asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce why a price in excess of £7 per ton is to be charged for American coal which costs from 95/-to 115/- per ton c.i.f. Irish ports.

Charges in respect of unloading, short weight, demurrage, handling, local delivery and overheads must be added to the c.i.f. cost of coal before the selling price can be determined. In certain instances it is possible to avoid the full incidence of these costs, but in the case of coal sold by merchants, the addition of these charges to the average c.i.f. cost of American coal, which was £5 10s. 6d. per ton during April and May, and will be higher for June when the first shipments of West Coast coals arrive, brings the selling price to over £7 per ton.

Is it suggested that the gas company, Córas Iompair Eireann, and the other large corporations to whom this coal is allotted will, in fact, be charged a price in excess of £7 per ton or will they come within the category of persons who will avoid a number of additional charges?

The public utility societies draw their coal direct, not through merchants.

And they will not have these additional charges?

Some of them.

We must think of the price to them as being somewhere around £5 10s. 0d. and £6.

Over £6.

Although the price c.i.f. is £5 10s. 0d.?

The cost of unloading the coal is substantially more than 10/-per ton.

Substantially more than 10/ a ton?

And delivery.

To the gas works?