A History of the Ministry of Information, 1939-46
Purpose .
In December 1942 the Ministry of Fuel and Power inaugurated a scheme for priority supplies to the small consumer of coal. By February the Ministry wished to know what success the scheme was having. This Inquiry was, therefore, carried out immediately, in order that if difficulties were revealed they could be dealt with before the period of greatest need was at an end.
Method .
The Inquiry was again addressed to housewives. They were chosen from the lowest income groups only, since it was thought that these would cover the bulk of small consumers. Five simple questions were asked of them to ascertain their dependency on coal, the extent to which they had suffered from a shortage of coal during the month prior to the day the questions were addressed to them, and their position with regard to two factors which given rise to such a shortage, those are, registration with a coal merchant, and the shortage of space at their disposal.
Sample .
The sample was a purposive one; that is, the number of interview, to be carried out was distributed through the Civil Defence regions in proportion the population in each, and within each region housewives whose chief wage earner had a wage of either up to £3.12.0. or between £3.12.0. and £5.0.0. were chosen in roughly equal numbers.
A numerical analysis of the sample in the relevant categories is as follows:-
Analysis by Income Group
These figures ire roughly proportionate to the comparative representation of each of the two groups in the population of which they compose 75%.
Analysis by Region
North | 100 | South West | 139 |
North East | 225 | Wales | 107 |
North Midlands | 164 | Midlands | 193 |
East | 149 | North West | 314 |
London | 326 | Scotland | 221 |
South | 129 | South East | 92 |
Total: 2163 |
These numbers are proportionate to the distribution of the population between those regions.
The interviews were carried out in:-
Since many of the questions are interrelated all the tables are first analysed by income, and then by region, the physical background to the social situation.
Analysis by Income Group .
Dependence upon coal .
Housewives were asked whether they were solely dependent upon coal for heating their main living room.
91% of all housewives said they were so dependent and there is a small but significant difference between the two income groups.
Solely dependent on coal
Up to £3.12.0 | £3.12.0 to £5. | |
Solely dependent on coal | 94% + | 89% |
It should be remembered however, that in both income groups the degree of their dependence on coal is probably greater than would appear from the figures since alternative methods of heating, such as a small gas or electric fire, are often too expensive or too small to provide adequate alternatives.
Shortage of Coal .
The next question asked whether or not the household had been without coal during the past month.
8% of all households had been without coal.
In the lower income group the figure was 9%
In the upper income group the figure was 7%
There were no differences between the two groups in the length of time they had been without coal, a summary is as follows:-
Without coal | ||
Up to 3 days | 66 | 38% |
3 days to 1 week | 46 | 27% |
1 week to 2 weeks | 20 | 12% |
Over 2 weeks | 27 | 16% |
Did not know | 13 | 7% |
Thus, of those who had been without coal, 65% had been without for a week or less, and 12% for between a week and a fortnight.
When the 12% who had been without coal for between a week and a fortnight are combined with the 16% who had been without coal for between two weeks and a month, they still amount to less than 2% of the whole sample. This means that out of three-quarters of the whole population less than 2% had been without coal for more than a week during January and February.
Registration with Coal Merchants .
Altogether 96% of the housewives interviewed were registered with a coal merchant.
There were no differences between the two income groups in the proportions registered, and those who were not registered had not been without coal to any significantly greater extent than those who were registered.
Storage Capacity .
A proportion of housewives had to make an estimate when asked what storage capacity they possessed for coal, but within the limitation set by the question (see Questionnaire) these were considered to be reliable.
In all, 81% of the households sampled had storage space for over 5 cwt. of coal.
There is a differences between the two income groups in that while the lowest income group had 75% of its households with a storage space for over 5 cwt. of coal, the upper income group had 85% of its households with a similar capacity.
At the other end of the scale 8% of the lower income group had either no storage space or space for up to 2cwt. only, compared with 4% in the upper income group.
It may be assumed from these figures that storage capacity is not important as a factor in coal shortages, yet an analysis of the storage capacity of those households which had been without coal during the previous month shows that those with little storage capacity had been the most affected.
The position may be this. Generally speaking, storage space does not beyond a certain point influence the building up of stocks. 75% of the households in the lowest income group have a capacity of over 5 cwt., yet in the previous Inquiry it was shown that only 36% of the households in the same group had stocks of over 5 cwt.
On the other hand it is evident from the relationship of storage space to coal shortage shown above, that a storage capacity of 2 cwt. or less does mean that insufficient stocks can be laid in to tide over a period when the coal-man does not call or coal is unobtainable. Storage space for an additional two or three hundredweight would probably cut down by three-quarters the number who had gone short of coal.
What it amounts to is this, in 8% the population covered by the lower income group, (roughly 3,600,000 households) the only solution to the problem of keeping them supplied with coal is a regular weekly, or bi-weekly delivery of coal to their doors.
Dependence upon Coal .
