No. 3. — George Johnson, Esq., viewer of Willington, Heaton, and Burdon Main Collieries, on the Tyne. — Willington, April 16th, &c. 1841.

The children and all workmen are hired by the master, and the terms determined by a bond for 12 months.

The children's condition is good.

Does not allow children under 9 or 10 years old to be trappers, although a strong desire for earlier employment exists both amongst parents and children and he does not think the work unhealthy. The trappers can take any time they please for meals. The fathers and boys take down tea and coffee and take them when they can.

These pits are well ventilated, are not particularly fiery and Davy-lamps are extensively [It will be observed that these expressions were used prior to the explosion on April 19th.] The Davy-lamp keeper may go down perhaps 2 hours before the workmen., generally a man. who may have a boy as an assistant. These two will go down perhaps at 2 o'clock a.m. occasionally a boy may be sent down all night for extraordinary occasions; e.g., when they are pushing a stone drift, or any other communication in the mine necessary for the ventilation or for the horse-ways; then the boys follow in, and remain each their 12 hours. The boys in this case would follow in at 2 in the morning and 2 in the afternoon. In these cases the men work 8 hours per shift, three shifts working in the 24 hours. If a great fall of the roof comes down, that interrupts the headways, &c., the lads must be sent down at any hour. The double shift (being the most expensive way of working a pit) is never resorted to except in some peculiar cases, out of 100 collieries, at any given average time, perhaps 5 or 6 might be working double shift. At the expiration of the 12 hours a signal is commonly given of that fact and of course the boys are ready to get up. It is the duty of the deputy overman to see every light extinguished. and the persons of every description employ-ed in the mine out of it before himself. The deputy will ordinarily be out very soon after the 12th hour. If the pit stops at 4 p.p. every soul will be out at half-past 4. The last, being the horsekeepers, who go down about 2 hours before the pit is done. If the pit is a long way in by (i.e. the workings very far from the shaft), the time occupied in 'riding' at the bottom of the shaft may vary from three-quarters to half an hour. A boy working all night in pits is a most uncommon thing. Here one man and a boy work all night; that is the only exception. Old men may attend furnaces but no boys are required. About 25 years ago, when labourers were much more in demand, the boys here worked often double shift without coming up at all, being paid high wages for so doing. Boys should not he allowed to stop down more than their 12 hours.

The hours of labour are just the same when the demand for coals is great as at other times i.e. in a case where the demand is brisk, the full number of days in a fort night, 11 days of 12 hours each, is worked; when the demand is dull the number of days is lessened but the hours of each days work, 12 hours, remain the same. By the bond the owners are bound to give the pay for a certain number of days in a fortnight, work or no work; sometimes 30s. for hewer, or 28s. This is called 'upholding' them. None below viewers are 'upheld,' but this makes it necessary to work the pit. Storing up the coals is a very uncommon practice now. It as a common practice to store coals, owing to their being unable to supply the demand at particular seasons of the year. Now the power of supply is more than equal to the demand, and consequently there is no necessity for storing coals. Perhaps very seldom will 1000 chaldrons now be found stored at a pit; not above 3000 or 4000, perhaps, at the largest collieries. The pits now are worked upon an average 250 to 260 days in a year. or 25 fortnights. At Christmas they have a power to lay workers idle for 14 days.

Putters generally now agree to take a limited period to eat their baits, not exceeding 15 minutes and they never wish to sit longer, as they work by piece. The effect of working by piece is to counteract any hardship on the part of the owner or employer. In Willington pits all corves are put to the dip; the main rolley-ways, along which the corves are carried on the rollers, being always at the lower level of the mine. In cases where the full corves are to be brought up an ascent, helpers up are allowed. The greatest rise a putter puts up hill in this pit, with a helper up, is 2 to 2½ inches to the yard. Putters will never put a full corf beyond a level without a helper up. In addition, it is the true economy of a mine always to put on to level, as nearly so as possible. This colliery is an easy working one in all respects. The lowest height which boys are compelled to work in is the minimum height of the corf which is about 3ft. 9in. in this district. The corf is made to suit the height of the seam, and not, within witness's observation, less than 3ft. 8 or 9in. Does not know any instance of putters wearing 'back-skins,' or protection against rubbing their backs. [See, however, No.86.]

In helping up they go but very short distances. Every nerve and sinew is put into motion in helping up and putting. This labour is only suitable for healthy young men in their very prime. An unhealthy young man could never continue it. He would complain to the viewer, and get easier work. Of course a man having a family of putters is a very desirable man. A man not absolutely needed, if having a good family of this sort, would be taken into work. Doubtless putting, like any hard work, has permanently injured some lads, by strains, or jerks, or twists. Thinks the employment of a boy as a trapper is usually, in a properly ventilated mine, not at all injuries, provided the lad is in ordinary health. It is quite certain that drivers meet with more accidents than any other persons in the pit, mainly owing to their own carelessness, or to the horses turning restive, and kicking and plunging.

