Food - or rather the lack of it - had become the predominant issue in Luton as Christmas 1917 approached. Shipping losses to German submarines and the food requirements of the military were part of the cause, but there was also growing anger among shoppers who wanted compulsory rationing in the interests of fairness.

Letters had previously appeared revealing how favoured - probably moneyed - customers at shops were obtaining all the supplies they wanted, while other shoppers went totally without after queuing for hours.

The Luton Food Committee, already regarded with suspicion due to its composition largely of suppliers and with minimal representation of consumers, decided to exclude the Press from its meetings, effectively meeting in secret. Food Committee Chairman Alderman J. H. Staddon told a meeting of Luton Town Council on December 18th, 1917, that the question had been given "very careful consideration, with no animosity whatever, and nothing to hide from the Press". It was felt preferable that the Committee Chairman make a full statement to the Council first, before Press reports appeared.

Luton Trades and Labour Council were far from happy with the constitution of the Food Committee. They had been given one representative, Mr P. J. Banks, but he, with the unanimous approval of the Trades and Labour Council, had forwarded his resignation in a letter to the Town Council on December 8th. The resignation was accepted, but a decision on filling the vacancy was deferred until it was known if the Trades and Labour Council were willing to nominate another person. "They have not quite got all they wanted," said Alderman Staddon, "but it may be desirable to give them the opportunity."

The reply from the Trades and Labour Council following its January meeting was that they wanted not one, but six, representatives on the Food Committee. The following resolution was carried: "The Luton Trades and Labour Council, being the representative body of organised labour, in view of the suspicion and mistrust prevailing among the general public, justified by the fact that sitting upon the committee are persons engaged in the provision trade, demands that the Town Council shall at once reconstruct the Food Committee in order that Labour shall have six representatives, two of whom shall be women." Six names were sent with the resolution, but the Town Council asked the Trades and Labour Council to select just one of the six and refused to consider an increase in the number of the 12-strong Food Committee.

The Luton News (December 20th) reported upon the Trades and Labour Council protest over the constitution of the Food Committee and the resignation of Mr Banks. "We believe this will not be the finality of Labour action in the matter," said the newspaper, "for a keen eye is being kept upon the food question, and such evils as butter and margarine queues. We are also informed on good authority that a vigilance committee is being formed in the town for the protection of the common interests."

Meanwhile, the Luton News printed more letters from readers about food control and queues.

From Mr W. J. Mair, of 82 Ashton Road, Luton: "I wonder how much longer the men of Luton are going to allow their wives and children to stand in queues, sometime for hours at a stretch, to get tea, margarine or butter? We are supposed to have a Food Control Committee in Luton, but what they do or what they control, God only knows - the public do not. I sometimes wonder if the wife of any member of the Committee has to stand in a queue.

"Why do they allow the multiple shops to monopolise the distribution of butter and margarine? Why do they allow the wholesale firms to refuse to serve the retail shops with butter, while at the same time allowing them to sell it themselves at the retailer's price, thereby making a double profit? Is this not profiteering?

"And this is the self-selected Food Control Committee who profess to look after the interests of the public, and not one of them has brains enough to draw up a scheme in order to do away with what is nothing but a scandal, or even energy enough to follow the example of other towns and commandeer all the supply of butter, margarine and tea and sugar, and take over the distribution themselves, whereby each and everyone would get an equal share.

"If they do not feel capable of doing this, then of what use are they?"

From Mr R. Ayling, of Schoolhouse, Biscot: "I had been informed by some of my neighbours that they had to wait for hours to procure in some cases only one article, and then sometimes, after waiting, only to find that before their turn came they were not able to obtain any.

"I thought I would go down and find out myself by experience. I chose last Saturday morning, as that was the day when the poorest of Luton would be there. I was informed that a certain store had received a large quantity of margarine on Wednesday afternoon, and would sell it early Saturday morning.

"I took up my place in the queue at 7.30 am, and at 8 o'clock, when the employees arrived, we were informed by the policeman that there would be nothing on sale until 9.30. Of course, by this time there were about 200 people waiting, mostly women and children, and, although the morning was bitterly cold, the majority of them preferred to remain and make sure of purchasing a little food rather than return and perhaps find they were too late.

"Some who were waiting said they had been there on the previous day, and after waiting an hour and a half were informed that there would be no sale that day, and that after they had gone away there was another queue formed and people were supplied with margarine.

"I might say that my short experience of two hours waiting, standing in one place, the morning bitterly cold, was not a pleasant one, even to one who has been used to being outdoors in all weathers for many years. But when I saw woman and even little children, whose faces and hands were blue with cold and could hardly stand upon their feet through being numbed, I thought that something might be done to alleviate a little the difficulties of many who must either suffer or go short of one of the necessities of life.

"I would suggest that the stores where there is going to be a sale of food might put a notice in their window of the time they would start selling. It might prevent many waiting hours unnecessarily and also relieve the police, who so kindly assist at the queues.