§ Mr. Lawsonasked the Minister of Supply whether he is aware that the price of home-grown pit wood has been increased by 300 per cent.; that there is no justification for this increase since it is longstanding timber in many cases in the immediate vicinity of the coal areas needing it; and, as this increase is taken almost wholly by the landowners who have incurred no increased expenditure and will add considerably to the cost of producing coal which will again increase the price of that commodity, what steps he proposes to deal with this matter?
§ Mr. BurginI am not aware that in any instance the price of home-grown pit-wood has been increased to the extent stated. As stated in the reply given to the hon. Member for Linlithgow on the 18th October, scheduled prices of homegrown pit wood represent, in the view of my expert advisers, a fair return to producers under present conditions.