§ Mr. TOOTILLasked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in the interests of the consumer and as an additional preventative against the charging of excess prices, he will give instructions that, when fixing the retail price of coal under the Household Fuel and Lighting Order, the cost of cartage and delivery to the consumers' premises shall be made on the basis of a flat rate?
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§ Sir H. GREENWOODIn fixing retail prices of coal, the cost of cartage and delivery are carefully considered, but in view of the variation in local conditions it is not possible to base them on a flat rate as suggested.
§ Mr. TOOTILLasked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in view of the impossibility of six officials being able adequately to protect the public and properly supervise and check the price of coal actually sold at the pit head and by registered coal merchants and agents throughout the country, he will reconsider this matter; whether he can state the number of inquiries which have been made by the Coal Controller under the Coal Prices (Limitations) Act, 1915, the Wholesale Coal Prices Order, 1917, and the Household Fuel and Lighting Order, 1919, in connection with charges of excess prices; and whether he will consider the possibility of these duties being transferred to local authorities who could, by reference to the Coal Controller's representatives, ascertain the pre-war price of any class or quality of coal at the colliery?
§ Sir H. GREENWOODThe hon. Member would appear to be under a misapprehension. The question of retail prices for coal is already dealt with, under the provisions of the Household Fuel and Lighting Order, 1919, by local fuel overseers who are appointed by local authorities. The extraction of the information asked for in the second part of the question would entail considerable time and labour, and I regret the information cannot be given. No records are available of the number of inquiries made by local fuel overseers in connection with charges of excess prices.