§ MR. THOMAS F. SMYTHI beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware of the fact that the directors of the Cavan and Leitrim Light Railway intend closing four Hag stations on the line to goods and mineral traffic, at which there are sidings; and, as the ratepayers in the guaranteeing area are paying a rate of one shilling in the pound, whether these stations will he left open to the public as heretofore, seeing that other-wise the ratepayers will have to bear increased taxation, as considerable traffic will be diverted from the line, and that when the line was being constructed about twenty years ago an agreement; was entered into for the putting in of the sidings at those flag stations.
§ MR. KEARLEYThe Railway Company with whom the Board of Trade have communicated on the subject state that the flag stations in question will not be closed to goods and mineral traffic, and that a service thereto will be afforded three times a week. They explain that they have been obliged to restrict the use of these stations for goods and mineral traffic, in order to meet important through connections, and to effect reductions in the hours of labour of their servants without incurring heavily increased expenditure, and thus adding to the burden of the guaranteeing area.