-----

FOOTNOTES:

[9] March 30, 1908.

II

SOCIAL ORGANISATION

PAGE

MINES [EIGHT HOURS] BILL (July 6, 1908) 173

UNEMPLOYMENT (Oct. 10, 1908) 189

THE SOCIAL FIELD (Jan. 13, 1909) 211

THE APPROACHING CONFLICT (Jan. 30, 1909) 225

THE ANTI-SWEATING BILL (April 28, 1909) 239

LABOUR EXCHANGES AND UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE
(May 19, 1909) 253

THE SECOND READING OF THE MINES [EIGHT HOURS] BILL

HOUSE OF COMMONS, _July 6, 1908_

Whatever arguments may be urged against this measure, no one can say
that the Government have acted with precipitation in bringing it
before the House and the country. It has been debated for twenty
years. Parliaments, Tory and Liberal, have affirmed the principle, and
I do not suppose there ever was a similar reform put forward in this
House upon a greater volume of scientific and accurate information, or
after more prolonged, careful, and sustained scrutiny. If the debate
on the Second Reading has thrown very little new light on this
question, it is because it has been fully and thoroughly explored on
former occasions; and not only has it been fully explored, but it is
now illuminated by the admirable Report which has been presented by
the Departmental Committee appointed last session.

This Report, while exciting approval on all sides, gives no complete
satisfaction to any. It balances, and weighs, but it does not finally
pronounce. It aims less at deciding this controversy, than at defining
the limits within which its economic aspect may be said to lie. I
think any one who reads the Report with attention will feel, after
careful study, that the limits of the economic controversy are
moderately restricted. We have to consider on the one hand the gross
reduction of one-tenth in the hours of labour of underground workmen,
taking the average over all classes of men and all sorts of mines. And
on the other hand we have as a set-off against that gross reduction
certain very important mitigations which are enumerated in the Report,
to which I shall briefly refer.

The first economic question which the House has to settle is, whether
these mitigations which are enumerated will have the effect of
overtaking the reduction which is to follow the curtailment of hour