§ 28. Mr. C. EDWARDSasked the Secretary for Mines whether he proposes to initiate a scheme such as that prepared by his predecessor to enable local authorities to trade in domestic coal or whether he has any alternative plan to reduce the cost of household coal; and if he will give the latest figures supplied by coal merchants as to how their prices are made up?
§ The SECRETARY for MINES (Colonel Lane Fox)In reply to the first part of this question I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given by the Prime Minister on the 2nd December last to the hon. Member for Leigh (Mr. Tinker). With the hon. Member's permission I will circulate the information required in the second part of the question in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Following is the information:
§ I am informed by the Coal Merchants' Federation that the present prices of typical qualities of coal in Central London are made up on the average as follow:
| Derby Brights | Brights Cobbles. | |||
| s. | d. | s. | d. | |
| Pit price | 21 | 6 | 17 | 0 |
| Railway rate | 9 | 11 | 10 | 7 |
| Wagon hire | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Distribution charges (including profit or loss) | 7 | 7 | 8 | 5 |
| Selling price | 41 | 0 | 38 | 0 |
§ The Federation are unable to give details of the distribution charges.