24 DECEMBER 1937, Page 19

THE COAL BILL [To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR.] SIR,—On

page 1,088 of your issue of December 17th, in your note on the Coal Bill, you suggest that it is open to the Royalty owners to withdraw their acceptance of the results of the arbitra- tion on the amount of the compensation to be paid.

I think that, if you will look the matter up, you will find that while the Government reserved this right to themselves it did not extend to the owners, who were, from the first, bound to accept the findings of the arbitrators on the number of years' purchase to be paid of the agreed annual value.—Your obedient The Brand, Loughborough.