§ Sir C. Osborneasked the President of the Board of Trade by how many £ million sterling the latest trade gap improvement has been achieved by the running down of work in progress, and/or a reduction in national stocks; and, in view of the fact that production is no greater, what kind of internal consumption has been cut.
§ Mr. JayThe information asked for is not available, but recently there has almost certainly been some deferment of imports subject to the import charge, accompanied by some running down in the stocks of these goods. The improvement in the trade balance, however, owes a good deal to the recent high level of exports.
336Wthe dispute at the Cadeby Colliery near Mexborough where 1,700 miners are on strike over the National Coal Board's recently introduced national power agreement, which cuts across the customs carried out at Cadeby for 50 years.
§ Mr. GunterThe strike at Cadeby Main Colliery is unofficial and in breach of the coalmining industry's disputes procedure. I understand the men concerned are refusing to operate an agreement reached between the National Coal Board and the National Union of Mineworkers in June last designed to make more economical use of manpower and adequately to reward the coal-face workers on a time basis. I am assured that officials of the union are making every effort to secure a resumption of work in accordance with the agreement. I do not consider that an investigation by me at present would be appropriate or helpful.