§ Lieut. - Commander KENWORTHYasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Transport if he is aware that the North Eastern Railway Company has applied for an Order authorising the company, for a period of 12 months from February, 1923, to charge harbour, dock, wharf, and pier dues, and charges on ships' merchandise live stock, and passengers at Hull, which amount to double the charges in operation in December, 1913; that the charges for tipping coal and coke at Hull are to be very greatly increased; that the craneage charges at Hull are to be doubled; that the whole commercial community in Hull is protesting vigorously against these proposals; and whether he will give an undertaking that no such charges are to be put into operation before an opportunity has been given to discuss them in this House?
§ Lieut.-Colonel ASHLEYThe application to which the bon. and gallant Member refers was made under the Harbours, Docks and Piers (Temporary Increase of Charges) Acts, 1920 to 1922, and is being dealt with under the provisions of those Acts, which require reference to the statutory Rates Advisory Committee before an Order is made. In these circumstances, I am unable to give the undertaking asked for.