§ Mr. MILLARasked the President of the Board of Trade (1) what saving in railway tonnage and wagon space would be effected by the suspension of the brewing industry during the War; and (2) if he can state in tons the total quantity of beer and stout and also of cereals and other materials required for the brewing industry conveyed by the various railways in the United Kingdom for each month during the past year or the period for which a complete record is available; and the amount of wagon space allocated for such purposes?
Sir A. STANLEYInformation is not available as to the proportion of the output of breweries which is conveyed by rail to the localities in which it is consumed, or as to the quantities of materials transported by rail to breweries. Since the outbreak of war the compilation of many of the details of railway traffic has been suspended, and it is impossible to judge, from data relating to 1913, what may be the present position, since the reduction 1263W in the quantity of beer produced, and the changes in its strength, may be expected to have had a considerable effect on the distribution of the supply available and the sources of the material used.