§ Mr. WATTasked the President of the Board of Trade whether his Department has power to insist on speed indicators being installed in the tramway cars run in the busy thoroughfares of Glasgow; if so, will he say how many speed indicators are at present in use in such cars; and whether the intention of the Board of Trade is to increase the use of these, in view of the number of deaths and accidents caused by fast speeds on the steep gradients there?
Mr. ROBERTSONAs my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade explained to my hon. Friend in reply to a question which he addressed tome on the 3rd August, 1911, the Board of Trade have power to require a speed indicating apparatus to be fitted to the Glasgow Corporation tramcars, but have not exercised that power owing to the difficulty of procuring a reliable apparatus and the cost involved. The information in my possession does not support the view expressed in the last part of the question, that a number of deaths and other accidents are due to fast speeds on steep gradients. As my hon. Friend has already been informed, none of the fatal accidents this year occurred on steep gradients, and from the reports made by the corporation the speed did not appear to have exceeded twelve miles an hour.