§ Mr. JOWETTasked the Home Secretary if his attention has been called to the death of Miss Edith Derbyshire, who recently contracted anthrax at the works of Messrs. Campbell and Harrison, wool-combers, of Shipley, a branch of the wool-combers' syndicate; if he will examine the depositions of evidence given at the subsequent inquest; and whether he will say how many cases of anthrax have occurred among Messrs. Campbell and Harrison's employés during the last ten years, and the number of cases which have occurred at the whole of the combined firms of Woolcombers' Limited, during the same period, distinguishing between different years and fatal and non-fatal cases?
§ Mr. CHURCHILL:A report of this case has been received in the Department, and I have also obtained the depositions taken at the inquest from the Coroner. An exhaustive examination of the existing conditions at the works has been directed. The following table shows the number of cases of anthrax that have occurred at Messrs. Campbell and Harrison's factory and at all the factories of the combined firms of Messrs. Woolcombers, Limited (including that of Messrs. Campbell and Harrison) from 1st January, 1900, to the present time:—
year Campbell and Harrison. Woolcombers, Ltd., including Campbell & Harrison. Non-fatal. Fatal. Total. Non-fatal. Fatal. Total. 1900 2 2 4 2 2 4 1901 — 1 1 — 2 2 1902 2 — 2 2 — 2 1903 2 — 2 6 — 6 1904 1 — 1 3 — 3 1905 5 6 11 7 10 17 1906 4 3 7 6 4 10 1907 2 — 2 5 — 5 1908 2 1 3 3 2 5 1909 5 — 5 6 — 6 1910 (to date) — 1 1 — 1 1 Total 25 14 39* 40 21 61 *Not including a housewife (non-fatal) in 1903, whose husband, son and sister, all worked in this factory.