§ 42. Mr. SMEDLEY CROOKEasked the Secretary for Mines if his attention has been called to the decision of the miners at Blaenavon, who have decided to adopt the scheme of sharing the work although it involves financial sacrifice on the part of the miners in that locality who are and have been employed for some time; whether he proposes to take any action to encourage miners in other parts of the country to follow the example of the Blaenavon miners and adopt the scheme, which is intended to help those who have been unemployed to retain their craft ability and prevent the results of continued unemployment?
§ The SECRETARY for MINES (Mr. Ernest Brown)The answer to the first part of the question is "Yes." With regard to the second part, I am following with great interest and sympathy the development of the scheme at Blaenavon, and also of somewhat similar schemes already in operation in other parts of the country. I feel the greatest admiration for those who are deliberately giving up a considerable part of their employment that others may share, but I do not think that there is any specific action at the moment which I can, or should, take, since the matter is one for agreement between employers and employed.