HC Deb 06 August 1941 vol 373 cc1938-40
32. Sir John Mellor

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport what final instructions he gave to the railway companies with regard to traffic during the last week-end period?

34. Commander King-Hall

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport why it was necessary to run so many additional trains during the August Bank Holiday period, having regard to the Government's appeal to the public not to travel, and the imperative need of reducing coal consumption to the minimum consistent with the war effort; and whether, on future occasions, he will take care that appeals not to travel are reinforced by absence of abnormal travel facilities?

Colonel Llewellin

The railway companies were instructed that in accordance with the policy with regard to holidays generally no special facilities for travel should be provided and no extra trains should be run apart from those required to dispose of the overflow which could not be accommodated by the regular services. Despite the appeal not to travel, the number of passengers arriving at the stations was far in excess of the capacity of the scheduled train services and relief trains were necessary to remove the crowds of waiting passengers who had already paid their fares. My hon. Friends will, however, be glad to hear that over the period as a whole there has been no hold-up of essential goods traffic.

Sir J. Mellor

Has not the Minister any power to deal with a situation of this sort? If the railway companies are prevented by some legal difficulty from refusing to carry passengers, would it not have been possible for the Minister to relieve them of that difficulty, especially in view of the previous announcement that no additional trains would be run over the Bank-Holiday period?

Colonel Llewellin

We certainly have the power. We could direct that no passenger trains at all be run on Bank Holiday or on the Saturday, but in fact, although we did not want an extra number of people to travel, there were sufficient trains to take them away. There may not be in the winter months. While some of these people can get a holiday without interfering with essential railway traffic, it would be right to allow trains to run and to allow people to take a holiday which many of them thoroughly deserve.

Sir J. Mellor

Why was it previously announced that no additional trains would be run?

33. Sir J. Mellor

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport how many additional passenger trains were run between 1st August and 4th August inclusive; what was the estimated amount of additional coal consumed; and to what extent was goods traffic impeded?

Colonel Llewellin

It will take some little time to collect the desired information, and I will communicate with my hon. Friend as soon as I have obtained it.

Sir J. Mellor

How can my right hon. and gallant Friend reconcile the waste of coal, which everyone knows took place, with the Government's appeal to the miners to increase their efforts to produce coal and to the public to economise in the use of it?

Colonel Llewellin

I do not think we can stop all passenger trains because of a certain shortage of coal. I should be interested to know how many Members of this House travelled during the Bank Holiday week-end.

Mr. Mander

Why were the newspapers full of advertisements from the railway companies urging people to take advantage of special facilities to go on holidays at the time when they contained appeals from the Government to the public not to travel?

Colonel Llewellin

There was only one such announcement in the newspapers, and when our attention was drawn to it we found that it had got in by error, and we stopped it.