Does not think they pay £40 a-year throughout the whole of this colliery for smart-money. The trapper is not exposed to the variety of dangers that putters and drivers are, who move about in various parts of the mine. The position of the trapper is always very secure and strong timber supports the roof where he is sitting. A sufficiently large place is left behind the door for him to retire to and he need never move from that place, having a cord to open and shut the door. On one side he sees the colliers coming, and hears them on the other. A light is often, or very generally, placed near the trap-door. Has known, some years ago, boys of 6 years of age employed, but none below 7 latterly. As to the general treatment of these boys, thinks the parents are very kind and the owners considerate. The children, when becoming lads of 18 or 20, are often ungrateful to their parents. Boys have an abundance of food, clothing, and good care. They are well fed. Parents do not correct them corporally so much as is necessary.

As to the limitation of the age of children, none should go down younger than 9. Would not actually wish for a law restricting the age of children, but yet would not entirely object to a law restricting them to 9 years of age but does not think they would be better educated for by the restriction of age. A deputation of Parents would be unwilling to send the boys to schools after 9 years the hewers have this moment waited on witness to solicit him to rescind an order he had given that the hewers were to fill a larger proportion of the coals they had hewed, and not leave an excessive quantity to be filled by the putters in addition to their proper employment as putters. Putters get no addition for filling this extra quantity of coals. Many of these putters are the children of the selfsame hewers, who (the hewers) complain of being longer kept from their homes in consequence of this order.

Any change would be effected with difficulty among the pitmen. Even a promise to educate free of expense would not induce parents to send their children to school after 9 or 10. They would much rather see them uneducated than unemployed; thinks that after 10 they are better employed than at school. They would never make good pitmen if sent down later than 10 or 12, although there certainly are instances to the contrary. Has often had men who have been made viewers after the age of manhood but not so with drivers and putters, who must be trained to it to succeed. Driving requires a habit of sitting still on the limmers. Doors are very rarely knocked down by inattention. It is impossible that there should be much infliction of brutality or corporal punishment within the care of a tolerably attentive viewer or under-viewer.

As to any medical certificate of the strength and appearance of a child (as in Art. 13 of the Factories Act), it is quite unnecessary. If unhealthy, a lad cannot be a driver or a putter; it is quite impossible, because if unhealthy he could not perform the duties it follows that putters, &c., are necessarily healthy. When they feel themselves incompetent, something else is cut out for them. A medical certificate would be checked by the results of the first day as work in the pit and therefore quite unnecessary. There is an abundance of workpeople for the pit to choose from, and hence the evil corrects itself. It is quite unnecessary to employ people who are not in full health. Notwithstanding the increase of the collieries, the good wages and condition of pitmen always induce a full supply for all necessities.

A surgeon resides at the colliery, who is employed by the men exclusively. The men con tribute for his attendance at about 6d. per week per family, or 4d. for single men making altogether perhaps at this colliery about £80 per annum. The proprietors employ a surgeon for all accidents, who resides at Newcastle and is paid by his visits at accidents. Thinks the men recover from accidents sooner and more completely than other classes of workmen because they are more sinewy and less liable to repletion. The pitmen are less than usual in stature but their muscular power is great. There is a very marked improvement in the last 40 years in their personal appearance and mental cultivation. Hard drinking was then very frequent, but is now uncommon.

In the old collieries the state of morals and conduct will generally be found very good while in the numerous new ones they have the disorderly characters and refuse from the old, and the Places of Worship and Schools are generally the last things established or even thought of.

In the ordinary way the ventilation in the broken is necessarily imperfect. But the boys are less constantly exposed than the hewers to the bad effects. The putters, &c. are continually changing and coming out into the main air-courses. The drivers are never in them at all. The trappers are exceedingly rarely in the broken. The hewers are necessarily constantly exposed for 6 hours per diem. It certainly is not so healthy as the whole mine.

No alteration at all is likely to take place in the mode of working and ventilating mines dispense with the labour of boys, except by employing men to do the same duty, which would; be a prohibition to the working of the mines. There are not a sufficient number of old men to keep doors. These trapdoors are so incontinuous in their operations, that no mechanical means could be employed to do away with them. Swing doors have been tried and found no to answer the purpose. The lads had first to come against them to raise them up, and their. gravity brought them down too soon again.

