§ Sir J. D. REESasked whether the Secretary of State for India is aware that on the North-Western State Railway in India 10,000 screw couplings are now required, at an estimated cost of £13,000, to replace one year's breakages, and that the breakages of screw couplings and draw gear constitute one of the largest sources of accident and damage to rolling stock on this railway; whether he is aware that the cost of repairs and renewals to coaching and goods stock on the North-Western State Railway during the year 1909 amounted to approximately £145,000, and that at least 30 per cent., or £43,500, of this amount is due to failures of the existing system of draw gear; whether he is aware that the locomotive, carriage, and waggon superintendents were unanimously of the opinion at their last conference that the present system of side buffers and screw couplings was obsolete and of inadequate strength for modern requirements, and that the only means of remedying this was to adopt an automatic buffer coupler; whether the annual sum which would be saved by eliminating the present breakages of couplings alone would pay 4 per cent. on the capital cost of the adoption of an efficient automatic coupler; and, if so, what action does the Government of India propose to take?
§ Mr. MONTAGUThe Secretary of State has no information on the points raised in the question, which are within the competence of the Railway Board. A copy of the question will be communicated to the Government of India.