314 Report of the Committee on Colour-Vision. 



once suspended until he were re-tested. After a candidate has 

 been tested at the office, he is sent to a medical man, and it has 

 occurred that he has rejected a man who has passed the test. 

 In such a case the man is tested for colour at the office again, 

 and if he again passes, which he always does, he is not rejected 

 for colour defect. All testing is done under the immediate 

 supervision of the witness. Should a candidate show a slowness 

 in selecting colours to match the test skeins, he would be reported 

 as hesitating, and though the defect in vision might be trifling, 

 he would be considered as unsuitable for an engine driver or for 

 a signal man: Of the two tests, the witness preferred the heap 

 (Holmgren's) test as the better, but it took longer to carry 

 out than the bar (Thompson's) test, the latter only occupying a 

 couple of minutes for each candidate. 



The witness examined Mr. Rix, who is colour-blind, for his 

 colour perceptions, and said he should not have passed him. He 

 gave the following table of statistics to the Committee : — 



Statistics respecting Colour-Blind Persons. 



Half-year 



ending 



Number 

 of Candidates 

 Examined. 



Number found 

 to have Imper- 

 fect Colour 

 Perception. 



Percentage. 



June, 1884 





722 



20 



2-77 



Dec, „ 





1,019 



39 



3-82 



June, 1885 





551 



17 



3*08 



Dec, „ 





922 



37 



4-01 



June, 1886 





557 



8 



1-43 



Dec, 





521 



12 



2-30 



June, 1887 



• • • 



642 



10 



1-55 



Dec, „ 





520 



12 



2-30 



June, 1888 





625 



2 



0-32 



Dec, „ 





726 



13 



1-79 



June, 1889 





637 



6 



0-94 



Dec, „ 





1,035 



19 



1-83 



Average per 



annum. . 



1,413 



32-5 



2-18 



Evidence of Mr. T. H. Bickerton, of Liverpool. 



I do not know that I have got much more to say than I have 

 already said in my pamphlets, although a few new facts have 

 come under my observation. 



The main point I have had in writing these pamphlets has 

 been to point out to the Board of Trade in particular, and to the 

 public in general, the great dangers incurred by the employment 

 of colour-blind men, and of defective-sighted men, in positions 



