§ Captain BAGLEYasked the Secretary for Mines whether he can state the total amounts received in the coal-mining industry by employés as wages and by owners as profits during the years 1913 and 1920 and the month of March, 1921, 2237W respectively, and the estimated amounts which would have been so received in March, 1921, if during that month the wage scale offered by the owners on 1st April had been in operation?
§ Mr. BRIDGEMANParticulars of wages and profits are not yet available for the month of March, 1921, and if they were it would be impossible to make any true comparison in the way which the hon. and gallant Member suggests, as the basis of the scheme, proposed by the owners is to pay wages during one period in accordance with the financial results of a previous period. If therefore their scheme had been in operation in March, the level of wages in that month would not necessarily have been the same as those which they offered for April, and the profits would have depended upon the tonnage sold, the level of prices and the overhead costs during that month as compared with those of the period upon the results of which the level of wages would have been determined.
The total amounts of wages and profits for the years 1913 and 1920 are estimated to be as follow:—
Wages. Profits. £ £ 1913 91,000,000 21,000,000 1920 264,721,000 27,000,000