§ MR. WEIR (Ross and Cromarty)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been called to an accident at Hall Road Station, Southport, in July last, through an electric express from Liverpool running into a stationary train, resulting in the death of twenty passengers and injury to forty-five others; is he aware that some of the passengers on stepping out of the wrecked train, and coming into contact with the live rails, were electrocuted; and will he state how many of the passengers thus lost their lives, and why there is no reference to the electrocution of passengers in this accident in the Board of Trade Report of the inquiry.
§ MR. LLOYD-GEORGEI think my hon. friend has been misinformed as to the facts of this accident. No evidence was produced at the inquiry held on behalf of the Board of Trade that any of the passengers were killed by electrical shock; the Railway Company cannot ascertain that any passenger received any electrical shock, and the Coroner who held 1415 the inquests on the passengers who lost their lives, informs me that there is no foundation for the suggestion that any of them were killed by electricity.
§ MR. WEIRI think if the right hon. Gentleman inquires further he will find that my information is accurate.