§ MR. HUDSONI beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that the rearranged hours of duty of the gate signalmen at the St. George's Road and Hawthorn Avenue Level Crossings, Hull, North Eastern Railway, are for all men engaged at those cabins seven turns of twelve hours on night duty and six turns of twelve hours on day duty each week, without any clear Sunday off duty; whether he is aware that at the St. George's Road cabin there is one home, one distant, and one repeating signal on the up line, and a home and a distant signal on the down line, that at Hawthorn Avenue cabin there are home and distant signals on up and down lines, that gates are worked from each cabin, that bell signals are repeated through both cabins and have to be observed and obeyed, that an average of 200 trains pass in the twenty-four hours, and that between 5,000 and 6,000 people cross the lines each day; and whether he will make inquiries into the matter by one of the inspecting officers of his Department with a view of bringing about a reduction of the hours worked.
§ MR. LLOYD-GEORGEI understand that the regular hours of these men are as stated by the hon. Member, and that in changing from day to night duty or vice versa they have an interval off duty of twenty-four hours. I have no detailed information in regard to the particulars mentioned in the second part of the Question. In view, however, of the representations conveyed in the Question that the hours worked are excessive, I will cause full inquiry to be made in accordance with the Railway Regulation Act, 1893.