Lords Sitting of 8 June 1877

MINUTES.
PUBLIC BILLS—First Reading—Reservoirs [103]*.
Committee—Report—Law of Evidence Amendment* (63); Marriages Legalisation, Saint Peter's, Almondsbury* (85); Bar Education and Discipline (69).
Third Reading—(£5,900,000) Consolidated Fund*; Customs, Inland Revenue, and Savings Banks*, and passed.

CASUALTIES IN INDUSTRIAL OCCUPATIONS.

  MOTION FOR RETURNS.
  EARL DE LA WARRrose to move for a Return of persons killed or injured in industrial occupations in the years 1873, 1874, 1875, and 1876. There had been from time to time Reports of the Inspectors of Factories, of Mines, and Railways, laid upon the Table of that House, in which were recorded many of the accidents, of the loss of life, and injuries which were daily occurring among the thousands who were engaged in industrial occupations of a more or less dangerous kind: but although the fatal accidents were perhaps fully given, accidents which were not fatal, but many of which caused permanent disablement, were not always recorded—more especially in the Mining Reports. Consequently there was a very imperfect return of casualties. Added to that, owing to the variety in form and number in which those Reports were presented, there was considerable difficulty in arriving at accurate conclusions. He would not trouble their Lordships with the history of legislation on those subjects. With reference to factories, it extended over a period of about 40 years, and a large amount of good had resulted—especially in placing restrictions upon the employment of women and children; but for the preservation of life and the prevention of injuries there remained much which it would seem might yet be done. He might mention one instance of that out of many others, in the words of an Inspector of Factories in the year 1875, who said—
  "I take this opportunity of expressing my regret that no clause has been enacted by the 1874 Act or any other Factory Acts forbidding children to clean machinery in motion."
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  He went on to say—
  "It is very sad to know the number of children who are annually maimed by the thoughtless, nay, heartless way in which they are early driven to clean portions of fast-running machinery which it is quite impossible to fence. It is preposterous to say that these accidents arise from the children's own carelessness; nevertheless, in two out of every three cases that is the excuse offered."—[Report 1875, p. 56.]
  He believed he was correct in saying that a prohibition of that kind was recommended by the Royal Commission on the Factory Acts, but had never been adopted. Then, as regarded mines. The legislation on that subject dated not so far back as that in regard to factories—he believed the Bill introduced by Mr. Bruce in the House of Commons in the year 1872 was the first of any importance. But, with reference to fatal accidents, what had been the result of that Act? Mr. Bruce stated, in introducing the Mines Regulation Bill—"In 1870 the number of deaths from all causes was 991;" and what had it been since? In 1873 there were in mines 1,069 fatal accidents; in 1874, 1,056; in 1875, 1,244; in 1876, 1,003. That did not show any great diminution in fatal accidents—allowing for some increase in the number of mines; and of other accidents there did not appear to be any complete return. There was, however, a carefully-prepared report in a paper recently read before the Society of Arts, which estimated the annual number of accidents not fatal in mines at about 15,000. He believed that was no exaggerated statement, as he held in his hand an extract from the Report of the Lancashire and Cheshire Miners Permanent Relief Fund, by which it appeared that during the year 1876 there were 3,913 cases of disablement among the members and 56 fatal accidents; the number of members being 22,977. The fatal accidents placed on the funds 31 widows and 68 children, and at the close of the year 88 widows and 205 children were receiving annuities from the Society. That, their Lordships would observe, was in one district only. But besides that large number of casualties there was another fatal cause at work, which in these days of scientific knowledge and practice ought to be more successfully dealt with. He meant that of bad air in mines. In the Report of Mines recently laid upon the Table of that House for 1876, Mr. Evans, the

