§ Mr. H. McLARENasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Transport why the claim of the Hinckley Urban District Council for compensation 418W for the requisitioning by the Government of two of their gas department coal wagons has been refused; whether he is aware that certain wagons were taken from the Hinckley Urban District Council's service at a time when they were urgently required by the Hinckley Urban District Council for the transport of coal in the year 1919, and when it was extremely difficult to obtain coal; that such wagons, although diverted from the council's service, were untraceable for several months, and were allowed to remain unused in sidings during practically the whole of the time they were under the control of the Government; and whether the Government will reconsider the matter and pay the compensation asked for the loss of the use of the wagons during the time they were taken out of the service of the council?
§ Mr. BRIDGEMANI have been asked to reply. Owing to an acute shortage of coal in the Metropolitan area caused by a coal strike in the Midlands in March, 1919, 2,000 wagons were requisitioned by the Controller of Coal Mines to transport emergency supplies. Two of the wagons were the property of the Hinckley Urban District Council. Payment was made for all the wagons on a uniform basis. It is true that there was delay in returning some of the wagons to their owners owing to the congestion then existing on the railways, but every reasonable precaution was taken by the Coal Controller to expedite their return, and I regret that I cannot admit the claim of the Hinckley Urban District Council for any further payment than has already been made to them.