DISTRESS IN MINING AREAS. (Hansard, 4 April 1928)

§ Mr. GEORGE HALL
I beg to move, That this House views with grave concern the conditions prevailing on the coalfields in South Wales and other parts of the country where, in consequence of widespread distress arising from the long-continued depression in the coal industry, large numbers of people, including children and young persons are lacking in the elementary needs of life, such as boots and clothing, whilst the standards of local government, public health, and education are rapidly deteriorating by reason of the serious diminution in the resources of the local authorities and their growing financial impoverishment, and this House calls upon the Government to take immediate action to relieve the necessities of the people and to enable the local authorities in these areas to carry out their statutory duties. I am not unmindful of the fact that only last week a good deal of consideration was given to this matter and I formally move the Motion.

§ Mr. R. RICHARDSON
I beg to second the Motion. It is the bounden duty of those of us who live among the mining population to raise this matter on every possible occasion in the House of Commons. Something must be done in this matter and while we are thankful for the efforts which are being made to relieve, to some extent, the present depressed conditions, we urge that the miner is of such importance to the community that the Government ought to take action.

§ Mr. SPEAKER
I think this is practically the same Motion as that which we had on a recent occasion.

§ Mr. HALL
Yes, Sir, it is.

Captain O'CONNOR
I regret very much that at this late hour we should be called upon to discuss a Motion of this gravity. The Motion deals with a subject which has been before the House of Commons on more than one occasion recently—if my memory serves me aright—in terms almost identical with those which appear on the Paper. May I remind the House of what the terms on the Paper are. To call attention to the distress in mining areas; and to move, that this House views with grave concern the conditions prevailing on the coalfields in South Wales and other parts of the country where, in consequence of widespread distress arising from the long-continued depression in the coal industry, large numbers of people, including children and young are lacking in the elementary needs of life, such as boots and clothing, whilst the standards of local government, public health, and education are rapidly deteriorating by reason of the serious diminution in the resources of the local authorities and their growing financial impoverishment, and this House calls upon the Government to take immediate action to relieve the necessities of the people and to enable the local authorities in these areas to carry out their statutory duties.

§ Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHY
Will the hon. Member please read it again? I did not guile get what he was saying.

Mr. O'CONNOR
I must apologise to the House if I was a little husky. The hon. Member proposes to call attention to the distress in the mining areas and to move: That this House views with grave concern the conditions prevailing on the coalfields in South Wales and other parts of the country where in consequence of widespread distress"—

Captain O'CONNOR
— arising from the long-continued depression in the coal industry large numbers of people, including children and young persons, are lacking in the elementary needs of life, such as boots and clothing, whilst the standards of local government, public health and education are rapidly deteriorating 2111 by reason of the serious diminution in the resources of the local authorities and their growing financial impoverishment

Captain O'CONNOR
— and this House calls upon the Government to take immediate action to relieve the necessities of the people and to enable the local authorities in these areas to carry out their statutory duties.

§ Mr. BROAD
On a point of Order. May I call attention to the fact that the hon. Member is repeating himself.