§ 27. Mr. BATEYasked the Secretary of Mines if he has received any complaint that boys under 16 years of age have been kept down the pits in Durham for 16 hours per day; whether he has inquired into the complaint; and can he give the result of his inquiries?
§ Commodore KINGYes, Sir. A complaint of this kind was recently sent to me by the hon. Member, and I have had it investigated. It was found that on three occasions during January and February a boy had been kept to work a second shift on account of the absence of other boys through illness. The management considered that the circumstances constituted an emergency which made it lawful for them to take this course, but consequent on representations made to them by my Department they have agreed not to adopt this method of meeting the difficulty in future.
§ Mr. BATEYSeeing that to keep these boys 16 hours a day is a breach of the Eight-Hours Act, does not the hon. and gallant Gentleman propose to take some action against the company?
§ Commodore KINGI do not think that from the nature of my answer that will be necessary.
§ Mr. BUCHANANDoes the hon. and gallant Gentleman state in this House that there is one law for the mine-owners 973 and one for the miners; if not, what is the reason he is not prosecuting the mine-owners for this definite breach of the Regulations?
§ Commodore KINGI have stated the reason of the coal-owners, and they will not repeat the offence.
§ Mr. PALINGDoes the keeping of boys over 16 hours constitute an emergency reason?
§ Commodore KINGThat is the reason given by the coal-owners.
§ Mr. BUCHANANWhy is there a difference of treatment between miners and mine-owners? If an offence were committed three times by a miner, would not he have been prosecuted; and why has the Minister not prosecuted the owners in the same way as he prosecutes the miners?
§ Commodore KINGI make no difference between owners and miners.
§ Mr. BATEYAt the end of questions I shall ask your permission, Mr. Speaker, to move the adjournment of the House in order to call attention to this matter.
§ Mr. HARDIEIs the Minister aware that the necessity of keeping these boys all that time in the mines is to make them do the work of the two shifts of eight hours of the men?
§ At the end of Questions:
§ Mr. BATEYI beg to ask leave to move the Adjournment of the House for the purpose of discussing a definite matter of urgent public importance, namely,
The failure of the Government to prosecute certain coal owners for breaches of the Coal Mines Act, 1926, by the continuous employment underground of a boy on three occasions for more than 16 hours per day?
§ The pleasure of the House having been signified, the Motion stood over, under Standing Order No. 10, until Half-past. Seven o'Clock this evening.