Part I: COSUP and the Pools
For most of known history Malta could never and, for the foreseeable future, will never be able to rely solely on local production of commodities, food and other consumables to sustain its population. Imports were and still are the only reason why the island successfully exceeds its natural agricultural limitations. As Carmel Vassallo points out, for the year 1746, 78% of ships arriving in Malta were directly involved in the island’s victualling, adding that “the figure of the importer in Malta is clearly a long established and indispensable one.” This was certainly the case for the 20th century.
Early on in the last war, certain measures were taken to ensure Malta’s supplies lasted. By August 1939, the UK sent Malta enough stocks of essential commodities such as wheat and meat to last several months. Sugar and kerosene were sensitive points, as it was feared their stocks could not keep up with the then current level of consumption, leading to adequate measures preventing shortages. The Food and Commerce Control Board had also been re-established in 1935, becoming active again for the first time since the First World War. In pre-war days essential commodities such as milk to yarn, clothes and chocolate, were imported by various businesses such as Kinds and P. Cutajar. Some products were produced locally and even exported, such as potatoes and oranges. Nevertheless, being an island, the majority of commodities and consumables arrived by ships, as they had since time immemorial.
In war, Malta will have no special value commercially, but will be important as a base for all kinds of vessels employed in the protection and control of Mediterranean trade.” – H. R. Pownall, Secretary, Oversea Defence Committee, January 1936.
Much like during the First World War and earlier, a lot of the importers on the island suddenly became vital sources for Malta’s supplies. In 1940, when Italy declared war, the COSUP, quite literally meaning ‘co-ordination of supplies’, was set up. It was an office responsible for ensuring that adequate supplies were allocated to Malta and for overseeing the logistics of their importation and local storage. The Navy and other military branches/institutions acted as distributors for the British forces. On the other hand, civilian importers would later form pools: organisations managing the importation of a particular commodity such as Wines and Spirits, Chocolates and Confectionary. The COSUP would import stocks of such commodities from whatever was available in the UK and ship it to Malta when possible, according to the most pressing needs. Just as importantly, it would keep ledgers of stocks as tonnes of goods were received in Malta and handed over to the pools. In 1941, these Pools fell under the direction of the Food and Commerce Control Officer (referred to as the F.C.C.O) but acted as independent distributors. Retaining the sustainability of local importers and their businesses was a way of preserving employment for hundreds, if not thousands of people, more than any logistical aid.
The Illustrious blitz in January of 1941 inaugurated the entry of the Luftwaffe in the battle of Malta, raising the island’s sufferance at the hands of war. Rationing was introduced in April as well as communal kitchens. As the war went on, the supply of Malta became one of the vital efforts for the local defence. In October of the same year, it was decided that due to the difficulties of obtaining an export licence from the UK and the limitations of space on convoys, the Government would take control for the coordination of essential supplies. In the absence of commercial shipping and the beginning of convoys (administered by the Ministry of Shipping in the UK), pools were formed very quickly with the assistance of the Chamber of Commerce.
On the 16th of October 1941, Chamber of Commerce President Antonio Cassar-Torregiani welcomed the Lieutenant Governor’s request for the Chamber’s assistance. The Chamber would draft the contract of agreement for each pool. Torregiani stated: “It is for the Council to guide these pools to give them every help and above all to be prepared beforehand, otherwise nothing but confusion will turn out when interested parties are invited to attend these meetings of Pools.” To this end, a specific board was set up by the Chamber to assist in the creation of pools administered by individuals without conflicting commercial or personal interests. Not only did they need to be formed extremely quickly, but the pools could only include established and operational importers and agents.
COSUP “is not a commercial undertaking, but a Government department which allowing for the payment of subsidies by the Imperial Government, is intended to run neither at a profit nor at a loss but exactly to pay its expenses […] set up as a wartime measure and will be wound up when the war is over and conditions have reverted to normal”. – COSUP memorandum, as quoted in Chamber of Commerce general meeting of 12 March 1943.
The Government advised the chamber that their failure to form pools would result in a complete nationalisation of imports distribution, selling directly to shopkeepers. Existing stocks of goods immediately became property of respective protected pools so that prices could be controlled without delay and prevent hoarding. Importers could not act as retailers as well, or vice versa and one firm could not be a member of multiple pools. Both measures were in place to ensure that no merchant could secure more than one source of profit. Merchants that operated as both retailers, importers and/or wholesalers had to choose one class of business. Only importers and retailers were allowed a share of profit, eliminating wholesalers as middlemen. Although the Government’s threatening demands were not accepted without implicit offence, the first meeting was organised between importers who were in their respective business for over 5 years before September 1939. These were importers of ‘textiles in the piece’, wearing apparel, underwear, socks and many other commodities grouped under unique categories. The creation of more pools followed suit.
Rationed Essentials Pools | Non-essential Commodities Pools |
Biscuits | Biscuits and Cocoa |
Bullocks | Chocolate |
Butter & Butter Substitutes | Confectionary |
Cheese | Footwear |
Chicory | Groceries |
Cocoa & Chocolate | Haberdashery |
Coffee | Hats and Capes |
Edible Oils | Infant Foods |
Eggs | Knitting Wools & Yarns |
Fish | Leather and Shoe Making Materials |
Flour & Semola | Medicinals |
Fodder | Stockings & Socks |
Helwa | Sport & Games |
Jams | Textiles in the piece |
Lard | Toilet Preparations |
Laundry Soap | Underwear |
Manufactured Grains | Wearing and Apparel |
Matches | Wines and Spirits |
Meat | |
Milk | |
Potatoes | |
Pulse | |
Rice | |
Sugar | |
Tea |
COSUP Controlled Imports |
Wheat & Flour |
Essential Commodities subsidised by Government such as fats, oils, preserved meats, tinned and powder milk (the exact list varied throughout the war) |
Seed Potatoes |
Supplies from Italian territory |
