§ 79. Mr. CHARLES PRICEasked whether his attention has been drawn to the condition of the railway rates books at the various goods stations throughout the country, many of which are so badly 568 posted that any person desiring to ascertain for himself any particular rate in many cases is unable to do so; and, seeing that the state of station rates books is one that has troubled the trader for years, whether the Board will consider the advisability of appointing some independent person, whose duty it shall be to inspect and check the rates books to see that they agree with those at the head offices of the railway companies?
Mr. BUXTONI have received a memorandum from the Scottish Railway Traders' Association on the subject to which my hon. Friend calls attention, and I am inviting the observations of the railway companies thereon. Meanwhile I would point out that Section 14 of the Regulation of Railways Act, 1873, provides that every railway company shall keep at each of their stations a book or books showing every rate for the time being charged for the carriage of traffic from that station to any place to which they book, and imposes a penalty recoverable in a Court of Summary Jurisdiction for failure to comply with this requirement.
§ Mr. WATTWill the right hon. Gentleman say whether it is not the duty of his Department to see these books are kept up to date and intelligible?