COAL INDUSTRY (ANTHRACOSIS AND SILICOSIS). (Hansard, 9 April 1930)

§ Mr. HOPKIN
I desire to call attention to the position in regard to anthracosis and silicosis. As far back as last July I put down a question to the Minister and I was told that anthracosis was simply a blackening of the lungs. On the 18th November an answer was given to me that there was no evidence that the blackened condition of the lungs described as anthracosis was a cause of disablement. When I further asked if attention had been called to the dissatisfaction that exists, I was told that no complaint had been received. The colliers in the anthracite districts feel that my hon. Friend has been wrongly informed and, further, that sufficient attention has not been given to a matter which for them, is a question of life and death. No indication has been given that anthracosis is to be placed on the Schedule at all, no evidence is forthcoming that the Ministry are aware of the growth of silicosis, and nothing has been said to show that the 50 per cent. of free silica is to be abolished.
Taking the case of anthracosis first, the question arises: Does anthracosis exist at all? I would beg my hon. Friend to turn his attention to the evidence which has been given by Dr. Griffiths in about six post-mortem examinations in the Cross End district. He has described the effect of small anthracite coal dust on the lungs. In every case he said that the condition of the man was due to the effect of the small anthracite dust on the lungs. Indeed, it is practically impossible to say, until a man has died and his lungs have been incinerated, whether what was in the lungs was silica or anthracite dust. After the post-mortem examinations recently held this is the type of verdict which has been returned: "The cause of death was fibrosis of the lungs due to a combination of silicosis and anthracosis." The House is aware that there are two difficulties as regards the position of the men. First of all, before a man can have compensation he must have worked in 1929 and afterwards, and, secondly, there must be 50 per cent. of silica in the 2325 rock in which he is working. The very fact that 50 per cent. is put down shows that it has no scientific basis whatever. I ask the House to picture what the position of these men is in the mine. There they are, hundreds of feet below the earth in a small heading nine feet by five feet. There they have these infernal drills going, and the whole of the air is so full of the slack dust that they cannot see the lights from their own lamps. I am certain that Dante in all his dreams never dreamt of such a hell as this. It is because these men have to breathe this dust for eight hours per day, that you have a number of men between 20 and 40 in one district alone who are disabled because of silicosis. It is an interesting fact that about a fortnight ago a man was gassed and died. After the post-mortem examination it was found that the pleurœ of the lungs in every part was firmly adherent and bound down. The lung substance was heavy with coal dust, and felt hard and gritty in places; striated with coal marks on pleural surfaces. There is another case of a man still in work, 35 years of age, who in two or three years would inevitably have to cease work and die. I have here the case of a man who has been certified as suffering from silicosis and the certificate is as follows: I hereby certify that the present condition of the workman, ascertained by my examination is as follows: Clinically and radiologically there are evidences of an early silicosis. These manifestations do not in themselves appear to indicate a serious incapacity for work. This man could not draw any compensation and, if he dies, his dependants will not have a penny piece. I have had the advantage of seeing a report by Dr. Griffiths, who has taken an active part in fighting the disease of silicosis. He says:
Take the case of one man, John Hunt. It was pitiful in the extreme to watch him go to work. I should imagine that it took him more than an hour to walk a mile to the colliery. They go on for months with this kind of breathing until finally they cannot get even out of their beds. One can easily hear in the neighbouring roomy of the house their efforts at breathing. The air is continually bubbling through mucus and sputum which they have great difficulty in clearing. There is a certain amount of blueness through failure to oxygenate the blood. It is tragic to watch these men absolutely die. Their courage is wonderful. 2326 They are very uncomplaining and all they worry about is leaving their families unprovided for and knowing the cause is their own hard work. The fact is that this Order is merely a pretence that the workers have any protection. It is no protection at all. There is not a case in the whole of the anthracite industry in which the rock contains anything near 50 per cent. of free silica. The miners in this district are looking with hope to the Labour Government at least to grant them this small measure of justice. I would ask my hon. Friend two specific questions. Firstly, is he or is he not going to schedule anthracosis; and, secondly, is he or is he not going to remove this limitation of 50 per cent. of free silica? I have here a specimen of the dust in which these men work. What does it matter whether they breathe 5 per cent. or 50 per cent. of this dust? They die from it, and I say that they ought to be entitled to compensation for themselves when they are alive, and compensation for their dependants when they are dead.

