§ Mr. Mainwaringasked the Secretary for Mines whether, in view of the fact that most coal-producing firms in the country made a distribution of dividends to their shareholders last year, he can offer any satisfactory explanation to the House of the losses regularly reported on the basis of the proceeds of the mining industry?
§ Captain CrookshankFigures of profits and losses in the coal mining industry are not available to my Department in respect of individual undertakings, but only for districts. The figures which have been published in the Statistical Summary for the year 1936 show a credit balance of 11½d. per ton disposable commercially for the whole country, and the only area where there was a debit balance was South Wales and Monmouthshire (½d. per ton). The figures for the first two quarters of 1937 show credit balances in every area.
§ Mr. Mainwaringasked the Secretary for Mines (r) the total realised surplus within the coalmining industry as a whole, and separately, in the Monmouthshire and South Wales district, and for each of the last four years;
(2) if, in relation to working costs and revenue, he will state the realised losses per ton of coal for the Monmouthshire and South Wales coalfield for the years 1935–36 and the ascertained periods of 1937?
§ Captain CrookshankThe information asked for is given in the Quarterly and Annual Statistical Summaries of output and of the costs of production, proceeds and profits of the coalmining industry, which are published by my Department as Command Papers. The relevant numbers are Cmd. 4554, 4877, 5142, 5427, 5508 and 5559.