§ MR. MACVEAGH (Down, S.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that although the cost of construction of the Irish railways has been below the cost of those of either England or Scotland, and although the proportion of expenditure to receipts is less on Irish 908 railways than on English or Scotch railways, the average rate per ton on merchandise carried on the Irish railways is nearly 40 per cent. in excess of the average rate charged on the same class of traffic in England and Scotland; whether he is aware that this average rate is still further increasing in Ireland whilst still further decreasing in England and Scotland; whether the attention of the Board of Trade and of the Railway and Canal Commissioners have been called to the increasing obstacles thus placed in the way of the development of Irish resources and trade; and whether it is intended to take any steps by legislation or otherwise to remove these obstacles.
§ Mr. WYNDHAMInformation on the subject of the first three queries will be found in a report recently issued by the new department and presented to Parliament. With respect to the remainder of the question, the Board of Trade and the new Department are always ready to consider specific complaints in reference to matters which the Railway and Canal Commissioners have jurisdiction to hear and determine. I have prepared to recommend an inquiry into the subject of these rates. It is argued, so far as I know pertinently, that the rate per ton is not a conclusive, guide for such comparisons which could only be accurately drawn by ascertaining the respective ton-miles.