NATIONAL COAL BOARD (COMPLAINTS) (Hansard, 29 November 1949)

§ 1949 Mr. Gaitskell

(pursuant to his reply of 28th November, 1949) [c. 767–8, v. 470] circulated the following correspondence:

th July,

SIR,

I am directed by the Minister of Fuel and Power to refer to your letter of the 28th June, about the quality of a truck of opencast coal and to say that, as you are doubtless aware, it has been agreed between the National Coal Board and the Distributive Trade that any serious and justifiable complaint of house coal quality should be taken up, either direct or through the wholesale buyer, with the Marketing Manager for the Board's area from which the coal is supplied.

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The settlement of individual complaints is a matter for negotiation between buyer and seller, on normal commercial lines and is one in which the Ministry cannot intervene.

I am to say that your further letter of the 5th July has been received and is having attention.

I am, Sir,

Your obedient Servant,

(Sgd.) E. J. DAWES.

J. Lawley-Wakelin, Esq.,

Messrs. J. F. Lawley, Ltd.,

Lawley Street Wharf.

Birmingham, 4.

th July,

DEAR MELLOR,

Gaitskell has asked me to reply to your letter of the 7th July and enclosure from Mr. J. Lawley-Wakelin of Messrs. J. W. Lawley Limited, Lawley Street Wharf, Birmingham.

An official reply has now been sent to Mr. Lawley-Wakelin's letter to us of the 5th July and I enclose a copy for your information, together with a copy of the letter sent to the Chairman of the Local Fuel Overseer's Advisory Committee.

(Sgd.) ALFRED ROBENS.

Sir J. W. P. Mellor, Bt., M.P.,

House of Commons, S.W.I.

22nd July,

SIR,

I am directed by the Minister of Fuel and Power to refer to your letter of the 5th July about a truck of opencast coal from the Denby Screens.

Further investigation has been made and as you will see from the enclosed copy of the reply sent to the Chairman of the Local Fuel Overseer's Advisory Committee, while the coal is not of unreasonable quality, it has been decided that it shall be withdrawn from the domestic market.

I am informed by the National Coal Board that as regards wagon No. 634 certain allowances are being made in respect of the slack and for underweight, subject to the submission of supporting weigh tickets.

I am, Sir,

Your obedient Servant,

E. J. DAWES.

J. Lawley-Wakelin, Esq.,

Messrs. J. P. Lawley Ltd.,

Lawley Street Wharf,

Birmingham, 4.

22nd July,

SIR,

I am directed by the Minister of Fuel and Power to refer to your letter of the 7th July about the quality of certain consignments of opencast coal from the Denby Screens.

I should first explain that the total production of coal of suitable size for the house coal market represents only about one-third of the total output. Whilst overall production is higher the increase, being largely due 91W to increased mechanisation underground which makes more small coal, is not giving a corresponding increase in the larger coal of which there is in fact at present a serious shortage. This coal is required not only for the house coal market but also for railways and to a smaller extent for gas works and general industry. This overall shortage, coupled with the necessity of including a proportion of high class large coal in our exports, in order to induce our foreign customers to buy untreated smalls, inevitably influences both the quantity and quality of supplies to the domestic market and as the Minister has explained on a number of occasions grades of coal which would not normally be sent to the house coal market must unfortunately be included in merchants' allocations.

It is only by supplementing deep-mined coal by screened opencast that house coal supplies can be maintained at the present level. Whilst it is appreciated that the cleaning facilities at opencast sites are not, and cannot be, so elaborate as those at deep mines, all practicable measures are taken to maintain as high a standard as is possible in the preparation of this coal for the domestic market and there are inspectors at all the sites to prevent the loading of dirt with the coal.

I understand that in the main it was the hard slab coal which was objected to in the particular consignments from Denby. I am told, however, that from burning tests carried out the National Coal Board are satisfied that this hard coal is, in spite of its appearance a reasonably burning coal and a recent analysis shows a low ash content and correspondingly high calorific value. The National Coal Board have decided, however, that since the hard coal is causing serious dissatisfaction and cannot be separated from the brights the coal produced from the site containing this hard coal shall be withheld from the domestic market for the time being.

I am, Sir,

Your obedient Servant,

E. J. DAWES

J. H. Lewis, Esq.,

Chairman, Advisory Committee to the Local Fuel Overseer.

17th October,

DEAR SIR JOHN.

Gaitskell has asked me to reply to your letter of the 3rd October and enclosure from Mr. J. Lawley-Wakelin of Messrs. J. P. Lawley Limited, Lawley Street Wharf. Birmingham.

In June last we received complaints from Mesers. Lawley Limited and another Birmingham merchant about the quality of certain consignments of opencast coal. As a result the National Coal Board decided that the coal produced from the site in question should be withheld from the domestic market for the time being. You will remember that on the 92W 28th July I sent you copies of the official letters about this coal which had been addressed to Mr. Lawley-Wakelin and to the Chairman of the Local Fuel Overseer's Advisory Committee.

I understand the Board arranged with Messrs. Lawley Limited to unload the two wagons which had already arrived at their depot but which they did not wish to accept. The ultimate disposal of this coal was a matter for the Board who had. of course, to endeavour to find a market at a fair price. I am told by the Board that the coal which although containing a percentage of hards is of reasonable quality, has been bought by a well-known and knowledgeable merchant at the full price, less an allowance to cover the cost of removal.

ALFRED ROBENS

Sir John Mellor, Bt., M.P.,

House of Commons, S.W.I.

th November.

DEAR MELLOR,

Thank you for your letter of the 25th October and enclosure concerning my reply to your recent question in the House about complaints as to the quality of opencast coal.

It is the job of my Opencast Directorate to see that coal from opencast sites is produced in the best condition possible. The coal however, is marketed by the National Coal Board as the Ministry's agents and it is for the Board to decide for which purpose the coal is best suited and, as far as practicable, within the limitations of transport facilities at opencast sites and the geographical location of the workings, to place it accordingly.

The procedure for dealing with complaints about the quality of coal, whether deep-mined or opencast is based on the normal commercial practice of negotiation between buyer and seller. This procedure was outlined in the first paragraph of the official letter of the 11th July to Messrs. J. P. Lawley Ltd., and makes provision for complaints about the quality of a consignment of coal to be carried beyond the Marketing Manager for the Board's area if satisfaction is not obtained at that level, to Divisional level and, if necessary to the Board's headquarters.

Any complaints about the quality of opencast coal should, therefore, be brought to the notice of the Board as the Ministry's selling agents. Their officers will examine them, where necessary in consultation with the Opencast Directorate, and you will see from Robens' reply to your letter of the 3rd October, of which I enclose a copy, that a full enquiry was made into Messrs Lawley's original complaint.

Yours Sincerely,

HUGH GAITSKELL.

Sir John Mellor, Bt., M.P.,

House of Commons. S.W.I.