§ MR. W. H. JAMESasked Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, If inquiry has been made of the South Eastern Railway Company by the Board of Inland Revenue, as promised in the letter of their Under Secretary, Mr. Adam Young, in a letter dated 4th January, quoted in "The Times" of 9th January 1879, in which Mr. Young stated that he was desired by the Commissioners of Inland Revenue to inform his correspondent—
That they did not know what was meant by the 'increased charges' of that Department, which were alleged to have rendered necessary the addition of the Government Duty to the rates for season tickets, but they thought it due to the Company that opportunity should be afforded them of explaining the meaning of the statement," and that "inquiry should be made accordingly;and, whether that inquiry has extended also to the London, Brighton, and South Coast Railway Company; and, in such case, what has been the result?
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUERSir, I find that the Board of Inland Revenue did make the inquiry referred to from the South-Eastern Railway Company, and that they received an explanation in reply, that the phrase "increased charges" was not intended to imply that any addition to the duty had been made, but merely that the duty demanded of it had increased in amount. No inquiry was made from the London, Brighton, and South Coast Railway Company, because it did not appear that that Company had alleged or implied that any increase of the duty had been made.