It would be impossible to employ relays of boys under 12 hours shifts without the greatest inconvenience and loss to the owners. Any legislation on these points would be quite unnecessary and perhaps prejudicial to the owners and to the workmen, inducing habits of loosen and carelessness. To the means of education now open in the Sunday-schools, three-fourths of the lads in the colliery go and those who are well inclined make efforts at night-schools to make up for the want of education, previously neglected either through wilfulness or other circumstances.

Some men are now taking pains to acquaint themselves with the outlines of, natural philosophy, but these are rare instances. As to their position as workmen, thinks that if they give much tune to these studies they will learn as much as to dissatisfy them as workmen and not enough to qualify them for superior situations. The educated people, or the Methodists, are put forward to be the spokesmen on occasions of dispute with their masters.

In ordinary matters education makes no difference to them as workmen; but in strikes &c, these educated persons, or Methodists, are most decidedly the hardest to deal with. This is not always from taking the correct view of the nature of the disputes, but from self-sufficiency and self-satisfaction with their superiority.

Any acquaintance with the nature and mode of working coal amongst the actual hewers would he beneficial and desirable. It could not make the man a worse workman but probably a better. Here and there you might get a man to attend to lectures, &c., but certainly not commonly. And as to any schools of the sort, they would not be encouraged by the men in collieries.

The owners of the coal do not in general work it, and hence the lessee, having in view only to make the greatest amount of profit in the shortest time, seldom directs his attention to the education of the children of pitmen, so much as he would otherwise do if he were the proprietor of the surface as well. The lessees have no permanent interest in the mines, or the people who change very frequently from year to year to different collieries. The establishment of schools therefore rests nearly wholly with the lessee and viewer. The viewer himself is not perhaps stationary. The parishes are so extensive as to defy adequate personal superintendence on the part of the clergyman.

A school could not be located conveniently for the pit people unless in each case on the spot and then there would be either insufficient employment for a master (except in extensive collieries and there the population is widely scattered) or insufficient attendance by the boys. Parents are not inclined to value education, except as far as convertible into gain. Only knows one instance of a pitman taking an interest in gentile literature.

At Willington there is one school patronised by the owners. The master has the house, garden and coals free. The school-house to the Methodist chapel, where also the Sunday school. There is another school for younger boys and girls at Willington-square provided for in the same way by the owners. Mr. Patterson has a general school here, a private speculation.

All these schools are well attended by the pit lads and the children of pitmen.

At Bigge's Main and Heaton collieries there are a day school, with a very good lending library, and an excellent Sunday-school.

In the Wear district the pitmen move about more frequently than in the Tyne district and this is owing to the number of new collieries lately opened in the former district, in which there are constant changes. In these new collieries there is little to the pitmen to one spot. There are no good gardens and there is a mixture of characters. The first thing that induces pitmen to move is the nature of the work, as influencing prices and then the nature of the houses and gardens. This last binding at Willington four times as many moved as at previous bindings, which might be owing to the pits being laid idle more perhaps than usual during the last year. Nearly 20 men moved from Willington this binding. At Heaton again there were very few changes, not more than 7 or 8 of all classes, moving this last binding.

In preceding years they were sometimes found too rapidly increasing in population for the demand.

Notwithstanding some remarks that have been made by persons not conversant with the subject on this late explosion at this colliery, witness is decidedly of opinion that boys front 9 to 12 or 13 years of age, are the fittest persons to be employed as trappers. They stand in awe of the deputies and their superiors much more than boys of a later age, or old men, would do. Old men would be sure to fall asleep, and able-bodied men would never submit to the supposed degradation of keeping doors.

The Section XXI. of the Factories Act was stated to Mr. Johnson, and he thereupon observed, that no similar provision for education would be practicable in the collieries, with the present system of working hours. Of course the children could not go to school before work, and he thinks that they would be found incapable of receiving schooling after the pit day is closed. It would be more natural to suppose that they would seek for recreation in the open air. In some rare cases boys are anxious to attend school after work and they do so. In all cases where a strong desire for schooling exists, persons contrive to obtain instruction. Mr. Johnson does not think that the instruction received before going down pits is often retained.

He cannot suggest any mode of extending education amongst the colliery population, and would disapprove of that over-education which might unfit a man for labour in the pits, by rendering him discontented, and yet might not enable him to obtain other employment. In one of the collieries under his view he has promoted a pitman to the offices of overman and under-viewer at last, not because he was an educated man, but because he was a steady and efficient workman, of good common sense. This person was, he believes, very ignorant, even at the time of promotion, and only obtained the rudiments of education after his promotions.

Mr. Johnson has observed no particular difference in the clothing of pit people in winter. A pitman is scarcely ever known to wear a great coat or similar garment, or even in winter to put on any additional clothing after leaving the pit. Very generally 14 days holidays are allowed at Christmas time.