I am fully aware of he rising export possibilities of china clay, but in present circumstances the first charge on this important raw material industry must be to satisfy the essential needs of its home consumers, who play such a large part in the internal economy of the country as well as in the export trade. I hope, however, that after these essential needs have been met there will be sufficient clay left over to enable the industry at least to retain its more important export markets. For these reasons, and because the process of drying china clay is a continuous one, the coal allocation to this industry has recently been substantially increased, but I regret that the general coal supply situation does not justify any further increase at present.