es of cheapness of production! We on this
side are great admirers of cheapness of production. We have reminded
the hon. gentleman of it often; but why should cheapness of production
always be achieved at the expense of the human factor? The hon.
gentleman spoke with anxiety of the possibility of a rise in miners'
wages as a consequence of this Bill. Has he considered the relation of
miners' wages to the selling prices of coal? At the pit's mouth the
underground-workers' wages are only 60 per cent. of the selling price
of coal. Free on board on the Tyne, the proportion is only 38 per
cent. As coal is sold here in the south of England the proportion of
wages is less than one-fifth of the whole price. Is it not clear that
there are other factors at least which require consideration before
you decide to deal with the human factor, which first attracts the
attention of the hon. gentleman?

What about mining royalties? In all this talk about the importance of
cheap coal to our industries and to the poor consumer we have had no
mention of mining royalties. No. We never mention that. Yet, will the
House believe it, it is estimated that mining royalties impose a toll
of 6 per cent., calculated on the price of coal at the pit's mouth, or
considerably more than half the total diminished production which
could result from this humane Act of labour legislation.

But we are asked: "Why stop here? Why don't your arguments apply
elsewhere?" and we are told of people whose conditions of life are
worse than some of those of coal-miners. Why stop here? Who ever said
we would stop here? I welcome and support this measure, not only for
its own sake, but much more because it is, I believe, simply the
precursor of the general movement which is in progress all over the
world, and in other industries besides this, towards reconciling the
conditions of labour with the well-ascertained laws of science and
health. If we are told that because we support this measure we shall
be inflicting an injury or injustice on other classes of the
population, I say there is a great solidarity among all classes of
manual labourers. I believe that when they consider this matter they
will see that all legitimate interests are in harmony, that no one
class can obtain permanent advantage by undue strain on another, and
that in the end their turn will come for shorter hours, and will come
the sooner because they have aided others to obtain that which they
desire th