§ MR. BRADLAUGH (Northampton)asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, Whether he is aware that no attempt has yet been made to comply with Section 12 of "The Coal Mines Regulation Act, 1887," at the Bank Hall Colliery, Burnley, the Townley Collieries, or the Cliviger Colliery, respectively; on what date, or dates, since the 1st of January last, the said collieries were respectively inspected by the District Inspector of Mines; and, whether he reported the total absence of weighing machines at each of the above-named collieries; and, if so, what steps he proposes to take in the matter?
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE (Mr. MATTHEWS) (Birmingham, E.)The reason that no attempt has been made at these collieries to comply with Section 12 of the Act of 1887 is that they have been working in accordance with exemptions granted under the Act of 1872. It is a legal question whether these exemptions are now in force; and I informed the House some days ago that steps are being taken to have this question settled by a prosecution in a Court of Law. The Bank Hall Colliery was visited on January 25 and 26; the Townley Collieries on February 11 and 520 April 23 and 24; and the Cliviger Colliery on January 28 and March 24. The Absence of weighing machines was brought to my notice shortly afterwards.