§ Mr. JAMES THOMASasked the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been called to the fatal accident at New Wandsworth, London, Brighton, and South Coast Railway, wherein a guard, named H. Stratton, was killed, and also to the fact that at the inquest which was held it was stated that the deceased had been working about fifteen hours, this being a general practice by this grade of men to work excessive hours and short periods alternately; and, having regard to the rider of the jury in this case, in which they draw public attention to the excessive hours worked, what action he proposes to take?
Mr. BUXTONI have communicated with the railway company in regard to this case, and they inform me that Stratton had worked less than ten hours on each of the three preceding days, and that while on the day in question he was booked for an extra trip with a train of empties owing to exceptionally heavy traffic, he had intervals of rest, amounting to four hours, out of the fourteen hours for which he was booked. They also state that it is not a general practice for their passenger guards to work long and short periods alternately. If the interval of rest was not continuous, the booked period of duty was undoubtedly too long, and I am asking the company to take steps to prevent any recurrence.