§ Sir H. SLESSERasked the Secretary for Mines why the prosecution was withdrawn in the Maltby colliery explosion case (Wing v. Pickering), in view of the fact that the Divisional Court directed a conviction on the facts found?
§ Colonel LANE FOXAs I stated in reply to the hon. Member for Rother Valley (Mr. Grundy) on the 16th December, my predecessor, in instituting this prosecution, expressly informed the Mining Association and Miners' Federation that he did so solely in order to1744W obtain an authoritative statement of the law and not on the ground that, in his opinion, criminal prosecution was required in respect of anything done or omitted to be done. That object having been achieved, I felt bound, so far as the matter lay within my discretion, to honour this understanding, and to give my consent to the summonses being withdrawn.