TIMBER AS A FACTOR IN THE PRICE OF COAL. 



the Forestry Committee of the Reconstruction Sub-Committee " 

 published in 1918, CD. 8881.) 



The values per load (or ton) for each of the years 19 13-17 of 

 pit-wood imported into Scotland, were as follows: — 



{The figures which are taken from Board of Agriculture returns 

 are given for Scotland, as the prices per load are believed to be 

 higher than those for the United Kingdom.) 



The average price per ton for the six months ending 30th 

 June 1 918 was 90s. In July 1918 the Pit-wood Control Order, 

 which is still in existence, fixed maximum prices for pit-wood, 

 both home and foreign, which are lower than the highest figure 

 shown above, viz. 102s. 



The maximum price paid by the coalmasters may therefore be 

 taken at an average of 102s. per ton. This represents an increase 

 of 325 per cent, over the pre-war price of 24s. 



To meet the shortage in supplies the home pit-wood trade 

 was organised and developed during the war, but the maximum 

 prices reached did not at any time exceed (in the aggregate) 

 102s. 



In the Report on "Supplies of Home-Grown Pit-wood," issued 

 in 1 9 14 by the Board of Agriculture,' CD. 7729, it is stated that 

 about 265,000,000 tons of coal are, on the average, raised each 

 year in the United Kingdom, and that the annual consumption 

 of pit-wood may be estimated at 4,500,000 tons, or 17 per cent, 

 of the weight of coal. 



The increase of 78s. (from 24s. to 102s.) in the price per ton 

 of pit-wood would, therefore, apparently involve an increase of 

 ^132, 6s. in the price of 100 tons of coal, or is. 4d. per ton 

 of coal. It should be noted that the pre-war price of home 

 pit-wood does not arise. The coalmasters would naturally buy 

 in the most economic markets, and while it is a fact that a 

 limited quantity of home pit-wood was used before the war, 



