§ MR. MACDONALDasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, If his attention has been directed to the Commissioners' Report on the Blantyre Colliery Explosion; whether in view of the fears expressed by the Commissioners in it, he has given any direction so as to obviate the dangers the Commissioners point out; and, whether Government has directed, or is about to direct, any prosecution against anyone whose neglect has in any degree led to that calamity?
MR. ASSHETON CROSSSir, of course my attention has been directed to this very serious question. In regard to the second part of the Question, I have already directed that a copy of the Commissioners' Report shall be sent to every colliery-holder in the district, because there is a paragraph at the end of it to which I think their attention requires to be specially drawn, and their attention has therefore been called to it. I have also instructed the Inspector to call together a meeting of colliery-owners, to consult with them as to the best means to be adopted to prevent accidents in the working of this particular seam of coal, which appears to be a very dangerous one. With regard to the last part of the Question, I agree with the Commissioners that it would not have been desirable to have sued any person in regard to this accident for any small penalty. I, therefore, laid the whole matter before the Law Officers of Scotland, in order to see if any person ought to be proceeded against criminally in this matter. After consideration, the 448 advice I have received is that no criminal proceedings, other than the trival one I have alluded to, could have had a successful issue; and, therefore, I do not propose to take any proceedings at all.