§ SIR J. COLOMBI beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury what proportion the 12,000 tons of coal per annum proposed to be supplied by the Natal Government bears to the ordinary yearly consumption of the squadron on the Cape Station; whether the Natal coal is as suitable to Naval purposes as Welsh coal usually supplied to Her Majesty's ships; and what is approximately the estimated coat per ton of Natal and Welsh coal respectively when delivered to Her Majesty's ships at the headquarters of that station?
§ MR. AUSTEN CHAMBERLAINThe proportion of the coal offered by the Natal Government for the use of Her Majesty's ships is 12,000 tons, as compared with an average ordinary yearly consumption of 40,000 tons. The quality of Natal coal is now under investigation. The price of Welsh coal at Simon's Town is in ordinary circumstances about 28s. 6d. a ton. The price of Natal coal at Durban is about 25s. 6d. a ton. I cannot exactly state the cost of freight between Durban and Simon's Town.