§ Sir R. GOWERasked the Secretary for Mines the tonnage of coal conveyed by mechanical means in each of the 22 districts that are given in his annual report at the end of June, 1932; the percentage of each district's output that is thus conveyed below ground; and the general technical reasons that are responsible for any great disparity in the percentage rates among the various districts?
§ Mr. E. BROWNThe latest information available relates to the year 1931 and is published in the last annual report of the Secretary for Mines. I am afraid it is impossible to deal adequately by way of question and answer with the very
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§ Sir R. GOWERasked the Secretary for Mines the total number of horses and ponies employed below ground in mines at the end of June, 1932; the number of horses used per million tons of coal raised in each of the eight divisions; the number of horses and ponies so employed in 1922; the number used per million tons of coal raised in each division in that year; and the general causes for the reduction in the number of ponies used in the several divisions?
§ Mr. BROWNThe figures are given in the following table:
complex problem raised by the last part of this question, but varying conditions of coal seams have a bearing on the point.
§ Sir R. GOWERasked the Secretary for Mines the number of mechanical conveyors and gate-end loaders in use underground at or near the coal face at the end of June, 1932; the number of tons as well as the percentage of the total coal output transported by these mechanical conveyors and loaders at the same date; and the number of tons as well as the percentage of the total output transported in the same way in 1926, 1927, and 1928, respectively?
§ Mr. BROWNThe latest information collected relates to the year 1931 and the information asked for, so far as it is available, is as follows:
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—— 1931. 1928. 1927. 1926. Number of Conveyors Along coal face … 3,137 2,203 2,078 1,667 Elsewhere … 816 653 * * Number of Gate-end Loaders … 506 * * * Tonnage of Coal conveyed: (i) Quantity (tons) … 47,307,535 27,976,390 * * (ii) Percentage of Total Output of Coal … 21.6 11.8 * * * Not available.