§ LORD KINNAIRD, in presenting a Bill relating to Metalliferous Mines, said, that the measure was founded on the Report of the Royal Commission, which was appointed in 1862, and reported in 1864. That Report was deserving of great consideration, because there were upon the Commission Gentlemen who had practical knowledge of the subject, from being connected with mines—one of them, indeed, having in his youth worked in a mine—as well as Members of Parliament representing what was called the mining interest. Those Gentlemen, though living in the neighbourhood, were previously unaware of the dreadful mortality which prevailed among miners, and though largely interested in mining property, they unani- 409 mously recommended measures to be adopted to remedy the evil. Reserving for the second reading a more detailed statement, he might state, as his justification for introducing a Bill into Parliament, that nothing had been done since the Report was presented, and because Her Majesty's Government have so much business already in hand that they could scarcely be expected to take up the question this Session. Another point which justified his tailing this course was the remarkable fact that, though there were several Acts of Parliament for the regulation of coal mines, no special Act had been passed relating to metal mines: the reason for this probably being that every now and then the public were startled by some terrible destruction of life, by the explosion of a coal mine, whereas in metal mines, though the accidents were greater in number, and the mortality far greater, yet no startling number of men fell victims at one time, and it thus happened that legislation for these mines had not been forced or consideration. The workers in coal mines were a healthy class, living longer and enjoying generally better health than agricultural labourers—a proof that mere employment underground was not injurious—whereas those employed in metal mines died off like rotten sheep at from thirty-five or forty-five years of age, fifty being reckoned old age for a miner. He did not propose to carry out all the recommendations of the Commissioners, as some it would be diffiult to define in. an Act of Parliament; he proposed rather to lay down two sets of rules, one to be settled by Act of Parliament, and the other to be prepared by the owners or workers, and approved by the Secretary of State, in order to suit the special circumstance of different mines. Even among coal mines there was great variety, owing to differences of geological formation. In the neighbourhood of Newcastle, mine accidents generally arose from fire and explosion whereas in Wales and other places they arose more generally from falling of the roof, owing to the lay of the geological strata. Still greater differences were found in metal mines at different places and it would, therefore, be impossible to frame any rules in an Act of Parliament which would be applicable to all cases. He proposed, therefore, that special rule should be prepared by the owners or 410 workers of mines to be approved by the Secretary of State for the Home Department. One recommendation contained in the Report of the Commission was a most important one, and might be acted upon, not only with regard to metal mines, but with regard to coal mines as well. It was, that the captain's agents or viewers should make a daily report in writing as to the state of the workings. That would be of great advantage and a great safeguard, for it would ensure a more careful supervision, and would place the responsibility on the right shoulders. It was impossible to suppose that a Government Inspector could properly inspect the miles and miles of underground workings which existed in some districts. In a recent case the miners had informed the viewer of the dangerous state of the mine, but no notice was taken, and an explosion, by which many lives were lost, soon followed. This could not have happened, if the viewer had been required to make a daily report. To carry out all the rules of the Bill would, he confessed, impose a very large amount of labour on the Home Secretary. He had at first the idea of proposing that there should be a Board composed of practical and scientific men, presided over by an Under Secretary, who should have a seat in Parliament. Nothing could be more satisfactory than such a proposal as that to the mining interests and to the miners themselves, and he believed it would be in a great measure the means of putting an end to strikes in the coal mining districts. There was another Bill before Parliament relating to coal mines, which would be read a second time on Monday next, and Her Majesty's Government would consider the question, whether a Minister of Mines should not be appointed, or some Board constituted to which all questions relating to mining might be referred.
§ Bill presented, and read 1a; and to be printed. (No. 6.)