§ Sir R. GOWERasked the Secretary for Mines the average and highest temperatures of working places in the mines of Lancashire, South and West Yorkshire, North and South Midland Divisions, and South Wales; if it is due to the circumstance of high temperature that a comparatively small number of ponies are employed in the Lancashire coalfield; and whether any similar circumstances prevail in the neighbouring English coalfields in which relatively higher numbers of ponies are employed below ground ?
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§ Mr. E. BROWNTemperatures in the working places of a mine vary from time to time, and I regret that comprehensive figures such as are asked for by the hon. Member are not available; in any case the significance of such figures would depend on other factors such as the humidity and movement of the air. It is only at some of the deeper mines in Lancashire that the temperatures are unusually high, and this has little bearing on the relatively small number of horses employed in the county. The generally high inclinations of the seams lend themselves to other methods of haulage, and this statement applies to mines in other coalfields where similar conditions exist.