§ Mr. HANNONasked the Minister of Transport whether he can make any statement on the procedure adopted by the railway companies to give the benefit of their de-rating concessions to the heavy trades, coal, iron and steel; and if any estimate has been made of the actual advantage in reduced cost of production and marketing which these industries have obtained from railway de-rating?
§ Mr. HERBERT MORRISONI would refer the hon. Member to the Railway Freight Rebates Scheme (Statutory Rules 625W and Orders 1929, No. 619), which was approved by the Railway Rates Tribunal in July last. This scheme only came into operation on the 1st October, but I am informed that the rebates allowed under the anticipatory scheme, which operated from the 1st December, 1928, to the 30th September, 1929, were, on the average, approximately as follow:
Per ton. s. d. Coal, coke and patent fuel: For export 0 7½ Delivered to iron or steel works 0 9½ Other selected industrial traffics (including iron ore and limestone): For iron or steel works 0 4¾ Selected agricultural traffics (except milk and live stock) 1 2½
Per gallon. Milk 0.14d.