§ 21. Mr. GEOFFREY PETOasked the Secretary for Mines what hours are now being worked in the various British coalfields?
§ The SECRETARY for MINES (Colonel Lane Fox)In Yorkshire, Kent and Notts and Derby, and in the case of hewers in Northumberland and Durham, the full ordinary underground shift, not including winding time, is 7½ hours. Elsewhere it is eight.
§ Mr. PALINGDoes the right hon. and gallant Member know of any cases where miners have been able to keep the seven-hours' day they had last year?
§ Colonel LANE FOXNo, Sir, I am not aware of any.
§ Mr. PALINGWill the right hon. and gallant Member tell me what has become of the permissive part of the Act of which we heard so much last year?
§ Colonel LANE FOXI think the hon. Member had better put down a question on that point.
§ Mr. T. WILLIAMSIs the right hon. and gallant Member aware that at some of the collieries in Yorkshire the winding time averages 55 minutes each day, which means that the collier is down the mine not less than eight hours 25 minutes?
§ Mr. HARDIEDo the hours given by the Secretary for include the winding both ways?
§ Colonel LANE FOXIn reply to the supplementary questions of hon. Members the question asked me was what are the hours on the average, and I have answered it.
§ Mr. HARDIEWas it not understood when we were passing the Eight Hours Act that the eight hours meant from the time the men left the surface to the time they came to the surface again?
§ Mr. SPEAKERThat can be found in the Act.
§ Mr. BATEYIs the Secretary for Mines aware that in the County of Durham the hours previously were six hours, and six and a-half hours, and that the average for the county was six hours 40 minutes?
§ Mr. SPEAKERThat is giving information.
§ Mr. KIRKWOODHe needs to be informed, Mr. Speaker.
§ 22. Mr. T. WILLIAMSasked the Secretary for Mines how many mines are working full time in Yorkshire at the present time, and for how many weeks these collieries have worked full time?
§ Colonel LANE FOXThe returns relating to time worked at coal mines are tabulated not according to the number of collieries but on the basis of the number of workpeople affected. From this it appears that, in Yorkshire, during the week ended 25th June, 24,500 wage-earners or 13.4 per cent. of the whole, were employed at pits which did not lose any coal-winding days owing to bad trade. The corresponding percentages for the three previous weeks were 31.0, 29.9 and 14.3.
§ Mr. WILLIAMSAre we to understand from the reply that at one period 86 point something per cent. of the whole of the collieries in Yorkshire were working short time, and, if that be the case does not the right hon. and gallant Gentleman think that the Eight Hours Act has been very detrimental to the workpeople?
§ Colonel LANE FOXNo, Sir; I am quite sure that a great many of the men who are working short time would otherwise have had no work at all.
§ Mr. WILLIAMSBut is the right hon. and gallant Gentleman aware, that the majority of the 86 per cent. of the collieries which are working short time to-day, were previously to the stoppage, working full time, and with the men getting better wages?
§ 23. Lieut.-Colonel WINDSOR-CLIVEasked the Secretary for Mines whether he has any evidence of the effect which the Coal Mines Act, 1926, has had upon employment in the coal-mining industry?
§ Colonel LANE FOXIt is difficult to bring any direct evidence to bear on this question. It seems to me, however, to stand to reason that with shorter hours and higher costs of production the amount of unemployment must have been greater than it now is.
Lieut.-Colonel WATTS-MORGANIs the Secretary for Mines aware that production has now so glutted the market that the coalowners cannot give away the coal for nothing?
§ Mr. WILLIAMSIs it not the fact that there are fewer mine workers working to-day than at any period during the past 20 years and that there are more mine workers under-employed than there has been during any part of the last 20 years.
§ Mr. SPEAKERHon. Members seem to be making their speeches beforehand.