MR. FIELDI beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that in a paper read before the London Chamber of Commerce on 8th March it was stated that the carriage of heavy goods per ton per mile was ¾d. in Great Britain, 0.65 in France, ½d. in Germany, and ¼d.in the United States; and whether, seeing that the rates for goods carriage in Ireland are higher than in Great Britain, he will cause inquiries to be made to ascertain the figures and suggest a remedy?
THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD TRADEThe maximum rates for goods carriage are not, on the whole, higher in Ireland than in Great Britain. The subject was carefully dealt with by Parliament in 1892, and I am not prepared to re-open it.