HC Deb 11 February 1948 vol 447 cc90-1W
Mr. Sparks

asked the Minister of Transport the reasons for the drop in mileage of canal and locked river navigation by 300 miles as compared with 1939, showing separately the reasons which obtain in regard to the reduced mileage on L.M.S. canals.

Mr. Barnes

Of the estimated drop of 300 miles, 200 miles were abandoned under Acts of Parliament, and two miles were abandoned by authority of Orders made under the Railway and Canal Traffic Act, 1888. The remaining mileage comprises navigations or parts of navigations which have not been maintained owing to insufficiency of traffic receipts or have become unusable owing to mining subsidence and other causes. Of the 194 miles with which the London Midland and Scottish Railway Company were concerned, seven miles were abandoned under the London Midland and Scottish Railway Act, 1941, and 174 miles were abandoned under the London Midland and Scottish Railway (Canals) Act, 1944. The remaining 13 miles are of the Monkland Canal, over which no traffic has passed for many years and which is the subject of an application for a warrant and order of abandonment under the Railway and Canal Traffic Act, 1888.

Mr. Sparks

asked the Minister of Transport the tonnage of traffic conveyed by canals and inland waterways, excluding the Manchester Ship Canal, in 1938 and at the nearest convenient comparative period; and if possible give the information separately for the canals owned by each of the former railway companies.

Mr. Barnes

The following table shows the tonnage originating, in 1938 and 1946, on the canals and inland waterways in respect of which periodical returns are made to my Department. It would be misleading to aggregate figures of tonnage conveyed, but I am sending to my hon. Friend a lengthy table showing figures for individual waterways.

Year. Railway owned Canals. Other than Railway owned Canals. Total.
1938 … 1,112,076 11,839,670 12,951,746
1946 … 516,522 9,881,326 10,397,848

In these totals the tonnage of traffic conveyed over more than one canal or waterway has been counted once only and the figures, therefore, represent the tonnage originating on all the canals and waterways. The figures for railway owned canals in 1938 cannot be divided among the four railway groups.