§ 69. Mr. CHARLES WILLIAMSasked the Minister of Transport what amount of the grant made to the railways for the relief of freights goes to Scotland?
§ Mr. HERBERT MORRISONRebates under the scheme for railway freight relief were allowed to the persons paying the carriage charges, and I do not consider that any useful purpose would be served by incurring the labour involved in recording the geographical distribution of the rebates allowed.
§ 70. Mr. WILLIAMSasked the Minister of Transport what proportion of the grants made to railways for the relief to freights goes to coal, agricultural produce, and other forms of goods, respectively?
§ Mr. MORRISONThe aggregate amount of the rebates allowed by the railway companies during the period 1st December, 1928, to 30th September, 1929, in respect of which a Government grant 1325 of £3⅓ millions was made, was distributed as follows:
Per cent. Coal, coke and patent fuel 73.4 Agricultural selected traffics 17.88 Other selected traffics 8.72
§ Mr. WILLIAMSIs there any sign of an increase in the proportion of any of these traffics?
§ Mr. MORRISONI could not answer either of those questions without notice.
§ 77. Viscount WOLMERasked the Minister of Transport the total sums paid in freight rebates under the Railway Freights Rebates Anticipation Fund Scheme up to 1st October last in respect of agricultural freights, coal freights and heavy industry freights?
§ Mr. HERBERT MORRISONThe total amount of the rebates allowed, including an estimate of the amount of any rebates still outstanding under the scheme is £3,402,680, distributed among the three groups of selected traffics as follows:
£ Agricultural selected traffics … 608,384 Coal selected traffics … 2,497,611 Other selected traffic … 296,685 £3,402,680