No. 386. — April 6th. Henry Morton, Esq., of Biddick, near Lambton.

Agent for the Countess of Durham's collieries. Thinks that of the usual employment of the children in coal mines is perfectly consistent with their health. Making very good wages they are enabled to have good and sufficient maintenance. Working at the night shift doe not make much difference, the air and ventilation being the same at one period as at another; does not think the changing the night into day in any way injures them. Within an experience of about 14 years in the Countess of Durham's mines, has not observed any instances of prejudicial effects from the hours, or mode or place of working.

Trappers ordinarily go down at 8 or 9 years of age, or 10. The boys were very plentiful at about 8 or 9 years ago; latterly, in consequence of the increase of collieries, they are not so abundant. The accidents of the drivers, &c., are chiefly attributable to carelessness on their own parts. The putting and helping up in the Countess's pits, is very moderate work, not at all too laborious. There is very little putting with soams in these pits; very seldom do they put on the rise, frequently on the level and commonly to the dip. Has never heard of any boys straining or rupturing themselves in these pits. Does not think any alteration in the hours of labour necessary for children. Would not object to a law restricting children from going down before 10 years old but would rather leave it to the discretion of the viewer to accept or refuse them; any such law would press heavily on parents who had large families. Any medical and educational certificates would be totally unnecessary. Does not think the means of education now open to the boys are at all sufficient but the reverse, - quite insufficient. Parents are anxious to send children to school but they have no good schools and boys might obtain instruction, after going to work, if there were proper arrangements for diffusing it. Does not think that the work in the pit incapacitates them to receive instruction after the day's labour, especially with regard to putters, who usually work only 8 hours, or at least they may usually be done within that time. An acquaintance with mechanics might be generally beneficial to persons employed in collieries; they would probably become better workmen and certainly more useful members of society. Industrial schools would be extremely acceptable in these neighbourhoods and parents and children would doubtless make good use of them.

There is no prospect of any mode of carrying on collieries so as to dispense with the labour of very young children; any restricting law that should produce a scarcity of children would prevent many pits from being carried on beneficially; old men, to supplant trappers, and who are called swing doors, are inapplicable. Pitmen become perhaps thin, but are extremely active and muscular and are in general quite as healthy as other labourers; of course they are subject to accidents. Does not think pit-people are necessarily lower in stature than others and their work does not produce that effect. They consider themselves vastly superior, in the scale of society, to agricultural labourers. Drunkenness is a prevalent vice, and dog-fighting is a favourite amusement. There is much swearing down the pits. It is much to their credit that, during the great strikes, when under the most violent excitement, and urged by their leaders to annoy their employers in every way, scarcely a solitary instance of the destruction of colliery machinery occurred. In these strikes, there is a class of self-sufficient leaders who are generally local preachers and who are most decidedly the most difficult to control and who urge on the others to acts of very great insubordination.

There is a great want of veracity among the boys and all their statements must he with the greatest caution; they are exceedingly prone to mischief of all kinds, and to insubordination.

Would deprecate any legislative interference, and thinks that would be the general view with owners and viewers.

(Read over to witness, and signed by him.)

(Signed) H. Morton.