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    51 g The Leader and Saturday Analyst. [J...

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    Coal Miners And The Inspection Bill, Pia...

    noon , " as provided by the Factories Act . The Bill " as proposed and altered by mine owners / 5 says " Educational Sfc , section 145 in printed Bill omitted . ' Of cetorse ! this is just what we should hare predicated of ignorant ; , selfish economists ; Qn general ; and therefore true principles , is it not better to have to deal with knowledge than with ignorance ? And will not intelligent labour be more productive and economic , than ignorant and consequently gross animal power ? Will not the same true economic principles obtain in the case of the miner , whose surrounding dangers are peculiarly requiring more than average knowledge of both chemistry , eeology , and the laws of mechanics and general physics , to protect himself from danger , death , and to provide for tlie ^ ' satisfactory working of the article required ? Is it true economy to keep these men ignorant , pocketing the present cost of their education , and riskine— -no . necessarily incurring the certainty of accidents , loss ot and

    life , and sickness , and the natural results ot stupidity sensuality , and the disorders selfish ignorance will and must ensrender ? Were there no such explosions destructive to life and property as those of the Oaks Pit in 1847 , and the Lundliili m 1857 at Barnsley , and still more recently the Burradon tragedy—all most probably the results of ignorant hardihood—we know of two remarkable cases which proved by experience it is far cheaper upon economic grounds to pay for culture and discipline , than to employ ignorant and untrained hands . One of the largest spinning firms in Yorkshire , years before the Factories Act compelled the provision o education , provided for themselves a good school , attached to their works , and from the children attending they used to draw their supplies for the factory workers . Another , less enlightened— -a rival firm , and nearly as large—seemingly saved the money which was paid for good teachers , books , & c . In a few years , however , the selfish firm found that they could not conduct their works so

    economically as the firm could who had schools , and so in sheer " self-protection " they built a school , and spent five hundred pounds a year , because it paid better " and saved more to obtain intelligent and trained people , than to deal with semi-savages , the condition in which all ignorant children must necessarily be . We therefore assert , it is not sound economy to resist a scheme for securing a good education to the ehildren ^ of miners . It might be that Government felt the influence of the employers class , for they do not provide any means of education for miners , or even direct it to exist at all . They merely cut off from that employment those who cannot read and write . Now this , besides being grossly unfair to

    the factory employers , is positively inflicting a punishment upon those unfortunates for the want of which , viz ., education , neither ways nor means are provided ; We ask , then , if the operative miners are not both wiser men and truer economists than their masters , in asking for forty hours' education per month ; and for submitting the same means for providing it as has proved so efficient and satisfactory in the Factories ActP _ In continuation we may say to avoid tedium , that all giving the employers either trouble or expense ^ avoidable , is always objected to by them , and sought to be amended (?) . ; We will , however , instance one rule not objected to , and trace its bearings . TT" ^ ei- * hft bft ^ d of " Penalties for Offences against the Act , " _ \ ye

    Here , it is plain , a workman may be fined exorbitantly to his means , or peremptorily imprisoned ; while , to the colliery owners , the fine may be relatively nominal ; and he , and oven his agent , or viewer , is exempt from imprisonment , however they may have wilfully violated the law . Wow is this fair P And to show that we are not guessing , —that owners , viewers , and agents may be as much , nay , perhaps , more in fault than it is likely any of the ¦ men can be , we have only to turn to one of the colliery inspectors' reports , where , at page 8 , for 1859 , Mr . Mohton , of Wakefield , repovts : — "At Mr . Houidat ' s colliery , near Leeds , two heavy misfortunes happened from waut of ordinary care , by him and his agents . A miner was sent by his underviewer ( John Jaqoeu ) , to work with a candle , close to an unvontilated place ,

    have , in all working coal-mines , the owner or agent required to provide general regulations , and special rules , to be published , which , if not done , or " if not observed by the owners and principal agent or viewer , or if the general or special rules be neglected , or wilfully violated , such persons shall be liable to a penalty of not exceeding ten pounds , " & c . ; and then the clause goes on to add , — " and every person other than aforesaid , employed in and about a coal-mine , who neglects , or wilfully violates any of the special rules established in a colliery , shall , for every such offence , be liable to a penalty not exceeding ten pounds , or be imprisoned , with or without hard labour , in the common gaol or house correction , for any period not exceeding three calendar months , or to be proceeded against and punished , according to the provisions of the Act Geokgb IV . chap . 34 , intituled " An Act to enlarge Powers of Justices in determining Complaints between Masters and Servants . "

    which for several days had been in a fiery condition . Jaogbr knew this , but did not even warn the poor fellow j he had fixed no danger signal ; he made no attempt to remove the gas , or to provide safety lamps ; and the unlucky collier had no sooner arrived at the spot than the fire-damp kindled , and injured him so seriously that for many , weeks he was unable to resume his labour . Recklessly and ruthlessly Jagged still tried to compel other persons with naked lights , and without adequate ventilation , to work , in the same hazardous place , and two men were instantly and arbitrarily dismissed by him , because they hesitated . Moreover Jaggbb was knowingly and habitually setting at nought sundry other essential requirements of the special rules relative to air-tight stoppings , doable doors , daily examination of underground works , and regular attention to the furnaces . The proprietor of the colliery ( A £ r .

