§ 17. Mr. ROWLANDSasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware of the serious inconvenience being caused by the great shortage of supply of anthracite coal in the London district; and will he take steps to assist the consumers to secure the delivery of some anthracite coal?
§ Sir A. GEDDESI am aware that a shortage of supplies of anthracite is still being experienced in the London district in spite of the fact that additional quantities have recently been brought in by sea. The shortage is due to inadequate rail transport facilities from South Wales. Further efforts are being made to relieve the situation by sea-borne deliveries.
§ Mr. LAMBERTIs the right hon. Gentleman aware of the shortage in the West of England, which is very near to South Wales?
§ Sir A. GEDDESYes, Sir; there is some shortage in Devonshire, not a general shortage. The Severn Tunnel is the bottleneck of railway transport, and owing to the increased number of trains the difficulty of getting them through has greatly increased. We are doing everything we can to ease the traffic.
Sir F. HALLHave not a large number of people in London bought stoves to burn anthracite in response to the request of the Board of Trade? Does the right hon. Gentleman realise that these people are bitterly complaining that they cannot get the anthracite?
§ Sir A. GEDDESI realise their difficulty, and I quite understand the reason for their complaints. We have done everything we can to get the anthracite round by sea. We have got certain quantities, and we are getting more. But it is very difficult suddenly to change the stream through which any product flows.
§ Mr. ROWLANDSIs there any chance of increasing the supply? Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that in some parts outside London people desire to buy this coal for other purposes; many want it for their glass-houses, and the want of it is stopping the food supply?
§ Sir A. GEDDESYes, Sir; I do realise that; I have reason to, because the question of anthracite has been very prominently before us for some time. There are great, very great, difficulties in getting it by rail, and what we have been able to get by sea has been snapped up as soon as it arrived.
§ Mr. HARTSHORNIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that at the last district meeting of the miners on Saturday complaints were made that the miners, in some cases, are unable to work more than three days a week, owing to the lack of transport facilities; and is it not possible to remedy that?
§ Sir A. GEDDESQuestions of transport facilities no longer fall under the Board of Trade, but the Ministry of Transport, which is doing everything it possibly can to get the anthracite away. But there are great difficulties in connection with the matter.
§ Mr. PEMBERTON BILLINGIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that a considerable quantity is being shipped to France; and if he can get it to Paris, why not to London? Why should the coal go to Paris and Londoners be left to starve?
§ Sir A. GEDDESFrance has to get a certain amount, of course; after all, we cannot refuse to give France coal. There are, too, other qualities of coal coming into London besides anthracite.
§ Major BARNETTWill the right hon. Gentleman make representations to his right hon. brother the Minister of Transport in regard to the provision of increased transport facilities?
§ Sir A. GEDDESI have on several occasions made representations to the Minister of Transport—quite strong ones.