§ MR. SAMUEL SMITH (Flintshire)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his attention has been called to the number of children 875 run over or injured by motor-cars or other vehicles in London; whether he has any official information showing that these accidents often arise from children following street cars and suddenly darting across narrow streets from behind the cars; and, if so, whether he will direct the police authorities to forbid children running after or clinging to street cars, and put up notices to this effect; and whether he can state how many children were killed or injured by street accidents in London last year.
§ MR. AKERS-DOUGLASI find that, in the Metropolitan Police district during the year 1904, seventy-one children were killed and 3,500 were injured, out of a total of 155 killed and 10,387 injured among persons of all ages. I fear it is impossible for the police altogether to prevent children from running after or clinging to street cars. They do their best to stop the practice, and frequently intervene, in the exercise of their discretion, to forbid children doing it; but the hon. Member will readily understand that there is often much danger in suddenly warning a child away from a street car to which it is holding. I can only add that everything possible is done to keep down the number of accidents.