§ Mr. Gallacherasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will publish the figures of German exports of coal and timber, giving at the same time the comparative world market prices with the German prices.
Mr. McNeilExports of timber and coal in 1947, excluding inter-zonal trade, amounted to 932,000 metric tons and 12.13 million tons respectively. As regards the second part of the Question, there is no world market price for coal in the strict sense owing to the high proportion which freight charges bear to the cost of 295W coal. The current export price of £3 15s. per ton f.o.b. for German coal—the price was raised from £2 10s. per ton f.o.b. on 1st September—is in line with the landed cost of United States coal in Europe. Timber export prices, which vary widely according to type and grade, are in line with current world prices. All the figures quoted above refer to exports from Western Germany. Accurate information as to the Soviet zone is not available.