§ Mr. HUDSONasked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that during a single week in January last the Press of the United Kingdom reported six inquests on servants killed while engaged in coupling or uncoupling railway vehicles during shunting operations, three of these being servants of railway companies, and three employés of owners or users of private sidings; will he state which of them in the ordinary course were reported to the Home Office; and whether all these accidents are collected and returned to Parliament by the Board of Trade in the annual Return of Accidents on Railways?
Mr. BUXTONThe three fatal accidents to railway servants which my hon. Friend probably has in mind occurred on 18th, 22nd, and 29th January, but one of them was not a coupling accident in the ordinary 848 sense of the word. All these accidents would be included in the Board of Trade Return. Accidents on private lines are only reportable to the Board of Trade when they occur to servants of a railway company, and accidents to employés of the owners of such lines are in most cases reportable to the Home Office, and not included in the Board of Trade Returns.