40 



Eailway IUtes and Agriculture. 



[Apr., 



'accordance with Section 20 of the Eailway s Act, has been con- 

 stituted as follows : — 



Sir F. Gore-Browne, K.C., an experienced lawyer, President; 

 Mr. G. C. Locket, of Messrs. Gardner, Locket and Hinton, a 

 person experienced in commercial affairs; and Mr. W. A. Jepson, 

 late Assistant to the General Manager of the London and North 

 Western Eailway, a person experienced in railway business. 



9. The Act further provides for the constitution of two panels 

 to be called the General Panel and the Eailway Panel respec- 

 tively. The General Panel is to consist of 36 representatives of 

 Trade and Labour, two of whom are to be nominated by the 

 Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries to represent agricultural 

 interests. The Eailway Panel is to consist of eleven persons 

 nominated by the Eailway Companies' Association, and one 

 person nominated by the Minister of Transport to represent 

 those railways and light railways not parties to the Eailway 

 Companies' Association. The members of the General Panel 

 nominated by the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries are 

 Sir Walter W. Berry, K.B.E., and Mr. A. E. K. Wherry, O.B.E. 



10. When the Eates Tribunal comes to consider any 

 particular agricultural case, two members may be added to the 

 Tribunal, one from the General Panel and one from the Eailway 

 Panel, either at the instance of the Tribunal or the Minister of 

 Transport or upon the application of any of the parties to the 

 case, and it is provided that the person to be selected from 

 the General Panel shall, as nearly as may be, be a person with 

 knowledge of the technicalities that may arise in the particular 

 case. 



11. The Eates Tribunal is ready to deal with any appHcation 

 that may be m.ade to it under Section 60 of the Act. Information 

 as to the procedure to be adopted, until the permanent rules 

 of the Tribunal are issued, may be obtained from the Secretary 

 at 2, Clement's Inn, Strand, W.C.2. Temporary . directions 

 have been issued as a Stationery Office publication. 



12. It is probable that the present railway rates will remain in 

 operation for some time, and it is possible that they may con- 

 tinue until the " appointed day " (which is not likely to be 

 before 1st January, 1921), unless the Eailway Managers can 

 be induced to reduce them or unless a successful appeal is made 

 to the Eates Tribunal. 



As a result of negotiation betw^een the Eailway Companies 

 and the organisations representing the interests concerned, 

 the rates between stations in England and Wales on coal, coke 



