asked the President of the Board of Trade whether the Timber Supplies Department in September, 1917, offered £5,700 for the timber on certain farms near Machynlleth, such offer being subsequently increased in November, 1917, to £6,400, and to £11,850 in March, 1918; whether he is aware that the timber has been purchased by a private firm for £15,000; and whether he will grant permission for its sale?

Informal offers of the lower amounts were made in the autumn of 1917 based upon rough estimates of the amount of timber involved. After negotiations and detailed valuation, £11,850 was offered on 12th March. This was refused, and, in view of the urgent need of such timber for colliery purposes, the timber was requisitioned on 8th April; price will therefore be determined by the Defence of the Realm Losses Commission. It was not until 23rd April that application from a private firm for permit under the Standing Timber Order, 1917, without which no sale could be made, was received. This was necessarily refused, the timber having been requisitioned a fortnight previously.

Can the hon. Gentleman say whether the valuer of this timber knew anything about timber, seeing that the valuations were so different from the market price?

It was a question of the amount of timber involved.