§ Mr. WARDLEasked the President of the Board of Trade (1) whether he is aware that fifteen soldiers were present in one signal cabin at York on 16th March; and whether, their presence being detrimental to the proper discharge of a signal- 1288 man's duties and calculated to cause risk to the safety of the travelling public, he will take steps to prevent such an occurrence in future; and (2) whether during the month of April efforts were made at York to induce engine drivers on the North Eastern Railway to take soldiers on the footplate with a view to instruction in their duties; whether such practice, being dangerous to the public interest, has his sanction; and whether he will take steps to prevent its recurrence?
§ The UNDER-SECRETARY of STATE for WAR (Colonel Seely)I am informed by the general officer commanding-in-chief concerned that on 16th March a party of regimental pioneers of the Royal Scots Greys, consisting of one officer, one sergeant, and eleven privates, attended at York station, having previously obtained the permission of the chief officials at the station, for instructional purposes in carrying out the instruction denned in Section 167 (b) Cavalry Training, and specified in chapter XV., paragraphs 2 to 4, Manual of Field Engineering, with regard to railways, telegraph lines, etc. These instructions have reference to the demolition of railways and bridges and the tapping of telegraph lines. During the instruction the party was accompanied by the head of the department visited, and the visit included a signal-box.
§ Mr. WARDLEAm I to understand that it was purely for Army training and not for any ulterior purpose that they were there?
§ Colonel SEELYThey were there undoubtedly for Army training. It had to do with the demolition of railways. I do not think that is an ulterior purpose.