§ MR. HOWORTHI beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his attention has been called to the fact that, while the adult colliers in the North of England, notably in the counties of Northumberland and Durham, have, by combination, secured for themselves a working day of from seven to eight hours, the boys under 14 who work with them have to work from 682 10 to 11 hours a day; and whether he will introduce any legislation to put an end to this state of things?
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE HOME DEPARTMENT (Mr. MATTHEWS,) Birmingham, E.I am informed by the Inspectors of the two districts referred to (Northumberland and Durham) that the coal mines in those districts have always been, and still are, worked by two shifts of men and one shift of boys daily. The hours for boys have been shortened by the Acts of 1872 and 1887, and are now limited to 10 hours in any one day, and to 54 hours in the week. The hours of the men before those Acts and since have usually been eight hours' shifts, and are now in some cases reduced to seven hours. The boys, however, do not work at the face with the men. Their employment is to bring away the coal from the face to the pit bottom; it is not physically severe, and is not nearly so laborious as that of the men, who work shorter hours. I am informed that to shorten the hours of the boys by working them in two shifts would cause dissatisfaction.