126 
HALL AND SIMPSON: COALFIELDS OF INDIA. 
howovor. a population, wholly devoted to the pursuit of mining, is 
being built up. The provision of allotments of land for working 
miners is one of the corner stones of the industrial system in the 
Giridih coalfield. 
Between the years 1904 and 1908 the output of coal per person 
employed averaged 96 tons. This is an increase of 31 per cent, on the 
average of the preceding quinquennial period. In 1910 the figure 
was 103'7 tons. There is great variation in the figures for differ- 
ent coalfields, the amounts varying in 1910 from 27-6 tons at 
Baudot (Punjab) to 154-4 tons at Makum (Assam). 
Over the same quinquennial period there were 10-2 lives lost per 
million tons of coal raised, and the death-rate per thousand persons 
employed was 0-98. 
After many years of deliberation, the first step in the direction 
. of the Government regulation of mines was taken 
egislation. ^^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^ ^^^^ ^^^^^ 
Act to provide for the regulation and inspection of mines, received 
the assent of the Governor-General in Council. A year later a 
Mining Board of five members, as provided for in the Mines Act, 
was formed for the lower provinces of Bengal. 
As the result of the Board's labours, a code of rules for the 
regulation of coal mines in British India was drawn up, and 
became law on the 10th of March 1904. These rules are 26 in num- 
ber and deal with (1) single shafts or outlets, (2) raising and lower- 
ing persons, (3) roads and working places, (4) plans, (5) explosives, 
(6) ventilation and lighting, (7) miscellaneous. Rules relating to 
mine managers and their certificates were passed into law in 1906. 
The establishment of a code of special rules for the control and 
guidance of persons employed in coal mines was initiated in 1911. 
From 1894 the inspection of mines was carried on in a some- 
what semi-official manner, the inspectors having 
Minos inspection. n i i i i - n n ■ ^-l • 
small legal powers and chiefly confining their 
energies to the offering of advice to mine-owners and managers, 
and the collection of statistics and information for the use of 
Government. This preliminary period was, doubtless, of good service 
in preparing the minds of those interested in the mining industry 
for the passing of the Mines Act and Rules. In January 1902, 
the control of the Inspectors by the Geological Survey Depart- 
ment was given up and a Department of Mines was formed. The 
staff now consists of a Chief Inspector and three Inspectors, 
