Mr. NEWDEGATEasked the Home Secretary whether he has any official information showing that the mean hours daily spent underground by miners in South Wales are now nine, and possibly ten, and not eight; and, if this represents the true state of affairs in Welsh mines, whether he will either take steps to make the Act a reality or alter it in such a way as to suit the wishes of the various mining districts?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLIn the case of men who work in shifts, the period of eight hours is made by Section 1 (2) of the Act to run from the time of the last man leaving the surface to the time of the first man returning to the surface, so that, supposing the men to return in the order in which they go down, the actual time spent underground would exceed the eight hours by the length of the time required to wind the whole of the shift down. The length of the lime required for this purpose will depend on the number of men to be wound, the depth, the winding arrangements, and other matters, and may vary from fifteen minutes in small collieries to sixty minutes in the largest collieries. I do not propose to take any steps to alter the arrangement in the Act of 1908, which was arrived at after full discussion in Parliament.