asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will state the tonnage of softwood pit-wood imported into the United Kingdom from France in the last three years; and how prices of these imports compare with home-produced props.

Figures for imports of pit-props, pit-poles and pit-bars, recorded in piled cubic fathoms and value, are available from the Trade and Navigation Accounts.Any comparison of the prices of imports and home-produced pit-props would be misleading in the absence of full details of quality and specifications.