§ Order of the Day for the Second Reading read.
§ LORD RAVENSWORTHsaid, that the professed object of the Bill was to give greater security to persons employed in mining, but it went further by appointing certain persons to stand, in reference to young persons employed in mines, in loco parentis. Under the Factory Act, if the parents did not take sufficient charge of their offspring, the State stepped in and assumed the performance of their duties. As the law now stood very young children were not allowed to work in mines; but boys between ten years of age and twelve were allowed to work in them, provided they could show a certificate of having received a certain amount of education. He thought it might be desirable to obtain the opinion of the House how far it might be necessary to adopt the second clause of the Bill, or whether it might not be desiraable to omit it altogether. There was no objection on the part of persons interested in mines to the general scope of the Bill, but the point to be considered was whether it was right to impose certain restrictions in the case of certain trades which were not common to other trades. He did not intend to oppose that stage of the Bill, but he would propose some Amendments when it was in Committee.
§ Bill read 2a and committed to a Committee of the Whole House on Monday next.