The Sun.
London, England, 1845-03-12 00:00:00

COLLIERY EXPLOSIONS.

Mr. DUNCOMBE wished to ask a question of the
Right Hon. Baronet the Secretary for the Home
Department, with reference to a petition pre-
sented the other evening from the miners
of the county of Durham, praying for
inquiry into the cause of the explosions
unfortunately so frequent in the collieries of the north.
There prevailed an opinion that the lives of those indi-
viduals were not properly cared for; and he wished,
therefore, to know whether it was the intention of the
Government to introduce a measure for the better
securing of the lives of miners. Failing any such
intention, he would ask whether there could be any
objection to the appointment of a Committee to take
the subject into consideration ?
Sir JAMES GRAHAM said, that the subject
had received the especial consideration of the Govern-
ment and after the recess, he should be prepared to
lay on the table of the House the report of the in-
spectors of mines, together with the objections of the
coal owners to the rules which they proposed, and he
thought that some measure might then be adopted of
a satisfactory nature.
SMOKE PROHIBITION BILL.

Mr. MACKINNON presented a petition from
the Board of Commerce in Glasgow, from the Guild
of that city, and from several other bodies in that city ;
from a place in the county of Somerset; another from
several individuals in London and Westminster;
and another, signed by 5,600 inhabitants of Glas-
gow, in favourl of this Bill. He had also
to say that petitions would be presented from
Manchester and Leeds in favour of the Bill. The
Hon. Gentleman said that in consequence of the
great mass of business which was to be brought on
to-night, he should merely move the second
reading pro forma, and take the discussion on
some future evening. Indeed he thought that from
the great exertion which the members of the Govern-
ment had to undergo, and especially from the
grievous imposition on the Speaker, Wednesday
ought to be a day of rest. For these reasons be
should move that the Bill be read a second time this
evening, and that the discussion should be postponed
till this day week. He trusted that no opposition
would be offered to this mode of proceeding, as all
would have an opportunity of expressing their
opinions when the discussion was taken. He then
moved that the Bill be read a second time.

Mr. HAWES said he would not offer any oppo-
sition to the Bill until he had heard the opinion of
the Noble Lord at the head of the Woods and
Forests ; but he thought it would be better to post-
pone the second reading for the present.
Lord LINCOLN thought it would be much more
for the convenience of the House if the Honourable
Member would consent to postpone the second read-
ing until after the holidays.—(Hear, hear.) Ile had
already promised that he would examine into the sub-
ject, and consult scientific men as to the best course
to be adopted. Within the last two days he had re-
ceived some information on the subject. One reason why
he was anxious to have the Bill postponed for a short
time was that measures of a sanatory character,
of much greater importance, and on a far larger scale,
were under the consideration of the Government;
and he thought the decision of the House, in refer-
ence to tile present Bill, world be materially influ-
enced by those measures.—(Hear, hear.) Be would
therefore advise the lion. Gentleman to postpone the
Bill until about a fortnight after Easter.
Mr. MUNTZ hoped the Hon. Gentleman would
take the advice of the Noble Lord, and in the mean-
time consider how far it would be possible for him to
alter the Bill as to the appointment of inspectors ; if
he did not, he should feel it his duty to resist the
measure. lle could not approve of appointing in-
spectors to discover the nuisance. Only imagine a
nuisance so small as to require inspectors to find it
out.—(Laughter.) He would go further than this.
Suppose these inspectors were in league with those
who had plans of preventing the nuisance, they might
be continually tormenting the manufacturers to adopt
these schemes.

Mr. WAhLEI said the Noble Lord himself did not
state what course he was prepared to pursue with respect
to the Bill if it should be postponed. With respect