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  Inspector of Mines in Wales, said, in a circular issued by him—
  "At present the contravention of the Act with respect to ventilation is so general, that I have deemed it advisable to bring the matter thus specially under the notice of the owners."
  And in the Report he added—
  "It is a matter of regret to me to find that the agents of these mines are, with very few exceptions, ignorant of the principles of ventilation."
  It was further stated in the Mining Reports of 1875 that "such an atmosphere is slow poison." Yet in that deadly atmosphere 500,000 miners were daily at work in this country. No wonder that the average life of a miner had been put at not more than 30 years; while sickness was stated to be about 70 per cent above the average of the population generally. It might be said that this was attributable to other causes besides bad air and casualties. Perhaps to some extent it was so; but it would not account for all. No doubt miners had their faults, but they had also their virtues, of which they had recently had some heroic examples; and it could not be without painful reflections that that daily sacrifice of life and disablement was reported and laid, perhaps in silence, upon the Table of the House. He turned for one moment to railways. It was computed that the number of railway servants of every class amounted to about 285,000. It appeared from the Returns that in the year 1876 about 1 in 64 was either killed or injured; and by a further analysis it was found that out of every 15 goods' guards and shunters, which were among the most dangerous employments, one was either killed or injured every year; and in the Report of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Insurance Society, to which his attention had been called, it appeared that out of a working staff of railway men of 10,000 employed, he believed, on the Lancashire and Yorkshire line, 1,579 had been killed or injured in the year 1876. Now, if all those accidents were unavoidable it would be useless to ask their Lordships' attention to the subject. It was because he believed they were in a great measure preventable in mines, on railways, and in factories, that he desired to place before their Lordships a full Return of all accidents. When he said many of these accidents were pre-
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  ventable he was not speaking his own opinion only. It was the opinion of Factory Inspectors, of Railway Inspectors, and of Mine Inspectors. In the Report of the Inspector of Factories in 1876, speaking of engine boilers, he said (p. 32)—
  "Some time ago I directed attention to two disastrous boiler explosions which had occurred; by the former I think 13 persons were killed, and by the latter seven, besides, in both instances, a number of persons severely injured. Verdicts of accidental death were returned, one jury simply recommending that in future engine boilers should be placed under Government inspection. Here the matter has been allowed to rest, and other casualties of a similar character are of frequent occurrence without any means being adopted to prevent them."
  He went on to say (p. 87)—
  "We fine a man heavily for employing females and children a few minutes over time, yet we allow him to blow up the same persons with impunity, as far as the law is concerned."
  He would only now add that the casualties in mines, in factories, those which were connected with railways, and by the bursting of boilers collected from different sources, were computed at not less than 100,000 in the last four years. For the reasons he had stated he asked their Lordships to grant this Return. He did not think it was sufficiently known how great the number was of those casualties, and how little was really done, beyond inspection, to enforce efficient remedies for existing evils.
  Moved that there be laid before this House, Return of persons (specifying adults and children) killed or injured in industrial occupations in the years 1873, 1874, 1875, and 1876, under the following heads:
  By Boilers. In Mines. On Railways. At Factories.
  (The Earl De La Warr.)
  EARL BEAUCHAMPsaid, he admitted that very many of the accidents referred to by the noble Earl were preventable; but he failed to see any connection between the Motion of the noble Earl and his proposition that many of the accidents which occurred by boilers and in mines and factories and on railways were preventable. On all the matters referred to by the noble Earl there was information collected and laid before Parliament; but, as he gathered from the statement of the noble Earl, he wished to supplement that information by statistics embracing all accidents from

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  the causes he had enumerated, whether fatal or non-fatal. But the noble Earl did not define how the different kinds of accidents were to be distinguished. It was already the duty of the Inspectors to report on all accidents which were of sufficient importance to form the subject of a Report. He submitted that that was sufficient; though he might point to the Factory Act of 1874, as showing that the Government were by no means indifferent to the frequency and nature of the accidents sustained by the working classes. The voluminous Returns in the Library of their Lordships' House showed that in reality all the information it was in the power of the Government to supply was already before Parliament, and the speech their Lordships had just heard from the noble Earl, which was based on those Returns, was in itself sufficient proof how amply they were supplied with information. With regard to accidents from boiler explosions, the Board of Trade had Returns of those which occurred on board steamships at sea; but when they came to deal with such accidents on shore they were landed in this difficulty—that they had to define what a boiler was, as it might range from a simple tea-kettle to the largest tubular boiler at work in the country. Again, as respects mines, the Inspectors year by year furnished Parliament with the most valuable information, and the same was the case as respects Railways and Factories. If the noble Earl thought that instructions for more minute Reports ought to be issued to the Inspectors, that was an intelligible proposition, but one the adoption of which, in his opinion, was not called for. He hoped the noble Earl would not press his Motion.
  Motion (by leave of the House) withdrawn.