    Samuel Houi day ) was also highly culpable for his disregard to the provisions of the Act ; of Parliament , I had repeatedly but unsuccessfully ur « -ed upon him the necessity of better observance of the general and special rule ' s ; nevertheless , he persevevingly neglected , the f e ncing of his pits , until an unwary boy was fearfully maimed bv falling down one of them , on a dark morning in November ; his drawing engine was without break—though the engine man had frequently complained ; his steam boiler had no proper water-guage attached to it , ; and some of his servants had never been supplied with printed rules ; and at one of his mines there was no map ofthe workings . For these various , and numerous delinquencies I deemed it incumbent on me to prosecute Mr . Samuel Holliday and his under-viewer ( John Jaggeb ) , before the Bradford magistrates , who , in order to mark their decideo . disapproval of such flagrant misconduct and mismanagement , fined the owner £ 35 , besides costs , and the agent £ 30 3 * . besides costs ; and the Bench further expressed an opinion that the penalties

    inflicted ( though the greatest allowed by law ) were not commensurate with the magnitude ofthe offences committed . We agree with the worthy magistrates ; but in the name of justice , why does not the law provide that these men may , nay shall be imprisoned , and kept to hard labour , just as the operative is liable to be , whose guilt could not be so heinous really , because they have neither the means nor the knowledge the others have , or ought to have . We could multiply instances by scores of this kind / calling for at least an equitable law of punishment . Take just one—a paragraph from the Leeds Mercury , April 10 , I 860 : —

    * Fatal Colliery Accident . —On Saturday last > an inquest was held at the house of Mr . FroggitT , the Hare and Hounds Inn , before T . Badger , Esq ., on the body of Henry Kitchen , hurrier at the Wharneliffe Silkstone Colliery . Deceased ,, who was about seventeen years of a ° -e , was working for his uncle on the previous Thursday , and in pushing a ° corre along , it same in contact with a puncheon , causing a quantity of roof to fall , among which was a large stone . In answer to the coroner , Mr . Platts , the steward , said he had not seen that part of the colliery for a fortnight . Mr . Badger strongly condemned what appeared to him to be great neglect , and expressed his intention to write to the government inspector , informing him of it . The jury returned a verdict of'Accidental death /"

    Again , we ask , why should / this steward be exempted from ¦ imprisonment for wilful neglect , and violation of his duty ? And yet the masters do not object to this proposed lavv , which will exempt them from the penalty of imprisonrnent . Nor should it ba overlooked that colliery owriers are in many cases magistrates , and _ who sit upon the Bench in their own cases ; and who will , on the common principles of human nature , not he too severe in general upon their

    own interests . Many other instances of partiality in law we might give . One amendment ofthe operatives should be known , as indicative of what they want , and with what reason opposed . In the lltli section , it is provided , that besides the general regulations of government , special rules shall be established for the purpose of meeting the peculiar conditions of the colliery , or workings , which could not be met by general regulations . - . We have a number of such special rules now Before' iis , wlmJhVtfle ^ iave-liitheTto-been made-arbitrarily by the owners of each mine , and relate , of course , chiefly to their own interests alone . They relate to the time and modes of working , the use of tools , the care horses , and the conduct of the workmen . Now , were these regulations guided by principles of

    equity , and for mutual advantage of masters and men such special regiilatibhs are necessary , and would be highly advantageous . It . certain , however , the coal-owners consider their own interest first ; . In one case , of thirty regulations twenty relate to preserving the horses , and not one to preserve the lives or health of the operative . A horse costs something ,- —another man can bo set on , without cost . Laws of a most unjust and arbitrary character are enforced by exorbitant fines , or by liability to imprisonment ; such as that a man shall not smoke , swear , nor be absent or leave work without leave , or on certificate of sickness being produced from a surgeon . Money is deducted for relief in case of accident and sickness ; and the funds arc to be administered by the muster without control , and without rendering any account , & c , & c .

    The new Bill proposes that till by-hiws shall bo first submitted to the Secretary of State , who may disallow or add to regulations necessary for the safety ofthe lives of the employed , & e . The men ask that such bylaws may be publicly exposed for one month , before being submitted to the Secretary of State ; iu order that they , who know by experience the conditions requisite , and by bitter experience the evils inflicted arbitrarily upon them , may have the opportunity of memorialising the Secretary upon the said special laws , so that their interests may bo attended to , or at least be nob grossly violated , and then enforced and backed by the general laws of the country . And is not this most right and reasonable ? In whatever aspect this question be viewed , we jsubinit the men ' s

    suggestions deserve the most favourable consideration . True economy requires the culture of humanity , and its progression . In colliery workings , a good , humane , and effioient act is roquired , and would greatly promote the interests of all concerned . Wo hope , therefore , all true politioul economists in the House will bo at theirposts on the 13 th , and promote the real interests of the capitalists even contrary to their will , and in spite of their short-sighted and erroneous arguments against the amended bill . Humanity and philosophy should go hand in hand ; and when law is the medium of advancing both , then it will commend itself to all judgments , and , be deemed a public blessing because it will promote the public good . ' .

    51 G The Leader And Saturday Analyst. [J...

    51 The Leader and Saturday Analyst . [ June 2 , 1860 .

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), June 2, 1860, page 10, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_02061860/page/10/