§ 68. Mr. PETOasked the President of the Board of Trade whether his Department will receive complaints from traders of any of the increases of rates on goods traffic of which the principal railway companies recently gave general notices; and, if so, whether he will state in what form such complaints are required to be submitted and what arrangements the Board of Trade propose to make for dealing with and hearing such complaints?
Mr. BUXTONBy Section 1 (3) of the Railway and Canal Traffic Act, 1894, any complaint under the Act must first be made to and considered by the Board of Trade. No special form is prescribed for such complaints; they are dealt with under Section 31 of the Railway and Canal Traffic Act, 1888, which empowers the Board to endeavour to settle amicably the differences between the complainant and the railway companies.
§ 69 and 70. Mr. PETOasked the President of the Board of Trade (1) whether, having regard to the consequences which ensued upon the authorisation by the Board of Trade of the form of notice which enabled the railway companies to give general notice of their intention to alter their rates on 1st January, 1893, and the general and indefinite character of the notices recently issued by the principal railway companies of their intention to increase rates on goods traffic as from 1st July next, the Board of Trade will require them to abstain from giving any effect to those notices, and to give further public notices specifying any particular rates which such railway companies may intend to increase, and the exact amount of the increases proposed to be made therein; and (2) whether the Order made by the Board of Trade on the 25th January, 1889, under Section 33 (6) of the Railway and Canal Traffic Act, 1888, respecting notice of intended increases of railway rates on goods traffic is still in force; and, if so, whether he is aware that the general notices recently given by the principal railway companies of general increases of rates which they intend to make on the 1st July next are not in accordance with the terms and provisions of that Order?
Mr. BUXTONThe Order of 25th January, 1889, is still in force; and notices of increased rates must be given in conformity with that Order. It is not for the Board of Trade, but for the Railway and Canal Commissioners to decide whether the Act and Order have been properly complied with.
§ 72. Mr. C. BATHURSTasked the President of the Board of Trade whether, in regard to the notices recently given by the principal railway companies of their intention to increase their rates on goods traffic as from 1st July next, subject to the statutory maxima, he is aware that in many cases it is difficult for agriculturists and traders to ascertain the maxima chargeable by railway companies, and that the form of the notices leaves such persons in doubt as to the extent to which their traffic may be affected by the carrying out of the railway companies' intentions; and whether he will take steps with the object of ascertaining and causing to be published precise lists of the rates which the railway companies intend to increase and the amounts of the increases which they propose to make in them?
Mr. BUXTONThere are no doubt some cases in which the existing rate is not sufficiently below the maximum to allow of the full increase of which general notice has been given, but I understand that it is not now proposed to make any increase in the class rates between places in England, and it is only in the case of class rates that this difficulty is likely to arise. The new rates should appear in the rate-books immediately.