§ Mr. Toucheasked the Minister of Transport whether there are any objections on grounds of national interest to the publication of the weekly returns of traffics earned by the four main line companies and the London Passenger Transport Board; and, if not, will he arrange for such publication, in view of the public interest in this question, especially in view of the railway agreement?
1561W
§ Captain WallaceThe disclosure of figures of railway traffics would not be in the national interest, and I cannot therefore agree to their publication. I may add that the earnings of individual companies are no longer ascertained, as the need for dividing through traffic receipts ceased with the formation of a pool of revenue. Moreover, the aggregate figures would not be comparable with figures for a pre-war period, owing to circumstances arising out of the requisitioning by the Government of privately-owned wagons.