"WHO ARE THE MINERS?" [To me Entree or ma" Sescrssoa."1
Sua,—I have just read Mr. Eyres's letter in your issue for June 25th. -lie appears to be a glutton for facts and figures; he must have wonderful faith in them. I hope he will not think me rude, but I have no use for statistics. I happen to be a miner. Amongst the miners and those others who for their daily bread have to go down to the sea in ships the word "statistics" gets a
bad name. Strange, is it not? I suggest to Mr. Eyres that in future he would do well to give the obvious a rest now and then and try reading between the lines. It is because of his facts and his figures that I say again that even now he has a
• thing or two to learn. As for the conditions obtaining down in the coal-mines—those coal-mines that I wot of, at all events— the same remark applies. These cut-and-dried methods of acquiring information will avail him nothing. The life of the miner is not so easily disposed of as all that. Your corre- spondent cannot see why I dub him prejudiced. The fact that he took the trouble to write a long letter full of facts and figures likely to be detrimental to the miners during the present crisis was quite enough for me. I would have used the word "impartial" (the word that makes the miners smile) if I could, but somehow it did not seem to fit. If there is a better word I will do my utmost to find it. When I do I will let you know. I would it might be "prejudiced till then.—I am, Sir, &c., R..3 =Aso. 4 Byron Street, Shieldfield, Newcastle-on-Tyne.
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