§ Mr. BoydenI beg leave to submit to this honourable House two Petitions under seal objecting to the closure of the Barnard Castle-Penrith Railway.
The two Petitioners are the Barnard Castle Urban District Council and the Durham County Council, one of the smallest and one of the largest in the north of England.
Altogether, the Durham County Council represents about 1 million people. They object to the proposed closure on the ground of hardship to the mining and rural communities, interruption of facilities for recreation for the industrial population, but more especially to the damage which the closure would do to the economic prospects of the area. It is well known the difficulties that South-West Durham has in attracting industry, and this particular closure will cause damage in confidence and damage in facilities, quite apart from the actual unemployment it will cause.
Both the Durham County Council and the Barnard Castle Urban District Council have been very energetic in promoting local industrial schemes and they feel, and so petition, that they should have the assistance of this honourable House.
The Petitioners therefore pray:
That this honourable House directs the British Transport Commission to maintain and improve the direct railway services between Barnard Castle and Penrith.And your Petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray.
§ To lie upon the Table.