§ Sir RICHARD WINFREYasked the Minister of Munitions whether instructions have been given to deposit 1,000 tons of amatol in the sea; whether in is likely to be so deposited in the Wash, on the Lincolnshire and Norfolk coast, and, if so, how much more amatol it is proposed to dispose of in like manner; whether amatol contains 80 per cent. of nitrate of ammonia which, by a safe wet process, could be extracted and utilised as a fertiliser for agricultural land; and would the Ministry of Munitions be prepared to hand over all the surplus amatol at a nominal price if they are satisfied the ammonia could be safely extracted for agricultural purposes?
§ Mr. KELLAWAYInstructions have been given to destroy 1,400 tons of waste amatol; it will not be deposited in the 1179W Wash, but dumped into the sea in consultation with the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries; the amatol in question contains about 10 per cent. only of ammonium nitrate; whilst in the opinion of my advisers the extraction of the ammonium nitrate from this particular waste amatol would not be a paying proposition in view of the low ammonium nitrate content, I should be prepared to hand over this material for the purpose mentioned at a nominal price, subject to any necessary safeguard.
§ Sir R. WINFREYasked the Parliamentry Secretary to the Board of Agriculture whether the Board have been informed that the Ministry of Munitions propose to deposit thousands of tons of amatol in the sea; and, seeing amatol contains 20 per cent. of T.N.T. which is exceedingly bitter and poisonous, whether it will poison the fish and seriously damage the in-shore industry?
Sir A. BOSCAWENThe Board are aware of the proposals of the Ministry of Munitions regarding the deposit of waste amatol. They were consulted on the subject by the Adviser on Shipments of Explosives who postponed all dumping operations until the Board had had an opportunity to test the effect of the deposits on fish life. Arrangements have now been made, in the light of the information gained, to make the deposits at localities where no considerable fisheries exist and under conditions in which it is thought that the damage caused to fisheries will be infinitesimal.