§ Mr. PERRINGasked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that 1129W the London Coal Committee have failed to carry out their promise to distribute the 1,000 tons of coal given by Messrs. S. In stone and Company, As kern Colliery, to the London unemployed, with the result that a considerable part of the gift has not reached the persons to whom the coal has been allocated; the reason of their failure; and if he proposes to take any steps whereby the coal-will reach the persons to whom it has been promised?
§ Mr. BRIDGEMANWhen Messrs. In stone offered this coal, the Department lent its good offices to arrange a practicable scheme of distribution. As a result, the London Coal Committee (which is a trade organization) agreed with the mayors of the boroughs concerned to distribute the coal free of charge, and after distributing some of the coal they withdrew from the arrangement on the ground that the coal supplied was unsuitable for domestic use. Apart from the merchants' organization the Department has no means of distributing the coal, but would be glad to assist in any way that it could.