§ Mr. MILLARasked the Minister of Transport whether his attention has been directed to the railway freights charged by the London and North Eastern Railway Company on potatoes and other agricultural produce consigned by Fife farmers over the Tay Bridge to Dundee for shipment there, which show a variation in the rate of from 2s. to 5s. a ton in excess of the freights charged over similar distances to Dundee from stations north of the Tay, and to the fact that the rate charged from Cupar to Dundee, a distance of 14 miles, is 6s. 7d. a ton as compared with 2s. 9d. a ton from Glencarse, in Forfarshire, to Dundee over a similar distance; that the freight charged from Auchtermuchty to Dundee, a distance of 942W 25 miles, is 9s. 5d. a ton against 3s. 11d. from Luncarty, in Perthshire, to Dundee over a similar distance; and whether he will take action by bringing the matter before the Railway Rates Tribunal or otherwise to have the rates from Fife to Dundee revised so as to secure equal treatment for the Fife farmers and their produce to that accorded to the farmers north of the Tay?
§ Mr. HERBERT MORRISONMy attention has not previously been drawn to this matter. It appears that my hon. Friend has omitted to take into consideration the fact that the railway company is empowered to charge for traffic passing over the Tay Bridge as for an additional mileage of 10 miles. I understand that this and the factor of competition account for the differences in the charges cited. The matter is not one in which I could intervene, but I may remind my hon. Friend that under the provisions of the Railway Act, 1921, the interested parties can apply to the Railway Bates Tribunal to fix new exceptional rates.