§ MR. HERMONsaid, he was not aware of the lamentable accident which had just occurred at the Preston Station when he gave notice of the question to ask the President of the Board of Trade, Whether his attention has been called to the state of the Railway Station at Preston, owing to deficient platform accommodation for the traffic through that station; and whether, he will lay upon the Table the last Report made by Colonel Holland on the subject?
MR. BRIGHT, in reply, said, he believed that many would agree with him in saying that the Preston Station was one of the most inconvenient and disreputable in the country, when the amount of traffic which passed though it was taken into consideration. In 1866 Colonel Yolland made a Report upon it, and it was forwarded to the companies concerned, and also to the Mayor of Preston; but nothing had been done, because, although the London and North Western and the Lancashire and Yorkshire Companies were anxious to have a new station, they had not hitherto been able to agree upon the proportion of the cost which each ought to bear. He was glad to hear from his hon. Friend the Member for York (Mr. Westhead), who was a Director of the London and North Western Railway, that a plan which had been suggested by the London and North Western Company was under the consideration of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Company, and that there was some reason to hope that the two companies would be able to come to an agreement, and so secure much better accommodation than had hitherto existed at Preston. The Report of Colonel Yolland was now two years old, and he did not know that the facts at present were any different from what they were at the time the Report was made. As the subject was being considered by the companies, and was likely to be settled, perhaps the hon. Member would not deem it necessary to print the Report; but if he thought it necessary there was no objection to produce it.