPLE 2149 100 2107 100 1413 100 481 100 443 6593 100

An average of 3% of all groups had no stocks of coal or coalite at this time (December). There were small differences between the four groups. At a level of stocks of over 5cwt., however, the differences are considerable, as the following, abstract shows : -

Up to £3.12.0. £3.12.0. to £5. £5. to £10. £10 & over
Stocks above 5 cwt. 36% 55% 68% 87%

These figures seem to provide adequate justification for the Ministry of Fuel and Power’s policy of attending to the needs of the small consumer first.

The amount of coalite included in the above figures is very small.

Coke

Table 2
Up to £3.12.0. £3.12.0. to £5. £5. to £10. Over £10 Unclassified All Groups
No. % No. % No. % No. % No. No. %
None 2083 97 1972 94 1183 84 281 58 392 5911 90
Up to 5 cwt. 52 2 104 4 125 10 53. 11 23 357 5
Over 5 cwt. 13 1 26 1 103 6 145 31 - 314 4
Quantity unspecified 1 - 5 - 2 - 2 - 1 11 -
SAMPLE 2149 100 2107 100 1413 100 481 100 443 6593 100

This table not only shows the distribution of stocks, but reflects also the greater flexibility of the heating plant of the upper income groups, who are the chief users of coke, as well as their greater purchasing capacity, since coke is not usually bought a bag at a time.

Those with no stocks of coke in each of the four groups were:-

Up to £3.12.0. £3.12.0 to £5. £5. to £ 10. £10 & over
97% 94% 84% 58%

There is a very sharp difference between the highest income group and the other three, but on the other hand stocks of coke are not great even in this group, 31% having stocks of over 5 cwt; compared with 6% in the next highest group, roughly three-quarters of those possessing stocks in each case. Nationally, stocks of over 5 cwts. were held in only 4% of all households.

Anthracite

Table 3
Up to £3.12.0. £3.12.0. to £5. £5. to £10. Over £10 Unclassified All Groups
No. % No. % No. % No. % No. No. %
None 2137 99 2073 98 1318 93 370 77 431 6329 96
Up to 5 cwt. 10 - 21 1 51 3 41 9 8 131 2
Over 5 cwt. 2 - 10 - 42 3 69 14 4 157 2
Quantity unspecified - - 3 - 2 - 1 - - 6 -
SAMPLE 2149 100 2107 100 1413 100 481 100 443 6593 100

The- distribution of stocks of anthracite is much the same as in the case of coke. The chief users of anthracite as of coke, are those in the highest income group, and here the stocks over 5 cwt. held by, this group are greater, 14% of all households having more than 5 cwt. This compares with 2% for the country as a whole.

All Fuels

Table 4
Up to £3.12.0 £3.12.0. to £5. £5. to £10. Over £10 Unclassified All Groups
No. % No. % No. % No. % No. No. %
None 89 4 51 2 21 1 3 1 6 170 3
Up to 5 cwt. 1260 59 862 41 360 5 28 5 132 2640 40
Over 5 cwt. 792 37 1175 56 1018 72 432 90 297 3715 56
Quantity unspecified 8 - 18 1 16 1 18 4 8 68 1
SAMPLE 2149 100 2107 100 1413 100 481 100 443 6593 100

This is very much a summary of the preceding tables. The lowest income group has the lowest stocks, only 37% having over 5 cwt. of all fuels, and the highest proportion with no stocks -4%. Within the highest income group this situation is completely reversed, the figures being 90% and 1%. Nationally, 3% have no stocks and 56% have over 5 cwt. of all fuels.

Analysis by Region .

Coal

Table 5
None Up to 5 cwt. Over 5 cwt. Quantity Unspecified Sample
No. % No. % No. % No. % No. %
Northern 8 2 160 36 286 63 1 - 455 100
North Eastern 3 1 210 40 332 58 - - 565 100
North Midlands 8 4 70 32 137 64 1 - 216 100
Eastern 6 1 163 37 267 61 5 1 441 100
London 65 6 537 61 430 41 16 2 1049 100
Southern 7 1 118 25 242 74 - - 467 100
Wales 10 3 197 52 157 44 - - 511 100
Midlands 20 3 185 26 492 70 5 1 702 100
North Western 37 3 481 44 539 51 14 1 1071 100
Scotland 26 4 336 53 271 42 1 - 636 100
South Eastern 4 3 47 36 75 59 - - 126 100
All regions 198 3 2743 41 3604 55 44 1 6593 100

The percentage of those without stocks in each region ranges from 1 to 6. London had the highest percentage without, Scotland coming next with 4%. Four regions, the South, South-West, North-East, and East had only 1% without stocks.

