20 AUGUST 1932, Page 28

HOME RAILWAYS.

A somewhat noteworthy feature of the week has been the rally in Ordinary stocks of English Railways and also in some of the Junior prior charge stocks. To some extent the im- provement has been merely sympathetic with the cheerfulness elsewhere, while the very low prices to which the Ordinary stocks had fallen have brought them into greater prominence as gambling counters. I am inclined to think, however, that there are, perhaps, somewhat more solid reasons for a rally in Railway stocks. The Ministry of Transport has approved the plan for the pooling of traffic arrangements between certain of the trunk lines, while the Conference which has been proceeding with regard to road and rail transport has made a Report favourable to the railroad industries.