§ MR. MACDONALDasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, If the inquiry that has been, or is now being, made into the cause or causes of the recent explosion at the Blantyre Collieries, near Hamilton, is to be of purely a private character, such as are common in Scotland; and, as such, to be seen only by Government officials; and, whether he will present to the House a summary of the result of the inquiry, when completed?
MR. ASSHETON CROSSSir, as the inquiry by the Procurator Fiscal is solely directed to the question whether criminal proceedings should be taken against any person or not, and does not necessarily touch any important question as to the administration of the pit, I have determined that it had better be conducted in private. After that inquiry, I will send down Mr. Dickinson to make a further investigation as to the administration of the colliery.