§ 67 and 68. Sir ROBERT CLOUGHasked the Secretary for Mines (1) whether, in view of his statement that it is important that the House should realise that there are many other factors in the cost of household coal besides the wages of the miners and the profits of the owners, such as the cost of carriage, railway rates, and the cost of distribution, he will give some idea of the percentage of cost which must be added in respect of each contributory factor to the pithead price of cottage coal sold, for instance, 50 miles from the colliery producing it;
(2) whether, seeing that the high price of cottage coal diminishes its consumption, and that it would benefit the miners to increase consumption by efforts to ascertain and remove the causes of the high prices, which, according to authentic statements, are not due to the colliery owners or workers, an inquiry could be instituted to ascertain information as to these causes, if it is not at present available?
§ The SECRETARY for MINES (Mr. Bridgeman)I have consulted the Coal Merchants' Federation of Great Britain on the subject. They have supplied me with a detailed analysis of the retail prices of three different grades of household coal sold in London. They have readily agreed to the publication of this statement, and I will circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT. They are supplying information for certain provincial centres, which I will publish as soon as they have completed it. In the meantime I may give the following figures respecting cheap coal sold at Cheltenham, where the conditions appear to correspond to those postulated in the question:—
s. d. Pit price 20 0 Railway rate 9 2 Wagon hire 2 0 Distribution charges, including factorage 7 11 Retailers' profit. 0 11 Retail price 40 0
§ Following is the statement:
1689| RETAIL COAL PRICES PER TON ON 25TH MAY, 1922. | ||||||
| In Central London. | ||||||
| Items of cost. | Best Coal. | Derby Brights. | Kitchen Nuts. | |||
| s. | d. | s. | d. | s. | d. | |
| Pit price | 38 | 8 | 26 | 6 | 21 | 0 |
| Railway rate | 10 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 9 |
| Wagon hire | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Wages of loaders and carmen (including picking out slates, screening, tareing sacks, foreman's fee, landing coal to heaps, etc., driving money, attendance at stables, long journeys, etc.). | 3 | 11 | 3 | 11 | 3 | 11 |
| Cartage expenses (vans, trolleys, weighing machines, horse depreciation, forage, shoeing, veterinary attendance, harness and stable expenses, stable rent). | 2 | 10 | 2 | 10 | 2 | 10 |
| Sacks | 4 | 4 | 4 | |||
| Loss on small coal, etc. | 9 | 9 | 9 | |||
| Siding rent, weighbridge charges, wharf rent, demurrage, etc. | 4 | 4 | 4 | |||
| Clerical salaries | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Establishments charges (stationery, telephones, rents, postages, light, water, travelling, advertising', bad debts, discounts and allowances, National Health and other insurance). | 1 | 11 | 1 | 11 | 1 | 11 |
| Balance—profit | 5 | 5 | 6 | |||
| Total—Retail price | 64 | 0 | 51 | 0 | 44 | 6 |