1875.] Railway Accidents. II 
except those due to their own negligence ; and that, on the 
other hand, the liability of the railway companies be limited 
within a maximum amount of compensation for each class 
of fares; but that any passenger should be entitled to 
require from the company any additional amount of in- 
surance he might desire, on paying for it according to a 
fixed tariff. They also recommended that claims for com- 
pensation should not be admitted unless made within a 
certain period, and that the railway companies should have 
the right of medical examination of the claimant; and, 
further, that to the power already possessed by the Board 
of Trade of appointing officers to inspect railways and 
rolling stock, should be added a power for the inspecting 
officer to require the attendance of the officers and servants 
of the company as witnesses, and the production of books 
and documents bearing on enquiries directed by the Board 
of Trade; and that the reports of the inspecting officers on 
accidents should be made public. 
In 1870 a Select Committee of the House of Commons 
was appointed to enquire into the law and the. administra- 
tion of the law of compensation for accidents as applied to 
railway companies, and also to inquire whether any, and 
what, precautions ought to be adopted by railway companies 
with a view to prevent accidents. On the second point the 
Committee pointed out that on those lines where the block 
system had been adopted it had materially conduced to the 
safety of the public, and they recommended the evidence 
collected by them on this subject, as well as that in favour 
of the principle of the interlocking of signals and points, 
and concerning continuous breaks, to the careful consider- 
ation of railway boards of directors. , 
Last year (1873) a Bill was introduced into Parliament for 
the ‘“‘ Regulation of Railways,” with a view to the prevention 
of accidents. This Bill had for its obje¢t the enforcing upon 
all railway companies the obligation of securing an interval 
of space between trains following each other on the same 
line of rails, which is now generally effected by what is 
known as the block system, and it further proposed to en- 
force the interlocking system. A Select Committee was 
appointed by the House of Lords to consider this Bill, but 
whilst strongly recommending the adoption of both the 
block system and the interlocking system on all important 
lines of railway, yet, relying on the great exertions recently 
and very generally made by different railway companies to 
extend both systems, and other great improvements now in 
progress, the Committee recommended that the Bill should 
