§ 42. Mr. CHARLES EDWARDSasked the Secretary for Mines how many amalgamations have been arranged and completed in the mining industry since the stoppage of last year; the amount of capital involved; how many pits are concerned; and the number of men employed?
§ The SECRETARY for MINES (Colonel Lane Fox)I would refer the hon. Member to the answer which I gave to a similar question by the hon. Member for Bilston (Mr. J. Baker) onT4th November.
§ Mr. WILFRID PALINGIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that the answer to which he has referred gave no information at all, and is he also aware that all the questions which have been asked upon this subject have not elicited the smallest amount of information? Is it not time that we were told something about this matter?
§ Colonel LANE FOXThe answer was that there would be, under the Mining 1172 Industry Act of last year, a Report made on the whole subject next summer, and that the information was then incomplete. That being so, it would have been misleading to have given an answer which would have been incomplete and, therefore, misleading.
§ Mr. PALINGIs that any reason why the number of amalgamations which have taken place, and which the Secretary for Mines must know have taken place, should not be given to the House, so that we may know what is going on?
§ Colonel LANE FOXAs I have already stated, the information would be in a very incomplete form, and, if it were given when a good many transactions are still pending, it would have a very misleading effect.
§ Mr. PALINGIs the real reason that the policy of the Government has failed so much that they are ashamed of telling the House what has been the result?
§ Colonel LANE FOXWhatever the reason is, it certainly is not that.
§ Mr. T. WILLIAMSCan the Secretary for Mines give us any idea of the effect, if any, that these amalgamations have bad on the economics of the mining industry.
§ Colonel LANE FOXIf the hon. Member had read the newspapers he would have realised that there are much bigger things under discussion than have yet been completed.
§ Mr. WILLIAMSDoes the right hon. Gentleman realise that the knowledge obtained from reading the newspapers is not compatible with the knowledge that one gets by living in mining areas?