§ MR. ELLIS DAVIESI beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his attention has been drawn to the statement of Mr. Henry Hall, inspector of mines, to the effect that Welsh larch is less liable to spontaneous combustion than foreign timber; and whether any and, if so, what steps have been taken to bring this information to the knowledge of those engaged in coal mining.
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE HOME DEPARTMENT (Mr. GLADSTONE,) Leeds, W.I have seen the Paper to which my hon. friend refers. The experiments made upon the inflammability of various sorts of wood are interesting, but not on a scale extensive enough to warrant the conclusion suggested in the Question. The Paper has been published by the Institution of Mining Engineers, and will no doubt come to the notice of those engaged in the industry in the ordinary course.
§ MR. D. A. THOMAS (Merthyr Tydvil)Is there any instance in which spontaneous combustion has been traced to the use of foreign timber: and would the supply of Welsh larch be in any degree adequate to the demand for the Welsh collieries alone?
§ MR. GLADSTONEI am not prepared to go into that.
§ * MR. REESWill the right hon. Gentleman consider the propriety of holding a more extensive investigation into this subject in view of the importance of the matter to the Welsh counties?