RECONSTRUCTION OF THE COAL INDUSTRY
[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.]
Sin,—In reply t9 " Managing Director," I mean " distillation " and not " carbonisation." I should have appreciated his criticisms more if he had signed his name. I wonder if he has any constructive suggestions to put forward to resuscitate the coal trade, or is he only critical of others ? The technical papers read at Leeds, to which he refers, were by Government officials or scientists, who are not interested, as he rightly says, in the coal trade. Will " Managing Director " accept the opinion of the Ministry of Mines as to whether the coal trade is properly run or not ? Again, is Mr. Gee a practical coal man ? I always understood him to be an eminent journalist.
Would " Managing Director " accept the opinions of leading coalowners in this country and abroad as to whether low temperature distillation has arrived or not ? If so, he can have them. Whether it has arrived or not, I think we must all agree that it is better to spend £15,000,000 on wages for work done, with a possible chance of recovering the expen- diture later, than paying away that amount in doles, and by doing. so helping forward the disintegration of civilized society.
—I am, Sir, &c., M. F. BERNHARD.
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