Sir Charles Edwards: 46. asked the Prime Minister whether, seeing that the Department of Mines is to be continued, he will now arrange for the transfer of the Research Department from the Board of Education to that Department, so that, as far as possible, every phase of mining, and especially one of such importance as this, may be under one Minister who shall be responsible and answerable to this House for its...
Sir Charles Edwards: I beg to move, That an humble Address be presented to His Majesty praying that the Order, dated 20th January, 1928, entitled the Bedwellty Union (Default) Orders (Continuation) Order, 1928, be annulled. I quite agree that it is inconvenient to discuss these prayers at this time of the evening, but I am hoping that this Prayer will be answered and that it will not be necessary to discuss it...
Sir Charles Edwards: Are there any private persons on that expert committee, or are they all naval men?
Sir Charles Edwards: 61. asked the Secretary for Mines whether any accidents have occurred through shot-firing where the imperial shield for detonators has been in use; and, if so, how many and where?
Sir Charles Edwards: I do not want to take up much of the time of the Committee, but I do want to correct one or two statements with which I do not agree and which I think are not quite true. Those statements were made by the hon. Gentleman the Member for Whitehaven (Mr. R. Hudson), who said that there were young men who refused to go to these training centres. But the hon Member did not tell the Committee why...
Sir Charles Edwards: The statement was that young men stayed at home and refused to work.
Sir Charles Edwards: There must be some good reason for that. My experience is that men are only too anxious to get work. I do not know anything about the system at Whitehaven.
Sir Charles Edwards: My experience has been that the men are only too anxious to get work. Then the point was made that men who have been brought up in agriculture and are now in other jobs should be compelled to go back to agriculture. But if a man is doing well in his job, if he knows his job and is satisfied with it, I see no reason why he should be compelled to leave it. If the inducements of agriculture were...
Sir Charles Edwards: I support emigration if everything is right. Not long ago I received a report from an Australian about a special scheme being inaugurated in Australia for settling men on farms of 1,000 acres each. It seemed to me an excellent proposition, and I was very favourably impressed with it. I questioned this Australian gentleman about the scheme, which has the Australian Government behind it, and he...
Sir Charles Edwards: What the hon. Member stated is quite opposite to my own experience. I look upon the Transference Board as useless, because the unemployed men are quite ready to go to any district where they can find employment. If we could only discuss this question of unemployment in the same way as we discussed the Prayer Book, without any party feeling, I am sure we should be able to find a solution. When...
Sir Charles Edwards: I beg to move, "That the Debate be now adjourned."
Sir Charles Edwards: 29. asked the Minister of Health whether he has seen the report of the meeting of the Cardiff Board of Guardians where concern was expressed at the number of cases of insanity reported for the month of May; whether he is aware that unemployment was given as the cause; will he order an investigation to be made; whether he is aware that only 181 single men out of 10,000 unemployed are in...
Sir Charles Edwards: Will the Minister receive a deputation from the Welsh Members to discuss this matter?
Sir Charles Edwards: 70. asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that steps are being taken by coalowners, in conjunction with shipowners, naval architects, and engineers, to conduct experiments in the use of pulverised coal on merchant ships; and whether he will take steps to encourage these experiments in the mercantile services
Sir Charles Edwards: Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the authorities refused to allow experiments of this kind on board an old man-of-war, because they fear the success of the experiment when compared with oil, and will the President of the Board of Trade, as chief of the Mines Department, inquire into this matter?
Sir Charles Edwards: 14. asked the First Lord of the Admiralty if the small obsolete warship which he is willing to lend for experimental purposes with pulverised coal fuel is sufficiently modern to secure a fair test and for obtaining the best possible results?
Sir Charles Edwards: If that is so, why was the offer rejected by those who desire to make the tests?
Sir Charles Edwards: I understand that they asked for a certain vessel on which these experiments could be made. Why was it rejected if the vessel was all that could be desired and they could get the best results?
Sir Charles Edwards: May I ask whether the Minister and his Department deliberately set themselves out to insult these young men?
Sir Charles Edwards: I beg to second the Amendment. I understand that an Amendment which stands in my name—in page 2, line 28, leave out the words: 'each constituent authority being deemed (a) to be the local authority of its own area,' and insert instead thereof the words 'such joint board being deemed (a) to be the local authority of a local area consisting of the local areas of the constituent authorities of...