§ 32. Captain WRIGHTasked the Minister of Munitions whether controlled establishments using blast, furnaces have received instructions to sell the flue dust from their furnaces to certain Government agents in various districts, to whom in their respective districts a monopoly of the sale of such flue dust as artificial manure has boon granted; whether any scale of prices was fixed by the Ministry for this flue dust so ordered to be sold, and communicated to its makers whether he is aware that flue dust sold under contract to one of these Government agents at Is. and 5s. a ton is sold by him to the user at the following prices: No. 1, potash content 2¾ to 3¼ per cent., price per ton 37s 6d.; No. 1a, potash content 3¼ to 5½per cent., price per ton 46s. 6d.; No. 2, potash content 5½to 9¾ per cent., price per ton 60s.; and No. 3, potash content 9¾to 13 per cent., price per ton 100s. 6d.; and if he will say what are the services rendered by this agent which justify these differences in price?
§ The PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY to the BOARD of AGRICULTURE (Sir R. Winfrey)I am informed by the Ministry of Munitions that no instructions have been issued requiring any blast furnace owner, to sell flue dust to any particular person. Licences have been granted on the advice of the Food Production Department to a limited number of wholesale collecting agents, authorising them to purchase certain qualities of blast furnace flue dust from blast furnace owners, and to sell the dust to licensed agents who resell to farmers. These agents are required, as a condition of their licence, to sell at prescribed prices, but the price at which the flue dust is purchased by the wholesale collecting agents from the furnace owners is not fixed, and is a matter of arrangement between the buyer and seller. With reference to the inquiry in the latter part of the question, it is believed that several firms have old standing contracts, which enable them to obtain supplies at low prices. If the hon. Member will let me have particulars of the contract to which he refers, inquiries will be made, and I 558 will let him know the result. I am sending the hon. Member a leaflet which we have circulated on blast furnace flue dust as a potash fertiliser, in which the prices and other details are set out.
§ Captain WRIGHTWill the hon. Gentleman make further inquiries? My information, from responsible people, is that instructions were received from the Ministry to sell to particular agents, and these responsible people applied to the Ministry to know if there were any scale of prices.
§ Mr. SPEAKERThe hon. Member is now giving information and not asking for it.
Mr. H. SAMUELIs my hon. Friend aware that the arrangements made by the Government in this matter have been received with much dissatisfaction by the ironmasters in the North and on the West Coast, and that representations were made to the Ministry of Munitions some weeks ago, to which no reply has been received, and should any further representations be made to his Department or to the Ministry of Munitions?
§ Sir R. WINFREYAfter what the right hon. Gentleman has said, I will go into the matter closely.
§ Captain WRIGHTIn view of these facts and having regard to the price of flue dust, will the hon. Gentleman reconsider the prices charged to the farmer for artificial manure?
§ Sir R. WINFREYI will take up the matter with the Ministry of Munitions without delay.