§ The UNDER-SECRETARY of STATE for the HOME DEPARTMENT (Mr. Short)
I can assure my hon. Friend and the House that there is no lack of sympathy or consideration on the part of my right hon. Friend in relation to the question of silicosis and the very evil and disastrous effects that fall upon the unhappy victims of this complaint. It is recognised that coal miners working in mines in which silica rock is present may and do contract silicosis, and the "Various Industries" scheme provides for such cases. For instance, paragraph 2 (2) of that scheme applies to workmen engaged in drilling and blasting silica rock in or incidental to the mining and quarrying of other minerals; while paragraph 2 (4) applies to workmen engaged in handling or moving silica rock in connection with such work; and these words are intended to include, inter alia, workmen employed in hard headings in coal mines.

§ Mr. HOPKIN
I am sure that my hon. Friend would not wish to leave out the essential part, which is as to the 50 per cent. of free silica.

§ Mr. SHORT
My hon. Friend must give me an opportunity. I have only been on my feet for a few seconds, and surely I 2327 am entitled to make some statement. I will come to the 50 per cent. of free silica. My hon. Friend must not think that I am antagonistic at all, but I should have expected him to bring forward some more concrete evidence than he has submitted to-night. As I was saying, the words I have quoted are intended to include workmen employed in hard headings in coal mines, which, so far as the Home Office has any evidence, is the only work in coal mines which gives rise to silicosis. For the purposes of the scheme, silica rock is defined as including quartz, quartzite, ganister, grit-stone and chert, but it does not include natural sand, or any rock containing less than 50 per cent. of free silica, and it is this last limitation which my hon. Friend questions. Apparently he would give the impression to the House that persons working in rocks containing less than 50 per cent. of free silica have contracted silicosis and have been unable to obtain compensation.
Let me say at once that there may be rocks other than those specified in the definition which are met with in mining operations, and do not contain 50 per cent. of free silica. This is all a question of evidence. So far as the evidence in the possession of the Home Office goes, not a single case has been produced to show that compensation has been prejudiced because of this limit. The Miners' Federation, for instance, when the scheme was under consideration, expressed the view that the introduction of this limitation would have the effect that has been mentioned. The Miners' Federation up to this moment has not produced a case, though I have been told to-night that the Lancashire and Cheshire Miners' Federation is about to submit—

§ Mr. HOPKIN
I have 20 here.

§ Mr. SHORT
If my hon. Friend had sent that, evidence, as he has been requested not once or twice, to the Home Secretary it would have considerably assisted in an inquiry. If grave injustice is being done, as he has sug- 2328 gested, my right hon. Friend would have been assisted in his investigations, but up to this moment my hon. and learned Friend has not produced that evidence. We are prepared to investigate all cases submitted to us from the Miners' Federation or any other source. We are prepared to go fully into the matter and my right hon. Friend will review the position of the 50 per cent. in relation to the facts that become known and will sympathetically consider any action, legislative or otherwise, that may be necessary. So far as anthracosis is concerned, once again we are in the same difficulty as regards evidence. For instance, as far as I understand the position, there is little or no evidence in the possession of the Home Office or the Mines Department that the inhalation of coal dust, even for a considerable period of time, produces such a condition of the lungs as might be scheduled as an industrial disease. Once again my right hon. Friend is prepared to consider all the facts and all the evidence. I cannot commit my right hon. Friend or the Government as to what their future action may be, but I can say that we are prepared to make the fullest investigation provided the evidence is given to us upon which we can proceed to review the situation.

§ Mr. HOPKIN
Is my hon. Friend prepared to send an inspector into the anthracite district, particularly into the Cross Hands district, where he will have abundant evidence of anthracosis and silicosis?

§ Mr. SHORT
I can give my hon. Friend an assurance that we are prepared to send an inspector if he will give us evidence of the cases which he says he has in his possession.

§ Mr. HOPKIN
Certainly, with pleasure.