Wagons  specially  marked  for  military  traffic,

and  certain  wagons  belonging  to  particular  companies,  among  the  last-
mentioned  being,  more  especially,  end-door  wagons,  about  70,000  in
number,  owned  by  the  Scottish  companies.  In  view  of  the  representations
which  were  being  made,  to  the  effect  that  it  had  become  a  matter  of  the
utmost  national  importance  that  all  wagons  possible  should  be  included
in  the  pool,  the  negotiations  already  entered  upon  with  a  view  to  reducing
still  further  the  number  of  wagons  excluded  from  the  pool  were  continued.
Certain  difficulties  which  had  arisen  in  this  direction  were  eventually  so
far  surmounted  by  the  early  part  of  May,  1918,  that  51,799  more  wagons,
including  the  end-door  mineral  wagons  of  lo-ton  capacity  and  under
belonging  to  the  Scottish  railway  companies,  had  been  added  to  the
Great  Britain  pool  of  railway-owned  wagons,  which  thus  attained  a  total

of  445.761-

Under  the  arrangements  made,  all  these  common-user  wagons  might
be  used  from  docks,  harbours,  collieries  and  works,  as  well  as  by  railway
companies,  in  any  direction ;  though  this  privilege  was  not  to  apply
in  cases  where  the  throughout  journey  was  made  over  the  hues  of  a
non-controlled  railway  or  dock  line.
Covered  vehicles  and  the  classes  of  stock  coming  under  the  head  of
"  exceptions  "  were  to  be  dealt  with  as  heretofore,  in  accordance  with
existing  regulations  ;  though  on  and  from  June  3rd,  1919,  covered  vans
not  fitted  with  automatic  brakes  or  pipes  were  also  made  available  for
"  common-user  "  by  all  companies  in  Great  Britain.  This  resulted  in
the  addition  to  the  scheme  of  a  further  65,542  vehicles.
CHAPTER  XLVIII.
POOLING  OF  WAGONS:    PRIVATELY -OWNED.
