The second reading of the Coal Mines (Eight Hours) Bill
was moved in the House of Lords on Tuesday by Lora Beauchamp, who denied that it was a miners' Bill, and denounced the estimates of decreased output and increased prices as absurdly exaggerated. Lord Newton moved the rejection of the Bill in an animated speech, condemning its cast- iron provisions, and taunting a Free-trade Government with placing a heavy impost on the consumer and heavily taxing a raw product. Lord Cromer, who supported the rejection, said that he wished the zeal of the Government in the cause of Free- trade were more practical and less academic. Analysing the finance of the Government, he asserted that it was largely responsible for a total want of confidence among the invest- ing classes, from which trade was mainly suffering. The present Bill dealt an additional and serious blow at this confidence, and if it was not restored the workers would suffer most. There was nothing to show that the Bill had any strong public opinion behind it ; even the miners spoke with no certain voice. In conclusion, he declared that they would gain nothing by attempting to conciliate those who were conducting the campaign against the House of Lords, while by not doing what he conceived to be their duty they would alienate the sympathies of their active sup- porters, who would not unreasonably cast it in their teeth that they had not the courage of their own opinions.
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