Possible Clues:

• Dole out spares which are in short supply
• It's not a bit thick to have the South analyse this grammatically
• Disputes over point are meagre
• Scattered boxes at end of lane
• Scarce
• In Madras, Parsees are thin on the ground
• Very few boxes come to a point
• Like a poor attendance
• Boxes, note, are in short supply
• Spares, being thin on the ground