HC Deb 22 February 1933 vol 274 cc1713-6
8. Mr. LEONARD

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty if he can state the total quantity of oil produced from British coal which has been ordered by the Admiralty

always gets the best value out of Devonport and send all these ships there?

Colonel GRETTON

Does my right hon. Friend's reply apply to the dockyard vessels, that is to say, will orders for dockyard ships be given at the end of March?

Sir B. EYRES MONSELL

Yes, they will be placed almost immediately.

Colonel GRETTON

Before the end of the financial year?

Sir B. EYRES MONSELL

Yes.

Mr. HOLFORD KNIGHT

Is this programme related to the proposals that the Government will lay before Geneva?

Sir B. EYRES MONSELL

Yes, very precisely related.

Mr. KIRKWOOD

Is it not the case that the Government dockyards are getting a fair share of the work that is to be done?

Sir B. EYRES MONSELL

That is what I endeavoured to say.

Lieut.-Commander AGNEW

Is this programme actually below the standard permitted to Great Britain under existing treaties?

Sir B. EYRES MONSELL

That is much too large a question to go into at Question Time.

Following is the list:

for the coming 12 months; and what is the contract price for such oil?

12. Mr. MARTIN

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty if he will tell the House what quantity of oil produced from British coal was recently ordered by his Department, and at what cost?

Sir B. EYRES MONSELL

It would be contrary to the established practice to disclose details of the quantity and price of oil purchased by the Admiralty.

Mr. LEONARD

Are the conditions of this purchase economical as against mineral oil?

Sir B. EYRES MONSELL

I am answering a question on that subject later.

13. Mr. MARTIN

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether the order recently given for oil produced from British coal by a low-temperature carbonisation process was given as a result of experiments having proved that this method of producing oil suitable for consumption in His Majesty's ships is superior to any other method; whether the Admiralty considered buying oil produced by any hydrogenation process; and, if so, what were the comparative costs of oil produced by the two processes?

Sir B. EYRES MONSELL

No, Sir. The order referred to was placed because an acceptable oil was offered in bulk at a price we were willing to pay in view of our desire to help this new venture. No such offer of oil produced by hydrogenation has yet been made. The last part of the question, therefore, does not arise.

Mr. MARTIN

The right hon. Gentleman says no such offer has yet been made. Is that because the hydrogenation has not reached a stage where they can make it a commercial success or is it because the Admiralty has not yet decided to encourage hydrogenation?

Sir B. EYRES MONSELL

This is a very elaborate and difficult question. We are willing to take as much oil as we can get at a reasonable price from low temperature carbonisation, but the hydrogenation processes are far more expensive. We are experimenting with them, but at present we should not be able to buy at any reasonable price from any process of hydrogenation that I know of as yet.

Mr. LEONARD

I take it that the price is such as to constitute a subsidy on the process?

Sir B. EYRES MONSELL

No, I should not call it a subsidy. We are very ready always to help anything in the direction that would be of tremendous value to the country and the coal-mining industry and, if we pay a little more, I am quite ready to defend that.

Mr. LEONARD

Then it is not an economical price as compared with mineral oil?

Mr. GEORGE HALL

Has the Admiralty entered into a contract for a fixed period at a fixed price for the oil or is it just small portions of oil as they are delivered by the companies?

Sir B. EYRES MONSELL

No, we have entered into a contract for a year for so many tons per month. It is not desirable to say how much we pay.