§ Mr. SNOWDENasked the Home Secretary if his attention has been called to the suicide of a factory girl at Hyde, in which case the jury returned a verdict that she had taken her life owing to fear of being fined; and, in view of the increase of the practice of fining in cotton factories and of the strength of the opposition of the operatives to the system, will he take what steps are necessary to make such fining illegal?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLI received yesterday a newspaper report of the proceedings at the inquest in this case, and I have made such inquiries as were possible in the short time at my disposal as to the extent to which fining was practised at the works in question. It appears that in the last twelve months the total amount of fines imposed was £18 on a wages bill of £25,527. In the sixteen months during which the girl had been employed she had been fined five times, the fines amounting in all to 2s. The question of fining in the cotton industry has recently been brought before me by a deputation of the workers' representatives, and is now under my consideration. I hope to take an early opportunity of hearing the employers' views on the subject, and discussing the matter with them. I should point out, however, that the whole subject was exhaustively investigated a year or two ago by a Departmental Committee, who did not recommend the abolition of fines; and that in any case nothing can be done without fresh legislation.