§ 96. Mr. GILBERTasked whether the interchange of goods trucks between the Great Northern, Great Central, and Great Eastern Railways has received the approval of the Railway Advisory Committee of the Board of Trade, or was carried out at their suggestion; and whether, in the interests of port authorities and traders, anything can be done by the Board of Trade to make the goods trucks of all railway companies interchangeable on all railway systems in the country, and so prevent the waste of time and money now caused by the haul age of empty trucks?
§ Mr. PRETYMANAs regards the first part of this question, the arrangement referred to has been made by the three railway companies themselves and does not require the approval of the Board of Trade. As regards the second part, the Railway Executive Committee are seeing whether they can usefully extend the existing arrangements for the common use of railway companies' wagons under which any wagon can be loaded to any station in the homeward direction.