§ 37. Mr. T. WILLIAMSasked the Minister of Labour how many miners were registered as unemployed at Edlington, Rossington, Stainforth, Hatfield, Thorne, Askern, and Doncaster on 10th November or the last date for which figures are available?
§ Sir A. STEEL-MAITLANDAt 24th October, 1927, the numbers of insured persons classified as belonging to the coal mining industry recorded as unemployed 1024 were 7,117 at Doncaster, including Edlington, Rossington, Stainforth and Hatfield, 1,274 at Thorne and 77 at Askern.
§ Mr. WILLIAMSIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that two of the colliery companies are at present importing large numbers of men from Durham and elsewhere, when they are unable to find work for their own people in the area, and will he ask the Employment Exchanges to communicate with them and ask them not to persist in what they are doing?
§ Sir A. STEEL-MAITLANDI understand that as a rule when Employment Exchanges are asked to supply men they find out, first of all, if labour of the description asked for is available in the locality. On the other hand, if the particular descriptions which are asked for are not available locally, they try to supply what they are asked for. I may say also that we try to view the mining question as a whole and as one which quite essentially ought not to be cut up into water-tight compartments between districts.
§ Mr. WILLIAMSIs the right hon. Gentleman not aware that in this particular area, where there are over 7,000 mine workers unemployed and 10,000 on short time, miners are still being imported from other districts, which increases the hardship both for the imported men and for those who live in the district?
§ Sir A. STEEL-MAITLANDIf the hon. Member will communicate any information to me which he thinks I ought to consider in connection with trying to draft unemployed miners from one place to another, I will gladly consider it. I have given him the general principles on which we do it, and I would state again that in order to try to improve the state of affairs in the mining industry generally, we ought to consider the country primarily as a whole.
§ Mr. PALINGIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that in spite of this huge number of unemployed, amounting to over 7,000 in the Doncaster district alone, people have not only been sent down to get work, but sent down by Employment Exchanges, from Durham and elsewhere, with full knowledge of the huge army of unemployed existing round about Doncaster?
§ Sir A. STEEL-MAITLANDI have asked hon. Members to communicate any information to me which bears on the subject.
§ Mr. KIRKWOODDoes that mean that the Government's idea of the mobility of labour means scab labour?
§ Sir J. NALLMay I ask whether there is still to be liberty in this country to people to move from one place to another if they wish?
§ 43. Mr. GRUNDYasked the Minister of Labour the number of persons at present working at the mines (surface and underground), the number unemployed, and the number in receipt of the unemployment insurance benefits?
§ Sir A. STEEL-MAITLANDThe estimated number of insured persons in the coal mining industry is about 1,198,800. On 24th October the number of such persons recorded as unemployed was 223,691, of whom 133,912 were wholly unemployed and 89,779 temporarily stopped. The balance of 975,109 includes persons who were sick or for other reasons were not actually at work though not recorded as unemployed. According to the returns made to the Mines Department the number of wage earners on the colliery books on 29th October was 982,504, but this number is not precisely comparable with the number of insured persons. I am unable to state the number who were in receipt of benefit. Separate figures for surface and underground workers are not available.
§ Mr. GRUNDYIs it not possible to tell us how many were receiving unemployment insurance out of the number of unemployed miners?
§ Sir A. STEEL-MAITLANDIf I were able to get the information without an undue amount of labour, I would give it, but the tabulation of unemployed in industries is done from a separate lot of figures from the ordinary unemployment benefit figures, and it could not be done without an intolerable amount of labour.