§ MR. BUCHANAN (Edinburgh, W.)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been drawn to the fact that several accidents have occurred on the Caledonian and North British Railways during the present strike, resulting in loss of life, in at least one case; why no Board of Trade inquiry has been held in any of these cases; and whether, in view of his statement on Friday last that railway accidents that occur during strikes need presumably more careful inquiry than accidents that occur at other times, he will cause an inquiry to be held into the most important of those that have occurred during the last five weeks?
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF TRADE (Sir M. HICKS BEACH, Bristol, W.)There have during the last five weeks been two train accidents, resulting in loss of life, both on the Caledonian. Into one an inquiry was directed some days ago. The other was not of a nature to require an official inquiry. The Returns of the other train accidents not causing loss of life have been carefully examined, but with the exception of two cases of collision with buffer stops, which are still under consideration, they were also not of a nature to require official inquiry.