§ Mr. JOYNSON-HICKSasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that on the 1st July the Gloucester shire County Council were 50,000 tons short of their requirements for road materials; whether the same condition applies in regard to many other councils; whether the trouble is largely due to the lack of railway wagons; and whether, seeing that road-making is the best work for unskilled labour, he will arrange for wagons to be sent to quarry-owners as soon as possible in order that this necessary work may be done?
§ Mr. BRIDGEMANI am not aware of the precise circumstances in which the Gloucestershire County Council find them selves with regard to their requirements for road-repairing materials, but I know generally that many quarry-owners do not at present possess sufficient wagons to enable them to deal with the whole of their output. Railway companies are not bound to supply wagons for this traffic, and, as my hon. Friend will be aware, they are at present finding great difficulty in meeting the demands made upon them for the 1123W supply of wagons for other urgent requirements. If, however, I am furnished with further particulars of the cases to which he refers and the names of the quarries concerned, I will see whether anything can be done in the matter.