§ Mr. WARDLEasked the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been called to the danger to the travelling public arising from the length of trains under the charge of one guard on the London, Brighton, and South Coast Railway; whether there is any regulation limit to the length of a train in charge of one guard; and whether, in the event of there being no such limit, he will take steps to secure powers to fix such a limit or endeavour to make an arrangement with 645 the company by which trains beyond a certain specified length shall be under the charge of two guards?
§ Mr. HUDSONalso asked the President of the Board of Trade if his attention has been called to the length of passenger trains composed of from 20 to 25 vehicles, and in some cases of more than 25 vehicles, worked by only one guard on the London, Brighton, and South Coast Railway; and whether his Department has power to fix or suggest any limit to the number of vehicles which shall compose one train carrying passengers as a means of safety to the travelling public and the men working the trains; and, if so, what action he proposes to take in the matter?
Mr. TENNANTThe railway company inform me that trains on their line which are worked by one guard are those calling at only one or two stations or non-stop trains, the number of vehicles averaging, as a rule, 16 or 18, and occasionally during busy times as many as 20 or 21. The company state that in deciding whether one or two guards shall be employed they have regard mainly to the amount of station work to be performed, and that they are unaware that their system is different from that of other railway companies in the United Kingdom. The Board of Trade have no regulation on the subject, and I am advised that there is no good reason on grounds of safety for requiring the employment of more than one guard.