HC Deb 19 December 1933 vol 284 cc1090-1
14. Mr. G. MACDONALD

asked the Secretary for Mines whether he has yet received a full report of the explosion that occurred on the coal face in the No. 2 Pit, Seven-foot Mine, of the Maypole Colliery, near Wigan, on 4th November, 1933; whether he is satisfied that there was no breach of regulations; if so, whether he is satisfied with the stringency of the regulations; and whether an automatic gas detector was in use?

The SECRETARY for MINES (Mr. Ernest Brown)

I have received a full report from the Divisional Inspector on this explosion by which, I regret to say, two men lost their lives. The hon. Member will be aware that the inquest jury returned a verdict of accidental death, and found that the explosion resulted from a fall of coal breaking the glass of a flame safety lamp. Nothing has emerged to throw doubt on the correctness of the verdict, though such a cause is happily a rare one. There is no evidence of any breach of the regulations, and I am satisfied that the regulations themselves are adequate, provided they are supported by due vigilance on the part of the officials and workmen. There was no automatic firedamp detector in use, but the circumstances, in my view, were such that if there had been one it would not have given any warning of danger.

Mr. MACDONALD

On what ground does the Minister state that an automatic gas detector would not have prevented an accident?

Mr. BROWN

Even if the pit had been equipped with automatic gas detectors, as I told the hon. Member, it by no means follows that, if one of these had been hung up in this heading at that particular time, it would have signalled danger. All the evidence goes to show that the gas was well up in the high side of the heading and not in the general body of air. The gas was brought into the general body of air, and simultaneously the lamp-glass was broken by the same fall of coal. Consequently there was no time for any previous warning of danger to be given. Those are the facts underlying my reply.

Mr. DAVID DAVIES

Would it not be true to say that, if you had an accumulation of gas in the heading, it constituted a violation of the Act?

Mr. BROWN

Not in these circumstances, after careful investigation.

Mr. T. WILLIAMS

Is the Minister not aware that there can be no explosion unless there is from 5½ to 6 per cent. of gas? Is he aware that an automatic detector would have indicated gas there long before the lamp was broken?

Mr. BROWN

It depends entirely on whether the detector was at the spot where detection was to be made.

Mr. GODFREY NICHOLSON

What was the distance of the heading away from the nearest area where there was some ventilation?

Mr. BROWN

I could not answer that question without notice.

Mr. KIRK WOOD

Is the Minister satisfied that every precaution is taken to safeguard human life in the mines of the country?

Mr. BROWN

That is so.