§ The company's officers have been giving active consideration to the provision of more effectual means for preventing children from trespassing upon those parts of the company's system which are electrified on the conductor rail system. At the same time, regard has been paid to recent complaints which have been made in respect of increased mortality from this cause among animals which have penetrated the company's fences.
§ The company has decided to instal in future, under certain conditions, two improved types of fencing which embody the use of chain-link meshing. It is intended that an active policy shall be pursued in the matter. Considerable lengths of the new fencing are to be ordered and erection will be put in hand without delay when the material is received.
§ In all places in the electrified area where trespassing is prevalent, but where the existing 8 or 10-wire fencing is not due for renewal, the meshing, 4 feet 6 inches high, will be fixed to the outside of the existing concrete posts, leaving the horizontal wires in position; to increase rigidity, a new post will be added between the existing posts where these are i8 feet apart. The bottom of the meshing will be kept as close to the ground as possible to prevent penetration under the fence.
§ An entirely new type is also to be adopted as a standard in new construction, or when renewing existing fencing, in electrified areas where trespassing is likely to occur. For this type the 4 feet 6 inches high meshing will be carried by three horizontal wires on the railway side of concrete posts, which will be erected 9 feet apart. Above the meshing, four further horizontal wires will be run, about 2½ inches apart, the lowest being on the railway side of the posts, the next through the posts, and the top two on the side of the posts remote from the railway. The top wire will be about 5 feet 3 inches above the ground, and it is considered that the outwardly projecting "cornice" formed by these wires will make the fence more difficult to surmount either by trespassers or animals. The bottom of the 930W meshing will be kept as close to the ground as possible to prevent penetration under the fence. The smallness of the meshing makes the fence difficult to climb, and the serrations above the top supporting wire are also of value in this respect.
§ Consideration is also being given to the modification of the fencing in those parts of hunting country where there may be special risk of hounds getting on to the line. The company consider that the measures now to be taken will meet all reasonable requirements.