630 REPORT — 1882. 



Section F.— ECONOMIC SCIENCE AND STATISTICS. 

 President of the Section.— The Right Hon. G. Sclatee-Booth, M.P., F.R.S. 



[For Mr. Sclater-Booth's Address, see next page]. 



THURSBAY, AUGUST 24. 

 The following Reports and Papers were read : — 

 1. Beport of the Anthropometric Committee. — See Reports, p. 278. 



2. State of Crime in England, Scotland, and Ireland in 1880. By Professor 

 Leoxe Levi, F.S.A. — See Reports, p. 375. 



3. Report on the worhings of the proposed revised New Code, and of other 

 legislation affecting the teaching of Science in Elementary Schools. — 



See Reports, p. 307. 



4. Statistical Account of Railway Accidents for the year 1881.^ 

 By the Rev. Daniel Ace, B.I)., F.R.A.S. 



During the year there were reported sixty collisions between passenger-trains 

 and others, by which it would appear that of all modes of travelling that of railway 

 is the safest. The casualties are few compared with tlie millions of passenger- 

 journeys included in the reckoning of accidents arising out of the use of other 

 vehicles, such as vans, carts, and waggons. 



Railway statistics show a comparatively small sacrifice of life in that class of 

 accidents over which the victims cannot be supposed to have any control. It is 

 here that the test of efficiency has to be apphed, and although any sacrifice of life 

 is to be regretted, the fact that only 23 passengers were killed by want of caution, 

 or misconduct, or circumstances under their own control, out of the myriads who 

 travelled on the railways of the United Kingdom last year, must be held to show 

 a marvellous degree of "skill and care in the working of the traffic. _ 



Upon examination of the statistics it will be evident that the suicides were 64, 

 thus almost trebling the number of passengers killed by railway accidents pure 

 and simple. But there were accidents to passengers from other causes than 

 accidents of trains, including, besides accidents from their own waut of caution or 

 misconduct, those happening to persons passing over level crossings ; these amounted 

 to 83 persons killed, and 32 injured. Level crossings, where they exist, are little 

 better than man-traps. 



A feature by no means to be overlooked consists in the nature of accidents 

 which befall the companies' servants. That more than 500 of the subordinates 

 should be killed in a single year is a serious matter, and must exhibit a very high 

 death-rate if compared with the entire number on the staff, of whom signalmen 

 should be protected from over-work and liberally remunerated. There were m 

 the division mentioned 552 persons killed and 1,132 injured. Altogether the 

 number of persons killed and injured on railways during the year ending De- 



> Published in extenso by Hannam, Silver Street, Gainsborough, Lincolnshire. 



