§ 11 and 12. Mr. TILLETTasked the President of the Board of Trade (l) if he is aware 5 that 35,000,000 tons which used to be carried coastwise are now carried on the railways; and, seeing that 35,000,000 tons at five tons for each truck equals 7,000,000 truck loads, and that, at fifty railway trucks to a train, 7,000,000 truck loads equal 140,000 trains of 50 trucks each, and 140,000 trains in the year equals 400 trains a day, what steps he is prepared to take to avoid the resulting congestion of traffic; and (2) what was the tonnage of vessels arriving and departing with cargoes coast-wise at each of the undermentioned ports in each of the years 1914, 1915, 1916, 1917, and 1918, namely: London, Liverpool, Manchester, Hull, Bristol, and Southampton; what, if any, increases have been made since 1914 in the railway rates on goods carried between ports where goods can be carried in the coasting vessels; if the rates have not been advanced, by whom is the extra cost of carraige paid; and, in the presence of the existing shortage of railway trucks throughout the country, will he take into immediate consideration the necessity for the railways refusing to carry between ports all goods which can be carried in coasting vessels?
§ Sir A. GEDDESI am aware that a considerable amount of traffic, which before the War would have been carried by sea, has been conveyed by rail owing to shipping difficulties, but I cannot give figures showing the extent of the traffic which has thus been diverted. I am, however, sending the hon. Gentleman figures showing the tonnage of vessels arriving and departing with cargoes coastwise at the ports referred to by him.
No general increase in railway rates for the carriage of goods by merchandise train has been made since 1914, and if such goods have been carried at a loss the loss has been borne by the State. The question of an increase in railway rates will, undoubtedly, require consideration, but I do not think that it would be feasible to refuse to carry by rail all goods which might possibly be carried coastwise.
§ Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHYIs the right hon. Gentleman aware of the great distress in the East Coast ports caused by unemployment of men previously employed in this coastwise trade; and will he consider some prohibition of goods which can be carried by sea along the coast being carried by truck at all
§ Sir A. GEDDESThe object of the Department has been to get rid of these pro- 6 hibitions as far as possible. I am not at all sure in my own mind that the great difficulty which certainly exists in the East Coast ports is so much caused by lack of coastwise traffic as by the general paralysis of traffic in ports on the Continent, outside the blockade area, which affect the East Coast ports.