§ 48. Lord H. CAVENDISH-BENTINCKasked the Prime Minister whether the Government will consider what assistance and encouragement it can give towards creating an amalgamation of the coking interests in Durham and Northumberland, in order that the present numbers of coking plants may be largely reduced and inefficient plants replaced?
§ The PRIME MINISTERThe National Fuel and Power Committee in their Report (Cmd. 3201) issued in September last recommended that the coke oven owners should in many cases consider plans for reorganising their coke oven plants into installations serving a number of collieries and equipped with a modern type of oven. This recommendation has been communicated to the National Association of Coke and By-Product Plant Owners for such action as they may think expedient. The grouping of coke ovens will no doubt be facilitated by amalgamations and the provisions of Section 55 of the Finance Act, 1927, for giving relief from capital and transfer stamp duty in cases of reconstruction or 944 amalgamations of companies will, of course, be of assistance in appropriate cases.
§ Mr. SHINWELLIf the owners take no action, what will the Government do?
§ The PRIME MINISTERI think that the owners are extremely likely to take action.
§ Mr. SHINWELLHas it not been proved to the Prime Minister that hitherto the owners have been lacking in response to these appeals?
§ The PRIME MINISTERI do happen to know that a good many schemes are at present under consideration, and I think they can be carried out better in that way than by the Government.