§ 67. Sir FRANK SANDERSONasked the Minister of Transport whether his attention has been called to the conditions of travel provided by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway Company for the hundreds of members of the Darwen Industrial Co-operative Society during the Darwen annual holiday week in July when, despite the fact that application for special reserved accommodation had been made and full details of numbers and destination furnished 12 months in advance, and that such special accommodation had been promised by the railway company on both the outward and return journeys, so far from special accommodation being provided the trains arrived at Darwen station already filled, and additional passengers were taken on at subsequent stations, with the result that many hundreds of passengers from Darwen, the majority of them women and children, were herded together for nine hours in a train packed to standing from end to end without lights, conveni- 1550 ences, or means of refreshment; and whether, in the interests of public safety, he will have special inquiry made into-these circumstances?
§ The MINISTER of TRANSPORT (Colonel Ashley)My attention has already been called to the circumstances referred to, and I am making inquiries in the matter. When these have been completed, I will communicate with my hon. Friend.