§ Mr. Gallacherasked the Minister of Fuel and Power how much coal was cut by machinery in Scotland in 1947, or the latest year for which figures are available; what percentage of total Scottish output this constituted; in how many Scottish mines were coal cutting machines installed; and how many machines were in use that year.
§ Mr. GaitskellOf the total output of deep-mined coal raised and weighed in Scotland in 1947, 19,773,000 tons or 85 per cent. was cut by machinery. In the week ended 13th December, 1947, there were 238 mines at which coal cutting machines were installed. The total number of machines was 1,653, of which 1,229 were in use during the week.
§ Mr. Gallacherasked the Minister of Fuel and Power how much coal was conveyed by machinery in Scottish mines in 1947, or latest year for which figures are available; what percentage this was of total Scottish output; at how many Scottish mines conveying machines were in use; what was the total number of such machines; and how many of this total were power-loaders and gate-end loaders.
§ Mr. GaitskellOf the total output of deep-mined coal raised and weighed in Scotland in 1947, 15,884,000 tons, or 68.3 per cent., was mechanically conveyed from the working face. In the week ended 13th December, 1947, there were 127 coal mines at which conveying machines were installed. There were 1,825 conveyors installed, of which 1,541 were in use during the week. In addition, there were 58 power loaders and 76 gate-end loaders installed, of which 33 and 56 respectively were in use.