§ Sir W. Jenkinsasked the Secretary for Mines whether he will ascertain why the collieries owned by the Amalgamated Anthracite Company at Gwaun-cae-Gurwen, Cwmllynfell, and Ystalyfera are idle for weeks and, in some instances, one colliery working and three or four kept idle from one to eight weeks at a time; and will he inquire what has been the effect of amalgamation on the regular working of these collieries?
§ Captain CrookshankI am informed that the irregular working of the collieries in these districts is due to want of trade. I do not think that any inquiry could decide how the effects of absence of demand would have been distributed had the collieries been in separate ownership.