PRICE OF COAL

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3141, 20 July 1917, Page 6

PRICE OF COAL

ANOTHER INCREASE COMING

"Can the Minister tell us why it is that the price of coal is going up, and whether anything is being done about it?" This question wa6 addressed by Air. T AI. AVilford to tho Minister of Alines (the iton. W. D. S. AlacDonald) in the House of Representatives yesterday. Mr. AlacDonald said that there were several reasons for the increased price. There had been a twenty per cont. increase in the wages of the miners; there was an increase of 2s. f»d. a ton in freights; the wages of wharf labourers had been raised, and the wages of depot hands also. On the whole, the increase was fairly heavy. Another difficulty was that most of the efficient men were away at the war, ami higher wages had to be paid to less efficient workers. At present tho State was selling coal at less prices than were private companies. He iiatt latelv written to the Board of Irade instructing the board to make inquiries into the coal trade from the pit mouth to the consumer, to discover whether any undue profits were being made. Mr Payne asked whether it was not a fact that" tho 20 per cent, increase to miners was equivalent to only Gd. pel tO Mr AlacDonald said that this was so, hut this was only one of the increases. It. cost the Department 13s. W. a ton to nut coal on the shins the Liverpool mine, and tliev were working on a niar--rin of about 3d. a ton. He understood that the retail price of coal was to bo . increased 2s. a ton by private de<ueis.