§ MR. H. B. SHERIDANasked the President of the Board of Trade, Whether it is the intention of the Board of Trade to insist upon Railway Companies complying with the Act of Parliament which requires "That an efficient means of communication shall be established between the passengers and guards of certain Railway trains;" whether, with a view to this result, the Board of Trade will fix a time at the expiration of which they will cause proceedings to be taken for the recovery of penalties under the Act against such Companies as have not by that time established "an efficient means of communication;" and, whether, as to certain trains, there is not a penalty incurred by Railway Companies for every compartment of every carriage where there is no communication, or where such communication is inefficient?
§ SIR CHARLES ADDERLEYSir, the Board of Trade has no power to initiate any system of communication between passengers and guards in railway trains; and, although only three of the companies have had their systems of communication approved by the Board of Trade, it is not my intention, at present, to institute any proceedings against such companies as have not complied with the provisions of the Regulation of Railways Act, 1868, in this respect. The reason for this is that the whole question is now being considered by the Royal Commission on Railway Accidents, under the presidency of the Duke of Buckingham, whose Report will, I hope, shortly be made; and any recommendations they may make on the subject shall have my anxious and immediate attention. The last paragraph of the hon. Gentleman's Question is one upon which I am unable to offer an opinion, and must be decided by a Court of Law.