On Tuesday the amendments to the Coal Mines Bill came
again before the Upper House. The Commons acquiesced in the matter of the district levy, and the important difficulty between the two Houses was upon the permissive clause by which the working hours may be reckoned by the day, or the week, or the fortnight. Lord Salisbury emphasized that if the workers did not want to " spread over " the reckoning of their hours, the clause would never be used. Lord Gainford showed how the clause would allow half and whole holidays to be taken. The Lord Chancellor was unmoved by the plea for the miner's freedom to choose. He implied that the Unions were too feeble to protect themselves. The House voted for what they honestly believed to be an improvement on the Bill, with a majority of one hundred and thirty-two. The Bill will probably come before the Commons on Monday. We hope that the Government will not truckle to the Union officials. For, as Lord Hailsham said, it is the officials rather than the men who object to the permission. If the whole Bill is thrown away over this clause, it will show that the Government have more fear of those officials than faith in themselves, and have little pride, and less faith than we have, in the rest of the Bill.
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