§ MR. JACOBY (Derbyshire, Mid)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his attention has been directed to the accident at the Swanwick Colliery, Derbyshire, on the 29th March, by which three men lost their lives, and to the verdict of the jury at the adjourned inquest on the 12th April; and, if so, will he state what course he intends to take in consequence of the defects in the apparatus, as found to be the cause of the accident, owing to the omission of duty by those appointed to supervise and keep in proper order such apparatus; and whether he will undertake in the future to issue instructions to prevent such negligence.
§ THE UNDER-SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE HOME DEPARTMENT (Mr. COCHRANE,) Ayrshire, N.Yes, Sir; and a report on this accident has been received from the mines inspector for the district, from which it appears that there had been no omission of any statutory duty on the part of the management of the mine—i:i particular the examination of the machinery, conductors, ropes, etc., required by the rules had been duly made. The accident appears to have been chiefly due to the fact that the conductors and 1183 other gearing in the shaft were old and worn though not to such an extent that they could have been condemned as unsafe. The inspector states that the necessary steps have been taken to put the shaft and gearing in a satisfactory condition and that cages of an improved pattern are to be substituted for the old type previously in use.