Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 2 Apr 1941

Vol. 82 No. 9

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Charges for Coal.

Risteárd Ua Maolchatha

asked the Minister for Supplies if he will state (1) The average monthly import price for (a) household coal, and (b) all coal, for each of the months in the year 1939, and in the year 1940, and (2) the prices charged to bellmen in Dublin in each of these months, and (3) the price per bag charged by bellmen in Dublin in each of these months.

Minister for Supplies (Mr. Lemass)

(1) The average monthly c.i.f. values per ton of coal imported in each of the years 1939 and 1940 will be circulated in the Official Report.

The remaining information requested in the question is not available in my Department. For some time prior to the arrangements now in operation for the supply of coal to bellmen from central dumps the types of coal supplied by the various merchants to their bellmen were not necessarily uniform in quality or in price.

Following is the information asked for under (1):—

MONTH	Household Coal	All Coal
1939	1940	1939	1940
	per	ton	per	ton	per	ton	per	ton
	s.	d.	s.	d.	s.	d.	s.	d.
January	29	0	34	5	27	7	32	6
February	29	1	35	6	28	0	32	11
March	29	2	30	3	27	7	30	9
April	27	3	35	6	26	4	33	6
May	27	8	39	3	26	8	37	8
June	27	4	40	8	26	1	39	2
July	27	3	41	5	26	3	40	7
August	27	4	40	10	26	0	39	4
September	29	0	40	4	28	5	38	9
October	33	2	39	9	31	7	38	3
November	34	7	41	0	32	10	40	1
December	35	3	42	1	33	4	41	6

General Mulcahy

Am I to understand from the Minister that he has no information in his Department as to the price charged to bellmen during, say, the year 1940, or as to the price at which coal was sold by the bag by bellmen in Dublin during that period?

Mr. Lemass

That would depend entirely on the quality of the coal.

General Mulcahy

Has the Minister no information that he can give the House?

Mr. Lemass

I cannot give the Deputy the information that he has asked for in the question.