The regions with the greatest proportion of households having over 5 cwt. were:-

South 74% North 63%
Midlands 70% South East 59%
North Midland 64% North East 58%

The lowest proportions were:-

London 41% Scotland 42%
Wales 44%

From this analysis it would appear that the most favoured regions were the South, both Midland regions and the North-East. The least favoured were London and Scotland. Generally speaking the Western half of the country appears to have been fairly well stocked and the Eastern part, excluding London, well stocked.

Nationally, 3% of all households had no stocks, and 55% had stocks of over 5 cwt.

Coke

Table 6
None Up to 5 cwt. Over 5 cwt. Quantity Unspecified Sample
No. % No. % No. % No. % No. %
Northern 414 91 15 3 24 6 2 - 455 100
North Eastern 478 85 49 9 38 6 - - 565 100
North Midlands 196 91 49 9 38 6 - - 565 100
Eastern 396 90 26 6 19 4 - - 441 100
London 856 82 102 9 87 8 4 - 1049 100
Southern 416 89 29 7 22 4 - - 467 100
South Western 472 92 25 2 13 3 1 - 511 100
Wales 351 99 1 - 2 - - - 354 100
Midlands 641 91 26 4 35 6 - - 702 100
North Western 991 93 5 24 24 2 4 - 1071 100
Scotland 619 97 3 - 14 2 - - 636 100
South Eastern 81 64 17 13 28 22 - - 126 100
All regions 5911 90 357 5 314 4 11 - 6593 100

The regions with the lowest proportions without stocks were S.E., London, N. East and South, in that order. So far as extent of stocks is concerned the South East is very well placed, 22% of its households having over 5 cwt., while London, which comes next, has only 8% in a similar position. In a number of other regions those possessing stocks were fewer, but there was relatively a greater concentration of stocks. Both the Midland regions and the North had only 9% with stocks, yet 6% have stocks over 5 cwt.

Anthracite

The only regions with appreciable stocks of anthracite were South, South East and London. 15%, 12% and 9% of the households in each region, in that order, had stocks, and the proportions of those holding stocks over 5 cwt. were 8%, 5% and 5%.

All Fuels .

Since coal is the dominating fuel this analysis is in most ways a repetition of the coal analysis. The most favoured regions are again the South and both Midland regions, and the least favoured London and Scotland.

17 - 15 -

CONCLUSIONS

Coal

Conclusions can, perhaps, best be drawn with reference to the previous inquiry also. A comparison shows that to some extent stocks have been built up very successfully between October and December. In the lowest income group the decline from 22% without stocks to 4% without stocks is striking. Nevertheless, a comparison of stocks over 5 cwt. in the same income group shows no difference at all. In October 37% had stocks over 5 cwt. In September 36% were in that position.

It would seem therefore that so far as coal is concerned the hand to mouth existence of the lower income group is confirmed. There appears to be a maximum beyond which, for economic reasons, and perhaps limitations of storage space, they cannot accumulate stocks. The problem is, therefore, as was previously suggested, one of supply.

The higher income groups were able to increase their stocks over 5 cwt. to some extent, but generally the increase has been absorbed by the up to 5 cwt. group.

By the same criterion, that is the decrease in numbers without stocks, the same improvement is clear regionally. London and Scotland remain among the least favoured areas, and the South and Midlands among the most favoured, but on the whole the rise in stocks has been general.

Comparisons of quantities of stocks in this inquiry with those in the last inquiry are rendered difficult by the deficiency of numbers in the Regional analysis then obtained. However, it may be significant that in the regions where direct comparison is possible, that is, the North Midland, East London, South and North West, the tendency is for stocks over 5 cwt. to remain proportionately the same or decrease.

Stocks over 5 cwt. October Stocks over 5 cwt. December
% %
North Midlands 69 64
London 43 41
East 61 61
South 24 24
North West 55 51

It would seem, therefore, that the additional stocks have been spread widely, but thinly, throughout the country.

Coke and Anthracite .

There was an increase in the numbers storing coke in any quantity, as the following summary shows:-

Percentages with no stocks

Up to £3.12.0. £3.12.0. to £5. £5.0.0 to £10.
October 99 99 93
December 97 94 84

As with coal, however, the increase in the numbers of those storing over 5 cwt. was slight, and the bulk of the increase was absorbed by the up to 5 cwt. group. The greater use of coke for heating by the higher income groups is emphasised.

In the regions the concentration of the use of coke in London and the South East is noteworthy. It is possible that one reason is a wider popularity of heating systems adapted to the use of coke.

Stocks of Anthracite increase in precisely the same way as stocks of coke, and are concentrated in the same income groups and the same regions, possibly for the same reasons.

On the whole supplies of fuel seem to have been good in December, and relatively equally distributed.

This inquiry is to be repeated at the end of April, 1943.

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