§ 38. Mr. DUNCAN MILLARasked the Home Secretary whether his attention has been called to the fact that objection is being taken by the miners to the use of the new explosive monarkite, which is being provided by some of the coal-owners in Lanarkshire, on the ground that a part of the charge nearly always remains unexploded, and that it gives off unhealthy fumes; whether he is aware that among the instructions issued along with this ex plosive is one to the effect that after every blast a careful examination should be made in case any cartridge, or piece of cartridge, should remain unexploded; whether it is now provided under the new Regulations issued under the Coal Mines Act, 1911, that 1853 no explosives shall be used in which part of the charge remains unexploded; and whether, in these circumstances, he will take steps to prevent the use of this particular explosive in future until it complies with the new Regulation?
§ Mr. McKENNAThe inspector in charge of the division reports that, with the exception of an anonymous complaint which did not mention any particular mine, no complaints have been received in regard to this explosive, and that at a recent inspection of a mine where it is in use in the district from which the complaint came, it was found to be working satisfactorily, and the men had no complaint to make of it. No Regulation to the effect suggested has been issued under the Act, but no explosive is placed on the Permitted List until it has passed the prescribed tests at the Home Office Testing Station and been found to explode in a satisfactory manner. The explosive in question duly passed these tests.