§ MR. J. WARD (Stoke-on-Trent)I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether his attention has been called to a report of the inquest hold upon the bodies of fifty-four men who lost their lives through the recent flooding of the shaft of the South Rose Deep mine; whether a verdict was returned that the mineowners' neglect to provide proper chain ladders, as provided by the mines regulations, was the direct cause of this serious loss of human life; and will ho say whether this omission was the result of the way in which the public mining inspectors perform their duty, and what action the Secretary of State for the Colonies proposes to take to enforce upon the mineowners the mining regulations of the Transvaal for the protection of the mine workers, pending the establishment of self-government.
§ MR. CHURCHILLThe Secretary of State has seen a newspaper report of the verdict of the coroner in which the coroner states his opinion that a number of natives might have escaped had chains or chain-ladders been provided as required by the 175 mining regulations. This appears to be a very grave case, and Lord Selbourne is being asked to report whether any action, and if so, what action, has been taken as the result of this verdict.