§ MR. WARDLE (Stockport)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade if the working agreement between the Caledonian and North British Railways has received the sanction of the Railway and Canal Commissioners in accordance with Section 25 of the Railway Clauses Act, 1863, and amending enactments thereof.
§ The hon. Member had also the following Questions on the Paper:—
§ To ask the President of the Board of Trade, whether his attention has been called to the action of the Great Central and Great Northern Railway Companies in entering into a working agreement after the matter had been before the Railway and Canal Commissioners, who declined to allow an amalgamation under an old Act of Parliament; and what steps he propose to take in the matter.
§ To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many applications for working agreements between railway companies have been submitted to the Railway and Canal Commissioners for approval since 1905, and how many such agreements have been ratified.
§ To ask the President of the Board of Trade whether the agreements to 1045 pool receipts now in force between the London and North Western Railway Company and the Midland Railway Company have been sanctioned by the Railway and Canal Commissioners; and, if so, on what date.
§ MR. CHURCHILLI will answer the hon. Member's four Questions together. The Reports of the Railway and Canal Commission show that three applications were made to them for the approval of working agreements in the years 1905, 1906, and 1907. Of these three working agreements one was sanctioned and another was sanctioned in part, but the proposed working agreement between the Great Northern and Great Central Railway Companies was, as stated by the hon. Member, not approved. The other Agreements referred to in the Question have not been submitted for the approval of the Railway and Canal Commissioners, but I should explain that Section 25 of the Railways Clauses Act, 1863, does not apply generally to all Agreements between railway companies, but only to such as are made under the provisions of a special Act incorporating Part III. of the Clauses Act in question. I understand that an Agreement between the Great Northern, the Great Central, and the Great Eastern Companies will be submitted for the consideration of Parliament.
§ MR. WARDLEDoes the right hon. Gentleman say that the agreements which are now in force between the London and North-Western and Midland Railway Companies and the other agreements to which I have referred do Dot come under the Act of 1863?
§ MR. CHURCHILLYes, Sir; that is the purport of my Answer.