§ Mr. MACLEANasked the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention was drawn to the admission of coal merchants in London that the advance in the retail price of coal in December was due to what they termed the cold snap then prevailing; and whether, as this was an admission that pit-head prices and stocks did not justify such increase, he can take any steps to prevent a recurrence of such profiteering?
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§ Colonel LANE FOXI have not seen any such admission by the London coal merchants. On the contrary, they issued a statement that the advance was due to increases in pit-head prices.