§ 19. Mr. WOMERSLEYasked the Secretary for Mines the amount of coal thus far sold to Scandinavia as a direct result of the recent visit of the British commercial delegation to Scandinavia?
§ 21. Mr. ALBERYasked the Secretary for Mines what improvement, if any, in our export trade to that country has resulted from the British coal delegation to Scandinavia?
§ The SECRETARY for MINES (Mr. Shinwell)I will answer these questions together by referring the hon. Members to the reply which I gave to the hon. and gallant Member for Wycombe (Sir A. Knox) on 16th December last.
§ Mr. WOMERSLEYCan the hon. Gentleman tell us why there has been no success attending this mission? Was it the question of the price of British coal which caused the lack of orders?
§ Mr. SHINWELLThe hon. Member is quite mistaken in assuming that there has been no success. In point of fact, I am meeting the coalowners and exporters tomorrow preparatory to meeting the railway companies, in connection with one aspect of the problem, and other aspects of the problem have been under consideration with the exporters and coal-owners and others.
§ Mr. ALBERYIs it not a fact that the export of British coal to Scandinavia has been seriously interfered with owing to the fact that we are now taking from Russia much timber, which we originally took from Scandinavia?