not less than three or more than six persons nominated by the Railway Companies' Association, and not less than three or more than six expert and impartial persons of wide commercial and trading experience to be chosen by the Minister from the panel set up under section twenty-three of the Ministry of Transport Act, 1919, as extended by this Act.
(2) It shall be the duty of every railway company to compile and render to the Minister the statistics and returns set out in the Eighth Schedule to this Act, sub-divided in the case of an amalgamated company in accordance with such operating areas as may be agreed between the Minister and the company, subject, nevertheless, to such variation of those statistics and returns as may from time to time be agreed between the Minister and the Railway Companies' Association :
Provided that the Minister may exempt any light railway company from the obligations imposed by this subsection to such extent as he may think fit.
(3) In the event of non-compliance on the part of any railway company with any requirement of this section, the requirement shall be enforcable by order of the Railway and Canal Commission on the application of the Minister in any of the ways referred to in section three of the Railway and Canal Traffic Act, 1851, or section six of the Regulations of Railways Act, 1873.}}
(4) Nothing in this section shall be interpreted to authorise any limitation of or interference with the control of the proprietors of any undertaking over the purposes to which-its expenditure is to be applied.
Provision for applications by public authorities in certain cases.
78.—(1) Where under this Act an application may be made by a representative body of traders, or by a body of persons representative of trade or a locality, the application may be made by any of the following authorities or bodies—
(a) any harbour board, or conservancy authority, the common council of the City of London, or the council of any county or borough or district; or
(b) by such association of traders or freighters, or chamber of commerce, shipping, or agriculture as may obtain a certificate from the Board of Trade that it is, in the opinion of the Board of Trade, a proper body to make such an application.
