§ MR. BURNIE (Swansea Town)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade whether he 1611 urge the Railway Companies to make a general reduction of the increased rates to what they were on 31st December, 1892, so as to endeavour to protect the weaker portions of the trading community from having to bear the burdens of concessions to the larger and more powerful ones?
§ MR. MUNDELLAI am urging, and shall continue to urge, the Railway Companies to deal in a reasonable manner with complaints of increases of rates made since December 31st last, and I have also urged that, pending revision, they should go back to old rates, but I cannot enforce this.
MR. NEWDIGATE (Warwickshire, Nuneaton)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade whether, in spite of the circumstance that in a letter written on 24th January to the Board of Trade by Mr. Findlay, Manager of the London and North Western Railway, in which it was stated that the London and North Western Railway Company have decided to revert to the rates for carrying milk which were in force prior to the recent revision of railway rates, the revised rates are still charged by that Company; and if the President of the Board of Trade can give information as to when the London and North Western Railway Company intend to give effect to their determination, as expressed on 24th January?
§ MR. MUNDELLAI have been in communication with the General Manager of the London and North Western Railway Company with regard to the question of the hon. Member. I am informed that instructions were given on 25th January to nearly all North Western stations from which milk had hitherto been sent to revert to the rates which were charged prior to the 1st January, the only exceptions being with regard to those stations the rates for which have to be arranged in conjunction with other companies. These were immediately taken in hand, and many of them were arranged within a few days subsequent to the 25th January; the others are still under consideration, hut only embrace a few stations. No complaints from traders have been received by the management that the arrangement has not been carried out.
§ MR. MATHER (Lancashire, S.E., Gorton)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade whether the Board of Trade has been furnished with a list of specific cases by several of the large firms of engineers and machinists in Lancashire, showing, that the railway rates for the carriage of machinery, recently quoted and firmly adhered to by Railway Companies, is an increase front 20 per cent. to 33 per cent. on the rates of last Year; whether such cases have been forwarded by the Board of Trade to the Railway Companies; and whether any satisfactory assurance has been given that such increased rates will not be enforced when the railway managers have completed the general re-adjustment of railway charges upon which they are now engaged?
§ MR. MUNDELLAYes, Sir; I have received the list of specific eases referred to by the hon. Member alleging increases of railway rates for the carriage of machinery from Lancashire. The list has been forwarded to the Railway Companies concerned, and to the Railway Association, but I have not yet received an answer.