asked the Minister of Fuel and Power how much of the household coal ration was, in fact, supplied to merchants in the South of England during the last coal winter; to what extent this was less than the ration per head; and what was the cause of the deficiency.

14·8 cwt. per registered customer. The maximum quantity consumers were allowed to purchase varied between 10 and 24 cwt. according to the amount taken during the previous summer.