§ Sir W. Smithersasked the Minister of Fuel and Power what is the proportion of actual coal-getters to the total manpower employed in the coalmines of Great Britain; and what are the similar figures for 1920, 1930 and 1940.
§ Mr. GaitskellAt the end of 1945 and 1946, the only years for which figures are available, actual coal-getters as defined for the purpose of the Ministry's Statistical Digest constituted 20.6 and 20.4 per cent. respectively of the total labour force. The hon. Member will no58W doubt appreciate, however, that the definition excludes many types of workers engaged on vital operations at the coal face.
§ Sir W. Smithersasked the Minister of Fuel and Power what is the total cost of coal-getters' wages expressed in terms of cost per ton of coal available for sale.
§ Mr. GaitskellI regret that information concerning the category of workers known as coal-getters is not available. The only information available relates to the costs of wages per ton of coal for all workers, surface and underground. For the second quarter 1947, the figure was 26s. 4d. per ton of saleable coal (including holiday pay and allowances in kind).