Council of State Debates Wednesday 23rd February 1944 Official Report

COUNCIL OF STATE Wednesday 23rd February 1944 The Council met in the Council Chamber of the Council House at Eleven of the Clock the Honourable the President in the Chair. [...] of the freight on the goods and to prodace not for the railways but for the %general expenditure of the country So what I would suggest is in the language of paragraph 73 of the Acworth Committee Report that Government may not levy 25 per cent. [...] And what are the grounds Sir on which Government seek to convince thHouse that this increase is within the means of the public?' In additioto those mentioned in the Budget statement the War Transport Member -referred two days ago to the enormously increased earnings of the Ahmedabad' industrial:' worker and the profiteering by certain sections of the public. [...] These are the only features of the Budget to which I wanted to draw the attention of the Honourable Member in chargof the Department. [...] Instead of utilising part of the surplus in providing amenities for the travelling public instead of trying to reduce the railway fares which have always been much higher than the circumstances in the country warrant and the average earnings of the poor man in the country justify the Railways have taken this opportunity to increase the fares.