CRISIS AT THE MINES.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 399, 7 January 1909, Page 5

CRISIS AT THE MINES.

POSITION ON TfitE CO AST. HOPES OF GOVERNMENT ACTION. REEFTON DEPRESSED. . / Reefton, Januaty 6.,'.. Incessant rain again to-day damped all concerned in the deadlocks '- "■ ■' ' Owing to the union's refusal to''allow/the mines and batteries to'..be. watched'"by ..etii'-; ployees, the companies', asked for police pro-J tcction for night-watchniqni.'''As-''jnen:r'ft.ro; impossible to obtain, several 1 policy are being drafted hero in consequence.' 1 ' A large number of men aro drifting away, but still there are many men in "Reefton doing nothing. The crisis is affecting .trade, already, and business is very dull. Great hopes are held that the .Government. Insurance Department will ■ultimately-fodirio" to the rescue. The men are. hoping,almost, against hopo. ' '■■■}■- ■; Mr. Hickey, well-known in the Blackball dispute, lecturing in Nelson as • reported--by the "New Zealand Times," said fifty per cent, of the miners are affected by phthisis. Tho statement is not well received;here. : WESTPORT NOT LIKELY TO BE AFFECTED. DENNISTON QIIET. 1 •• tot TEIIOBira—PKESS ASSOC!ATIOM.J . Westport, January 6. Mr. Dixon, district superintendent of the Westport Coal Company, does not anticipate that the Reefton trouble will-extendi to thecollieries in the Westport district. The relar: tions between the Westport Coal Company and its employees are; Mr! 'Dixon' says;'of «• most amioable character, and lie ca.n see no reason why this should not ;dontinue.so._, .- The president of the Denniston 'Miners' TJnion reports that there are no developments at Denniston. The Granity Union, likewise, has so far not been affected by the dispute at Reefton. _ . • Feeling in labour circles in .Westport . district is that the disagreement should'be ;r con-: fined to Inangahua, and'-that : a" settlement' should he arrived at there as early as possible. " • Two Westport police constables' Hv6 'bora' ordered to Reefton. i , ACTION OF THE GOVERNMENT. The Prime Minister informed a Dominion reporter yesterday that there wore no new developments in connection with the mining deadlock. The Government va.s obtaining legal opinions from two highly qualified mon outside tho Crown Law Department, and would also probably apply to the' Supreme Court for a pronouncement under, the. Declaratory Judgments Act of last session. THE WEST COAST COAL COMPANIES. • WHY THEY ARE NOT AFFECTED. • The black diamonds of the coalmine aro of moro importance than the fine gold hid in quartz. lho goldmines ,on. the. West Coast are'closed down K becauso tho minors liavo refused to undergo'the examination for miners' phthisis, which the employers and insurance companies say is necessary for the protection of the latter from a big liability. ;,The trouble is serious enough on the West Coast, but it does not affect, the direct material interests of the Wellington wago-earners. Ho does riot .mind a temporary'cessationjof the gold output; lie is worrying, about, liis/coal, Auckland coalmines ha,ve closed/down in ; sym--pathy with the companion 'industry, and Auckland may soon be shivering, and -sad: Wellingtons coal comes mainly from the chief area of disturbance,'restless'Wesiland: So far none of -the-coalmines the have been affected by tho new position,/arid consumers of coal aro hoping, 'that: they will remain immune. , Yesterday't!DbSfNiON presentative made inquiries >\Vhicff-seem--to; throw a reassuring light upon';the; prospects." No Cause for Apprehension. ' ' " "We" do/riot know : that v we lave' any 'reason' to bo apprehensive," said-'a prominent official of ono.of the largest Wcstland. coalmining comp'aiiios.; Ho explained that coalminers were not liable to the disease which' quartz miners, and which : w'as ieally' a'"form' of. consumption, caiißed by lodgment, of the heavy ' quarts dust in the lungs. The coal dust, being-lighter);haft jlo'' siioli dangerous "effects, and a collier had recently assured him that the influence of coal dust was actually benoficial to the system. The official stated that for some time past his company has in-/ sisted on a medical examination in .'the case of new employees,- Thev were led to'd6'so by tho strictness-of the -Workers' - Compensation Act. The collior's work is.carried.op .in dark,, subterranean passages, and a man having a weak heart or suffering from a rupture or ; other complaint might drop b'esido : his.'iriiioffi; and bo run over by another, tfuok before' the'accident was noticed. Some of tho men"didnot ■ approve of theexam'ihatiOriji blit.'lthere'i had been'no active discontent.„; There.were a number of old. employees; who had never, undergone oxamination, arid ;whq ought to .undergo a medical, oxamination,'since miner's phthisis bad been brought under,'the.Conmepsation Act. So far, howevery'the" : 'o6mpatty had not insisted on examination -in-the case of these -men. A number- of .tho ; workerff felt that there was something .degrading in the idea of a medical examination, : . ; but> such, examination was insisted 'on in t-he 'case of "all cadets entering the Civil Service;-; and all 'per*. manont officers of. It. was"al'so'-a.necessary condition of-life/iii-surance: The northern'coal. companfes' who had had to - 01089 'down their, mines, were/in ,i different position from his company, Bince their, men had'never been used -to examination';

