§ LORD CASTLEREAGH (Maidstone)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been directed to the public inconvenience caused by repeated breakdowns and stoppages on the District Railway; whether he can say what these occurrences arise from; and whether he will use his influence with the company to secure the provision of plant and rolling stock which will insure the proper running of the trains.
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF TRADE (Mr. LLOYD-GEORGE,) Carnarvon BoroughsYes, Sir, I am aware that 219 the public have suffered inconvenience from the circumstances to which the noble Lord draws attention, and I have communicated with the Railway Company, who have expressed their great regret for these delays, and the consequent disturbance of the train service. They state that it has been a task of very great difficulty to substitute electric for steam traction on the whole of the District Railway, and on other allied and connected lines; to increase the frequency and speed of the train services; to put into service an entire new equipment of rolling stock, and at the same time to introduce a complete system of automatic signalling, without interrupting the train service for a single day. It is added that the difficulties are being steadily overcome, and that the number of delays has now been greatly reduced. The company explains that the stoppages and delays have been mainly caused by a number of small (remediable) defects, in the mechanical and electrical equipments, and by the necessity of training, by experience, in new work a large number of men in various grades. They are making every effort to remedy the defects, and hope that the train services will soon be worked with no more than the normal percentage of failures, which must occur on every railway on which a train mileage of such density is run.