§ 23 and 24. Mr. GILBERTasked the President of the Board of Trade (1) whether he is aware that at a great many of the London railway termini there is a scarcity of both railway porters and taxi cabs; whether, in view of the number of demobilised men who are at present unemployed, he will ask the Railway Executive Committee to instruct the various railway companies to employ a number of these men either as inside or outside station 1652 porters and so help to relieve the inconvenience which travellers now suffer from and will be greatly increased with the holiday traffic; (2) whether he is aware that at London railway termini and goods stations numbers of women are still being employed as parcel porters; and whether, in view of the number of demobilised men who are unemployed at the present time, he will instruct the Railway Executive Committee to issue orders to the railway companies that these men should have preference for this kind of work?
§ Sir A. GEDDESI will reply to this and the following question together. I am calling the attention of the Railway Executive Committee to the points raised.