§ Mr. LYLEasked the President of the Board of Trade what is the number of railway wagons now in this country as compared with the numbers in July, 1914; how many new wagons are on order for the Railway Executive Committee or on account of the Ministry of Ways and Communications; and how many have been delivered and are in use since the Armistice 1
§ Mr. BRIDGEMANThe number of wagons belonging to the railway companies in 1914 was about 750,000, and I believe the present number is about. 725,000, many of which are in need of repair. According to a census recently taken by the Board of Trade, the number of privately-owned wagons in Great Britain registered to run on railway companies lines was, in August last, about 630,000. No corresponding pre-war estimate is available, but the number of privately-owned railway wagons then in use was almost certainly higher. I am afraid I cannot give the figures asked for in the last part of thequestion.