MR. KEIR-HARDIEI beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is aware that the manager of the Cairntable Coal Company, Glenbrick, Ayrshire, has prevented grocers' and bakers' vans from entering the village connected with and belonging to the colliery; and has informed a meeting of miners' wives that, unless they purchased their goods from the colliery stores, their husbands would be dismissed; whether this is a violation of the Truck Act; and whether the matter has been reported to the Inspector of Mines for the Western Division of Scotland, and what action he has taken?
§ MR. ASQUITHThis matter has been carefully investigated by the Inspector, with the result that it appears that no vans have been prevented from going to the village. The manager did 1174 prevent vans from going to a certain row of houses called "Davie Row," near to the colliery, because the cart-road leading to it was claimed to be a private one for the use of the Colliery Company, who maintain the road at their own expense, and he explained to the women living in the row why he had done this. The manager did not inform a meeting of miners' wives that unless they purchased goods from the colliery stores their husbands would be dismissed. The miners' wives and the miners themselves have forwarded to me a statement that the manager in no way interfered with them in regard to their purchasing provisions. So far as I am able to see, there has been no violation of the Truck Act.