15. Mr. JENKINSasked the Secretary for Mines the age at which boys are permitted to work in the mines of France, Germany, Holland and Russia, and the maximum hours they are permitted to work each day?
§ Captain CROOKSHANKWith the hon. Member's permission, I will circulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT a statement giving this information as far as it is available.
§ Following is the statement:
§ The following particulars are taken from the Report entitled "Children and Young Persons under Labour Law," published by the International Labour Office in 1935.
| State and Employments covered. | Admission Ages. |
| France. | |
| "Boys employed in subterranean galleries of mine." | 18 years. |
| "Employment as miner, except as apprentice." | 16 years. |
| Germany. | |
| …" mines, pits" … | 14 years.* |
| "Boys employed underground in Ruhr anthracite mines." | 16 years. |
| "Hewers in anthracite mine" | 21 years. |
| Holland. | |
| "Boys employed belowground" | 16 years. |
| "Boys employed as signalman or hewer." | 21 years. |
| "Boys employed as shaft repairer or in temperature exceeding 30°C." | 20 years. |
| U.S.S.R. | |
| "Underground work" | 18 years. |
| *"If compulsory school attendance completed "— 13 years. |
§ The permissible hours of work for adults in coal mines in the principal producing countries of Europe are approximately eight per day, bank to bank. Information is not available as to the extent to which a lower maximum may be applied in the case of boys.
13§ 18. Mr. R. J. TAYLORasked the Secretary for Mines the number of boys between 14 and 15 years of age and between 15 and 16 years of age who were injured fatally and non-fatally in first shift and second shift, respectively, in the counties of Durham and Northumberland during the years 1933, 1934 and 1935?
§ Captain CROOKSHANKI regret it is not possible to divide the accidents satisfactorily between the different shifts worked, but, with the hon. Member's permission, I will circulate the available figures in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Mr. TAYLORIs the hon. and gallant Gentleman aware that, when an accident occurs, the time of the accident is duly recorded? If that be so, where is the impracticability of separating these shifts for the purpose of giving the information for which I ask? Is the hon. and gallant
| Number of boys of 14 and 15 years of age, respectively, killed and injured (disabled for more than three days) at mines in Northumberland and Durham during the years 1933–35. | ||||||||
| Year. | 14 years of age. | 15 years of age. | ||||||
| Killed. | Injured (disabled for more than three days). | Killed. | Injured (disabled for more than three days) | |||||
| Northumberland. | ||||||||
| 1933 | … | … | … | … | — | 146 | 1 | 206 |
| 1934 | … | … | … | … | 1 | 264 | — | 249 |
| 1935 | … | … | … | … | — | 227 | 3 | 312 |
| Durham. | ||||||||
| 1933 | … | … | … | … | 2 | 356 | 3 | 614 |
| 1934 | … | … | … | … | 2 | 530 | 1 | 760 |
| 1935 | … | … | … | … | 1 | 479 | 7 | 1,008 |