RAILWAYS—BRAKE POWER.

  OBSERVATIONS.
  THE DUKE OF SOMERSETsaid, he had given Notice of a Motion for a Return of any information which the Board of Trade could furnish, showing the progress made in the adoption of additional brake-power by the Railway Companies of the United Kingdom, in conformity with the unanimous recommendations of the Railway Commission of 1873. He had, however, been forestalled by a Return already laid on
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  the Table, and which showed that the Railway Companies themselves attached great importance to brake-power. There was one exception — the Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire Railway Company, of which Sir Edward Watkin was Chairman. The Board of that Company doubted the importance of brake-power. It was very satisfactory to find that the various Railway Companies were applying themselves to find the best manner in which increased brake-power could be applied. The Royal Commission appointed in 1873 had unanimously recommended additional brake-power. Some Companies were still very far off from a good system; but he repeated that it was gratifying to find them applying themselves to the matter with goodwill and earnestness. Under the circumstances, it was unnecessary that he should move for his Return.
  THE DUKE OF RICHMOND AND GORDONwas glad that the noble Duke had called attention to the subject. He thought the Returns in their Lordships' hands would show that the Board of Trade had not been behindhand in the matter, but had taken the earliest opportunity of calling the attention of the various Railway Companies to the Report of the Royal Commissioners. He agreed with the noble Duke that it was satisfactory to notice the manner in which the Railway Companies were applying themselves to the subject, and it would be gratifying to Parliament and the country if those Companies should be able to adopt an effective system of continuous breaks.

WORKHOUSE SCHOOLS—MRS. NASSAU SENIOR.-QUESTION.

  OBSERVATIONS.
  VISCOUNT ENFIELDasked Her Majesty's Government, Whether it was intended to fill up the vacancy occasioned by the death of the late Mrs. Nassau Senior, who in 1873 had been specially appointed to inquire into and report upon the condition, management, health, and treatment of the children, especially the female portion of them, in our great Metropolitan pauper schools? That work was most conscientiously and ably performed by the lamented lady in question, to whose great abilities he wished to offer a respectful tribute of acknowledg-

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  ment; and her Report, dated the 1st of January, 1874, to the Local Government Board, was well worthy the attention of all who were interested in the condition and welfare of our pauper schools. Mrs. Senior not only visited the 17 Metropolitan Schools, but she also inspected orphanages, industrial schools, reformatories, and "kinder-gartens," both in England and in Scotland; and in Paris she went over some of the most important salles d'asile and orphanages, in order to make a comparison as to the physical condition of the children in these different localities. He would not presume to go into detail as to the various plans suggested by Mrs. Senior for the improvement of the system adopted in workhouse and pauper schools; but, as these proposals were necessarily in abeyance, owing to no successor having been yet appointed in that lady's place, he had taken upon himself to ask the noble Earl, who represented the Local Government Board in that House, whether such an appointment would be renewed? and, as some years ago he had the honour of being officially connected with the Poor Law Board, he thought such a Question as that might with propriety be put by him.
  THE EARL OF JERSEYjoined in the tribute paid by the noble Viscount to the memory of Mrs. Nassau Senior. Her Report was a very interesting document, and contained many valuable suggestions; it was highly appreciated by the Local Government Board. In reply to the noble Viscount's Question, he had to say that a vacancy was not created by the death of Mrs. Nassau Senior, because, owing to ill-health, she sent in her resignation two years ago. When it was accepted, the President of the Local Government Board did not think it necessary to fill the vacancy up. To that opinion he adhered; but should the appointment of a lady to the office filled under the Board by Mrs. Nassau Senior hereafter become desirable, it would be made.

  LAND IN IRELAND.—QUESTION.
  THE EARL OF BELMOREasked the Lord President, Whether the Appendix to the Return of Owners of Land in Ireland, containing corrections, which he promised last Session, would soon be ready to be laid before the House?
  THE DUKE OF RICHMOND AND GORDONsaid, the investigation of the matter was not yet completed, but he hoped to be able to produce in a short time much, if not all, the information asked for by his noble Friend.
  House adjourned at Six o'clock, to Monday next, Eleven o'clock.