§ 51. Lieutenant William Shepherdasked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what tonnage of coal it is intended to export from the British zone in Germany during the months of December, January and February; and to state what effect these exports will have upon the internal economy.
§ Mr. MathersFor December, the amount of coal allocated for export as agreed between the four occupying powers is 900,000 tons to be increased to 1,200,000 tons if transport facilities permit. The export allocations for January and February have yet to be agreed quadripartitely. Shortage of transport is the chief bottleneck in coal supplies and as long as this continues the economies of both Germany and the liberated territories will be adversely affected. Meanwhile, priority must be given to the needs of liberated countries once the minimum requirements essential to the purpose of occupation have been met.