§ * MAJOR RASCH (Essex, Chelmsford)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been called to the fact that, in the case of a railway which also owns a line of steamers running between the Continent and an English port, a fixed system of rates is imposed by law for the land journey, but no such control is exercised over the sea traffic; whether the Great Eastern Railway Company, for example, may charge the same rate for a given quantity of goods from Rotterdam (via Harwich) to London as from Harwich to London; and whether the Board of Trade can take any steps to require the same sea rates to be charged to all traders alike for the same class and quantity of goods.
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF TRADE (Mr. GERALD BALFOUR,) Leeds, CentralMy hon. and gallant friend's Question involves considerations of great legal nicety, upon which I must decline to express an opinion. The jurisdiction to determine matters relating to undue preference rests with the Railway and Canal Commissioners, who would only decide on some specific case brought before them.