A'nxious Demands. , }| . There had been an" increased demiind. for coo-1' by large firms running power plimts'aijll other machinery, who were anxious to. cot j"n large stores in oaSe the refusal to tforfe flMld;! extend to ooalriiines on tho coast. Tiiocompany, however; could not exceed a-cefiain output, even if the coal wore readily obtainable. without putting on a lot more labour at; the mines,' and from the scarcity l of- febour and other causes this was not practicable at' the present time. Tlie : ..Miners'; -Fediratioiv might be able to draw r ?the-' combaift''6-'cbl r ! . liers ■ into the' disturbance;;but' I he' t £aid .\nttfr think that they would do so. .'He? had'-no reason to believe that the company's employees' w,ere disatisfied with tholr Conditions. If men wore'to be. examine^.'.s>r minor's phthisis, it might be advisable, thought this v official, for the Government to appoint special medical officers to. conduct tljj Examination. A mine doctor, who would be'paid "by the men, might, be. sympathetically, disposed to-,. .wards them, and, after reporting,-from-a-siiporficial examination, that an applioant, for \york was free from the'cbmp]amt,',h'a'Mighi report, a month later,' thai/ fie was suffering i from it and liable ; for compensation, when. possibly- the man had broilght the 'seeds of the complaint to _ Jus employment.' A leading mining authority, who returned yesterday. from' Westlaiid,-' said thri he did.l not think the company before .referred to vronld.be implicated. For.jfive years past they had insisted that all new employees should produce a medical oertifiq'ate before thoy'were taken on. Ho' did 'not'think- that thc''h"etf I liability, thrown upon ,the: companies;, wotild ; rosult 'in any, increasejrif tHe'cpsVbOoftlt' ; Other Opinions. ■ Mr. E. G. Pilchcr, Wellington- manager of tho Groymouth-Port Elizabeth -"-Railway and Coal Company,/-Limited. said ; ,that - the company wero. riqt, affectcd by the trouble; Thoy had not insisted on medioal examinations in the past, and at the presoiit timo the industry was fairly slack, and an unusually small number of workers was employed at the company's mines; When more -workers wero engaged, later,on, ..they, would, bo required to produce a medical certificate that they, were'free" from' miiiors'.-iphthisisi -v CoaU miners were not subject;.to. this disease-,to, the same extent as gqldmihdrs,' but "there "was always the possibility . that; an..;,ex-quarts miner, affeoted by "the 'complaint;' might- obtain work in r a- coalmine.. It was fairly common fo"r m'eiv to change Wbrn'one industry to tho oth(Sr. The., insurance companies l had asreed to cover all tho other no^-mks

created by the Amendment Act of last ses« sion for an addition of 10 per cent, to premiums, but in i tho cbso of miners' phthisis they a prior.pxamination. He did , not ihitlk" tbafiitho prji'o: of: coal, which had j been raised in* view of previous compensation -J charges, was likely to he increased again, t though tho contingency might becomo pos- j siblo if the coalmino proprietors were eventu- ~ [ ally obliged, to take the risk in respect of the :; . : j diseaso themselves. In that caso a large in- | suranco fund would have to bo established, : which might: necessitate an increase in iho price of the commodity. ' ..■ -.- Tho StateMinesDepartment does not ex< ■ arisen;'- ""~ U- '-.H