§ MR. H. E. KEARLEY (Devonport)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been called to a Report presented to the Prussian Parliament in January last by the Minister of Public Works dealing with the question of safety in railway working, and purporting to show that the ratio of passengers killed on English railways is twice as high, and of passengers injured is more than five times as high as on Prussian railways; and whether this Report accurately represents the situation in the two countries; and, if so, whether he is prepared to take any and what steps in the matter?
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF TRADEYes, Sir; my attention has been called to the Report referred to, and careful inquiries have been made with regard to its conclusions. I desire to safeguard myself against expressing any doubt as to the accuracy of the Prussian figures as applied to Prussian railways, but it appears to be clear that the deductions drawn from those figures by way of comparison with our own cannot be supported. I am, therefore, unable to admit that the Report accurately represents the situation in the two countries.