§ 62. Mr. Nabarroasked the Minister of Fuel and Power how much coal was imported during the years 1947 to 1955, inclusive; what was the average loss per ton on resale of this coal; and how much of the accumulated loss of the National Coal Board, £37 million at 31st December, 1955, may be attributed to losses on resale of imported coal.
§ Mr. Renton17.2 million tons were imported and supplied by the Board at an average cost of about 48s. per ton8W more than the proceeds of resale. These extra costs were more than balanced by the premium obtained during the same period on exported coal. Thus, if the Board's overseas trading is considered as a whole, it has reduced rather than increased the accumulated loss.