§ Mr. RENDALLasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware 1400W of the delays in the dispatch of goods for lack of railway trucks, whether thousands of pounds is being now thrown away in demurrage charges; and will he take steps to make the railway companies pay their men the requisite overtime rates so as to get the labour to deal with the matter until additional men are trained to do this work?
§ Sir A. GEDDESI am aware that delays are occurring owing to the difficulties which railway companies are experiencing in dealing expeditiously with the great amount of traffic now being offered to them for conveyance. The companies are doing what they can to meet the situation, and I am not aware that refusal to pay overtime rates is one of the factors in the case.