§ MR. D. CRAWFORD (Lanark, N.E.)asked the Lord Advocate, Whether proceedings have now been taken by the Procurator Fiscal against the owners of the Craighead Colliery, in Lanarkshire, in consequence of the inspection of their weighing machines, ordered by the Board of Trade, and the information lodged by the Chief Constable in July last; if not, whether he will direct the Procurator Fiscal to take proceedings immediately; whether an inspection of the weighing machines at the same colliery, showing results similar to the recent inspection, was made in December last, and an information lodged with the Procurator Fiscal in January or February; and, if he would explain why he declined to prosecute on that occasion?
§ THE LORD ADVOCATE (Mr. J. H. A. MACDONALD) (Edinburgh and St. Andrew's Universities)The Procurator Fiscal has intimated to me that proceedings will be taken immediately in reference to the case referred to in the first paragraph of my hon. and learned Friend's Question. No prosecution was instituted in the case referred to in the second paragraph, as the proceedings were so irregular that no conviction could have been obtained.