§ MR. D. A. THOMASI beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home 558 Department whether his attention has been called to the disparity in the death rate from falls of roof and side during the last seven years in collieries in the South Wales district employing over 1,000 persons, as shown in Mr. Robson's report for 1900, and that the highest annual average death rate in these collieries was three times that of the lowest; and whether he can give any reason for this.
§ *MR. RITCHIEYes, I have seen the figures which appear in the report recently made by Mr. Robson. The hon. Member will have observed that the figures show disparities not only between different mines, but also between different years at the same mine; and where, as in the case of these collieries, the numbers involved are comparatively small, fluctuations in the death rate from year to year are sure to occur. On the other hand, some mines are shown by the figures over the whole seven years to be safer than others; and the reason of this may possibly be that the roof in these mines is of a better quality, while something is also to be attributed to differences of management and supervision.