Dependence on coal decreases roughly from the North and West to the South and East, although there are two exceptions to this, the North West being less dependent on coal than the regions surrounding it, and the South being more dependent on coal than the regions around.
In Scotland, the North and North East regions, 98% of all households are solely dependent on coal.
Wales, the Midlands, and South are centred around 96%.
The East, N. Midlands, and N. West, are centred around 90%.
London and the South East are least dependent on coal, 83% and 76% of their households saying they are dependent. The South West may be grouped with these regions also.
It is probably significant that in the previous inquiry into Fuel Stocks both London and the South East were the two regions best stocked with coke. This is probably the alternative fuel in use rather than gas and electricity.
Shortage of Coal .
The regions in which the chief shortages occurred were Scotland, where 12% said they had been without coal during the last month, the North West and Midlands, where 11% and 10% said the same thing. These are all industrial areas with a high proportion of the lower income groups.
The percentages of those who had been without coal in the other regions were:-
were : -
North | 7% | South | 4% |
North East | 8% | South West | 6% |
North Midland | 2% | Wales | 8% |
East | 8% | South East | 2% |
London | 9% |
Apart from the North Midlands and South East, which suffered little from shortage, and possibly the South, the remaining regions did not deviate greatly from the national average of those who were without coal during this period.
The total number of households in the sample which were without coal amounted to 172. This figure, when broken down by region and quantity, is insufficient to give any reliable results, consequently no analysis has been made of it.
Registration with a Coal Merchant .
There are slight differences between the regions in the proportions registered with a coal merchant, but they are not sufficient to be noteworthy.
Storage space.
It might be assumed from what has already been written that the chief limitation of storage space would occur in the highly industrialized regions. This analysis shows it to be the case.
The regions with the greatest proportion of households with storage space for under 5 cwt. of fuel are:-
The high figure for Scotland reflects, of course, the numerous tenement dwellings there, and can be related to the figures above, where it is recorded that 12% of households had been without coal during the past month in Scotland.
In a number of regions the position is obscured by the high proportion not knowing or not answering about their storage space. This is so in the case of the North and North West, where 19% and 6% respectively gave this answer. In the North 2% had storage space for less than 5 cwt. and in the North West 5% had less than 5 cwt.
The remaining regions occupy a middle or advantageous position
It might be noted that the regions given as having the highest proportions of households with less than 5 cwt. storage capacity, are also the regions which have the highest proportions with a storage capacity of less than 2 cwt. The figures are:-
Dependence on coal is almost complete in both income groups and through all regions save the South East.
Shortage of coal has not been great, but it was concentrated in the lowest income groups, and particularly in Scotland, mainly, perhaps, through storage difficulties.
Registration with coal merchants had little affect on the shortages which occurred in individual households.
Storage capacity is not generally a factor restricting the building up of stocks, but where it is a factor is in the lower income groups. Restricted storage space here does seem to leave these households at the mercy of the weekly call of the coal-man. This is well exemplified by Scotland.
Serial No. ...
WARTIME SOCIAL SURVEY NEW SERIES NO. 24
LIGHTING OF DWELLINGS INQUIRY
Interviewer: ......
Date: ......
15.
ROOM | HOUR LIGHT USED | TOTAL | TIME OF | OFFICE USE | OFFICE USE | OFFICE USE | ||
Last Evening | This Morning | RISING | BED | |||||
1. Scullery or Working Kitchen | ||||||||
2. Kitchen Living Room | ||||||||
3. Sitting Room or Parlour |
WARTIME SOCIAL SURVEY | FUEL STOCKS INQUIRY | New Series No. 29 |
Town...... | Family Size...... | |
Region...... | Adults...... | |
Children...... |
Income of Principal Wage Earner
Up to £3.12.0 | 1 | Number of Inhabited Rooms...... |
£3.12.0 to £5 | 2 | (excluding bathrooms, closets) |
£5.0.0 to £10 | 3 | (etc. and unfurnished attics) |
Over £10 | 4 |
1. What stocks of the following fuel have you now?
2. What stocks did you have last year this time?
Date......
Interviewer......
Serial No.
Wartime Social Survey
New Series 34
FUEL INQUIRY | ||||
Civil Defence Region | 1 | 7 | Income Group: | |
2 | 8 | |||
3 | 9 | Up to £3.12.0 | 1 | |
4 | 10 | £3.12.0 to £5 | 2 | |
5 | 11 | House | 3 | |
6 | 12 | Flat | 4 |
1. Are you solely dependent on coal for heating your main living room?
Yes
No
2. (a) Have you been without coal during the last month?
Yes
No
D.K.
(b) How long for?
Up to 3 days | 1 |
3 days to 1 week | 2 |
1 week to 2 weeks | 3 |
2 weeks to 3 weeks | 4 |
3 weeks to 4 weeks | 5 |
N.A. | 6 |
3. Are you registered with a coal merchant?
Yes
No
N.A.
4. How much coal can you store?
Interviewer......
Date......
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