§ CAPTAIN NORTON (Newington, W.)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been directed to the diplomatic and consular Reports upon Prussian Railways, just issued by the Foreign Office, which state that regulations limiting the hours of labour for officials and workmen of all grades, framed to meet almost all possible contingencies, are in force and found to be satisfactory; whether he will confer with the directors of our railway companies with a view to securing their co-operation in framing a similar set of regulations for general adoption in this country.
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF TRADE (Mr. GERALD BALFOUR,) Leeds, CentralI have seen the Report. I have no information before me to show that the hon. Member is accurate
† See preceding Volume, p. 183.12 in saying that the regulations are found to be satisfactory; they appear to me to compare unfavourably with the normal periods of work in this country. Average days of fourteen and sixteen hours as described in the regulations are in excess of anything which would be approved of by the Inspecting Officers of the Board of Trade in cases coming before them under the Hours Act. I may remind the hon. Member that in Prussia the railways are almost entirely in the hands of the State. I hardly think such a conference as that suggested in the latter part of the Question would lead to any useful result.
§ CAPTAIN NORTONIs the Government going to take no action with reference to diminishing the hours of labour of railway servants?
§ MR. GERALD BALFOURI shall take action on the Motion passed the other night.