§ Mr. Leslie Huckfieldasked the Minister of Transport what studies his Department has made of the profitability of wagonload traffics of European railway systems, from information available to him from international sources, in connection with the recent request of the British Railways Board for financial assistance in providing new freight wagons.
§ Mr. MarshThe British Railways Board has made no request to me for such financial assistance, but it has recently sought my approval in the normal way to its proposal to build a large number of new freight wagons. No studies have been made by my Department of the experience of other European railways with wagonload traffics; the widely differing circumstances in other countries would make such examination of doubtful value in the present context.