§ 62. Mr. David Grenfellasked the Secretary for Mines whether he will state for each area having separate selling schemes the number of transactions in which coal is sold by the colliery owners to a purchaser who is not himself the direct representative of an industrial coal-consuming concern or a retail distributor of coal for domestic consumption; and whether he will give the proportion of total tonnage under all the selling schemes which is sold direct from the pit to the consumer or retail distributor?
§ The Secretary for Mines (Captain Crookshank)This information is not available in my Department.
§ Mr. GrenfellWill the hon. and gallant Gentleman inform the House why his Department has no information on methods of disposal, prices and the cost of selling coal, in order that the consumers may determine whether they are having fair treatment in this matter?
§ Captain CrookshankThe hon. Gentleman's question asked about a number of transactions, and my reply was that I had not the information.
§ Mr. H. G. WilliamsCan my hon. and gallant Friend indicate in what way we can find out the truth about this ramp?
§ Mr. James GriffithsHas the hon. and gallant Gentleman asked the coal-supplying organisations in the districts, and is it the fact that his Department has made the request for the information and has been refused?
§ 63. Mr. Grenfellasked the Secretary for Mines whether records of sales are kept in each selling-scheme area; and whether he will state the tonnage in each area sold to purchasers who are the selling agents for the collieries from which the coal was purchased?
§ Captain CrookshankThis is the case in some selling-scheme districts, but may not be the case in all. I regret that the information asked for in the second part of the question is not available.