§ Mr. T. Smithasked the Secretary for Mines whether he can state the amount and percentage of the annual funds of the Safety in Mines Research Board expended during each of the last three years directly on investigating methods of avoiding accidents caused by the use of electricity, coal-dust explosions, haulage and winding, by falls of roofs and sides; and 863W the amount so expended on inquiring into accidents to boys?
Safety in Mines Research Board. Expenditure on Certain Researches. Research. Year ended 31st March 1935. 1936. 1937. Amount. Per cent. of Total Net Expenditure. Amount. Per cent. of Total Net Expenditure. Amount. Per cent. of Total Net Expenditure. £ £ £ 1. Electrical Apparatus and the use of Electricity. 2,285 3.8 2,385 4.1 4,930 8.5 2. Coal Dust Explosions … 4,273 7.1 4,397 7.5 4,226 7.3 3. Haulage and Winding … 5,998 10.0 6,153 10.5 6,431 11.1 4. Falls of Roof and Side … 10,435 17.3 10,407 17.8 9,836 17.0 NOTES.—(1) The figures are exclusive of expenditure on common services for the Board's work as a whole. (2) Separate particulars of the amount expended on the subject of accidents to boys are not available.
§ Mr. Tinkerasked the Secretary for Mines whether he is aware that the undercutting of coal by machines in many instances exceeds the regulation distance for roof supports and when the coal is released the workers are exposed to greater dangers through this; and will he have this matter looked into so as to prevent the undercut exceeding the distance laid down for roof supports?
§ Captain CrookshankI am aware that the depth of the undercut usually exceeds the distance between the last row of props and the coal face, but there are other important factors to be considered, and this one could hardly be dealt with except as part of a general revision of the law governing roof support. That is one of the subjects now under investigation by the Royal Commission on Safety in Coal Mines, and I must await the Commission's report.