§ 22. Mr. WHITELEYasked the Secretary for Mines what number of expert timbermen are now employed in Durham County and at what particular collieries; what reports have been received in his Department showing accidents to be caused through carelessness on the part of the hewers in Durham County; and what is the number of decisions in Coroners' Courts indicating neglect on the part of the workmen where fatal accidents have occurred in Durham County?
§ Lieut.-Colonel LANE-FOXI am sorry that I cannot at such short notice give any statistical information on these points. I will see what figures I can obtain in respect of the first two parts of the question, but I have no reason to suppose that more accidents are caused through carelessness on the part of the hewers in Durham than elsewhere. As regards the third part, statistics might, I think, he misleading. Lack of care on the part of the victim of an accident is not necessarily recorded in the finding at the inquest.
§ 23. Mr. LAWSONasked the Secretary for Mines whether his attention has been drawn to the reprint of an article from, the "Iron and Coal Trades Review," sent. out by the secretary of the National Coalowners' Association, giving statements to the effect that 82 fatal accidents were reported during the past four weeks, and also giving instances where fatal accidents were said to have happened through negligence on the part of the person killed or some workman concerned; whether he can state if any of the divisional inspectors reported any such 16 eases; and whether his Department made any communication to the National Coal-owners' Association on this matter?
§ Lieut.-Colonel LANE-FOXReports on fatal accidents are made each week by the Divisional Inspectors, and information contained in them which may assist the "Safety First" movement is communicated to the technical press, without, of course, disclosing names of persons, collieries or places. Information thus communicated furnished the material of the article referred to in the "Iron and Coal Trades Review." I have had no communication with the Mining Association about it, but I am glad to learn that they are taking steps to give the widest possible publicity to information which may conduce to the greater safety of those employed in mines.
§ Mr. HARDIEWill the Secretary of Mines consider the advisability of making compulsory the use of a projecting crown, coming out from the ordinary crown over to where the men are working?
§ Mr. LAWSONIn view of the fact that the information was given for the purposes of this article in the "Iron and Coal Trades Review," may we be informed if any information was given as to negligence on the part of the owners to carry out the rules, of which there are instances from time to time All the instances given here are instances of so-called negligence on the part of the workers.
§ Lieut.-Colonel LANE-FOXInformation is given, as far as possible, in an absolutely unbiased form. The particular instances selected in this article seem to have been for the purpose of endeavouring to help the "Safety First" campaign.