§ 34. Mr. G. Longdenasked the Minister of Fuel and Power how much open-cast coal is going to the domestic market.
§ Mr. Geoffrey LloydAbout 30,000 tons a week.
§ Mr. LongdenHow much of this coal is washed before delivery? If a large proportion is unwashed may that not be the reason for the increasing dissatisfaction of householders with the quality of the product they are sold as coal?
§ Mr. LloydI could not say what proportion is washed, but it is true that it does appear in the three lowest groups of house coal.
§ Mr. NabarroIs my right hon. Friend aware that the figure he has given amounts to 1,560,000 tons of open-cast coal going to domestic consumers this year, and as a very high percentage of this coal is unwashed is it not a little unfair to blame the pits for the amount of stone in the household coal, which is largely due to this wretched open-cast method of working?
§ Mr. LloydI agree that it is very unfortunate that we have to resort to open-cast production, but there is no doubt that it makes a great contribution to our fuel supplies. It is more important, of course, for industrial than for household supplies, and we are bound to continue it for many years.
§ Mr. T. BrownWill the right hon. Gentleman consider the advisability of reducing the percentage of open-cast coal being mixed with the deep-mined coal? Because of the increased percentage of open-cast mixed with deep-mined coal the miners are being brought into disrepute, as people blame them for the stone and slate in their coal, which really comes from the open-cast working.
§ Mr. LloydIf we could get a substantial increase of production of deep-mined coal no doubt we could make arrangements of that kind.
§ Colonel Gomme-DuncanWould my right hon. Friend say what the policy of open-cast production costs in ruination of good agricultural land?