§ MR. WEBB (Waterford, W.)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade if his attention has been called to the fact that the passengers in a railway train on the Great Western Railway, on 7th April, for upwards of 15 minutes in vain endeavoured to communicate with the guard to stop the train whilst a mother and her child were being assaulted by a drunken sailor with an open knife; and whether the Board of Trade will take any steps to enforce the communication between passengers and the guard being kept in a proper state of efficiency?
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF TRADE (Sir M. HICKS BEACH,) Bristol, W.Yes, Sir; I have been in communication with the Railway Company on the subject of the hon. Member's question. The company state that the passenger tried to reach the cord on the near side of the train, whereas the cord was on the off side of the train; that the cord was in good working order, and that the failure to make the communication was because of the passenger going in the first instance to the wrong 1750 side of the train. The Act of 1868 imposes the duty on every Railway Company of providing and maintaining in every train carrying passengers, and travelling over 20 miles without stopping, efficient means of communication between the passengers and the guard. The Act leaves it open to any person aggrieved to prosecute, and does not devolve that duty upon the Board of Trade.
§ MR. ESSLEMONT (Aberdeen, E.)Is it not possible for a passenger to know on which side the communication is?
§ SIR M. HICKS BEACHHe has only got to look.