DUST IN MINES

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 64, 10 December 1918, Page 7

DUST IN MINES

; " NEW TYPE OF DRILL DEMAND FOR REFORM ■ Interesting demonstrations of the working of rock, drills such as are. used in duartz mines have been held recently in the neighbourhood of Parliament Buildings. The Miners' Federation is interested in the demonstrations,. the chief pnr'posVof which has been to show that the oust evil' may be removed altogether by the use. of a certain type of drill. With the drills now in use. in the New Zealand mines the rock dust coming from the.drill has to be laid by spraying a jet of water on to the rock face at (lie spot where the drill is cutting. The water.stops a lot of. the dust, but a good deal escapes. In the now drills the water jet comes through the point of the drill itself, and there is ab.-oTutely nn dust.' The demonstrations have been attended by many members *>f Parliament. "A reference to the question being raised by the Miners' Federation was made in- the House of Representatives yesterday, j The. Mines Committee tabled a' recommendation that the Government at once take steps .to compel the. introduction into the mines of the country of .machinery, which would minimise tho dust; e-il in .mines. ' Mr. JI. Poland said that he hoped that something would be done this session to deal with the matter mentioned in the report of the committor., even if this entniled the sitting of the 'House after the Prime Minister and Sir Joseph Ward had left the country. If ho had his way he would not let a single man go down into the mines, while conditions rcmhined as thov were.' Ho declared that it. was shameful that men suffering total incapacity from pneumoconiosis should receive a maximum pension of 255. a week. Mr. T. A. 11. Field .strongly supported the demands of the member for Ohinemuri. , ' Mr. H. Holland said that as a representative of a mining constituency he would urge the House to carry out, the recommendation of the Mines Committee. The Hon. ,W. D. S. MocDonald said ho was ouito in agreement with' the speakers that everything possible should be done to protect miners, but he thought there had been some unfair criticism of the existing-state of things. Ho maintained that the regulations for the saving of life in the mines of this country were in advance of those in any other ennn'try- in the world. He had sent inspectors to Australia to examine things there, and their report was that Now Zealand was not behind other countries. Tt had been said regarding the new rock drill that, the expense,might deter the Government from insisting upon the introduction of it. He objected strongly to that suggestion. But. these dril's wr-rc only o'n their, trial in New Zealand, Ho was in favour of installing machinery that would help tr> minimise the scourge of miners' phthisis. If. was admitted that the rate of pension was a low one. but there was not a country in the world where such a pension was naid from a fund to which the miners did not contribute. Ho was in sympathy with most of what had been said, and he hoped that next session' tho matter would bo dealt with in a comprehensive manner.