§ MR. WOODS (Walthamstow)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade if his attention has been called to the great need of an increased service of workmen's trains on the South Eastern and the London, Chatham, and Dover Railways; whether he is aware that the fares on some portions of these companies' lines are very high; also that no workmen's trains are run by these companies from a number of important places, such as Croydon, Bromley, Bickley, Beckenham, Catford, Lee, etc.; and whether he will use his influence to cause a provision to be made in the Bill for the amalgamation of these railways, to compel them to run cheap trains for workmen and women between their central stations and these suburbs up to eight o'clock in the morning?
§ THE PRESIDENT OF TUB BOARD OF TRADE (Mr. C. T. RITCHIE,) CroydonMy attention has been called to this matter. There are, I understand, proceedings pending before the Railway Commissioners affecting most of the places referred to. I am not aware that the ordinary law is insufficient to meet 1560 this case, or that any special provisions are desirable. It is, however, open to the Committee on the Bill to consider that question if they are moved to do so by petition. The companies suffer a great deal from congested traffic in the early morning, but they are dealing with the workmen's trains question in a conciliatory spirit, and I shall be happy to supply the honourable Member with a copy of the correspondence the Board of Trade have had with the companies on the subject.