§ 13. Mr. GILBERTasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that certain coal controllers in London sent out early in August coal supply forms to consumers and that they made allotments of coal at the end of September, which 401 quantities were then accepted by the consumers, who since then have received no authority or form to enable coal dealers to supply, and are therefore unable to obtain any coal; and, as over two months have been lost in supplying the consumers, will he say what action he proposes to take in this matter?
§ Mr. WARDLEI am not aware of any considerable number of cases in which the supply of coal to consumers has been delayed through a failure of the local fuel overseer to issue to the merchant the necessary certificate authorising the merchant to supply the quantity of fuel to which the consumer is entitled. What has happened in many cases is that certain consumers have failed to complete and return forms of requisition issued by the local fuel overseer for the purpose of finally determining the quantities of fuel to which the consumer is entitled.
§ Mr. GILBERTCan the hon. Gentleman say whether it is now the intention of the Coal Controller that all small consumers of one and two hundredweights have to be registered in the same way as large consumers?
§ Mr. WARDLEI should like notice of that question.