§ 19. Mr. LEEasked the Secretary for Mines whether he has figures showing how the output per man-shift in the coal mines where full time is being worked compares with the output where less than full time is being worked; and what is the amount of difference per man-shift thus caused in the output?
§ The SECRETARY for MINES (Colonel Lane Fox)No Sir, no such figures are available.
§ Mr. T. WILLIAMSCannot figures be obtained from the ascertainments which are published by each county month by month?
§ Colonel LANE FOXNo Sir, because this question asks for the details of individual collieries, which cannot be obtained.
§ Mr. WILLIAMSis the right hon. and gallant Member not aware that the Yorkshire ascertainments show month by month the output per shift worked at the coal base and the output for the whole of the people working at the collieries, below the ground and on the surface; and can he not extract from those monthly publications the information sought for in this question?
§ Colonel LANE FOXNo Sir. The figures refer to the whole district, and this would involve dissecting the whole of the figures and taking out the details for each colliery.
§ Mr. WILLIAMSMay I ask whether the figures are not given for each individual colliery, or given for each county, and does not the right hon. and gallant Member think that the amount of work involved would be very light indeed, and that as this Government passed the Eight Hours Act we ought to know the actual output per man?
§ Colonel LANE FOXI have nothing to add to what I have said. It would involve a great deal of work, and I do not think the results would be worth the labour involved.
§ Commander WILLIAMSWould the ascertainment of these figures result in giving any man working in the mines a single day's work?
§ Mr. WILLIAMSIs it not a fact that when the actual figures are known it will be better understood how many mine workers have been thrown out of work through this extra hour being added to the working day?