MINING TOWNS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 199, 17 May 1919, Page 8

MINING TOWNS

ALLEGED INSANITARY CONDITIONS

DEPUTATION TO MINISTERS

A deputation representing miners unions from all coal-mines in Now Zealand waited oh, Sir James Alien (ActingPrime Minister) and the Hon. 6. >»• Russell (Minister of Public Health) yesterday. Tho miners represented that con. ditibns of life in tho mining villages where thoy had to live were not such a* to keep tho men happy and content. They complained that the drainage arrangements, tho lack of efficient . water supply, and tho poor housing Avere i conditions which would never make mining a dosirablo occupation. It was suggested that good work could never bo got out of tho men while they lived under such conditions; It seemed that the men had cause for complaint in respect of somo of the conditions of inannitation to which they referred. Another complaint they made was in respcct of lack of proper medical officers in the mining settlements. Sir .Tames Allen said that he was in entire sympathy with the men in respect of the complaints they had made regarding bad sanitation,'and that it was unreasonable to expect that the men would be content under such conditions. He promised that inquiry would be roado into tho complaints that had been lodged, and he assured the denutation tnat the Government, whatever Government might be in office, could not refuse to take nr *:ico of such matters as had been re* presented. „ . The Hon. G. W. Russell replied in more detail on the questions raised.-He said that the question of the sanitation at Blackball had been under consider#, tion by the Public Health Department for the last five years. The Department had proposed that there 'should be ft water supply and drainage eystom for Blackball, and this had been put to « ballot of tho ratepayers, and tho prooosal had been defeated by the vested interests. The Chief Inspector of _ the Health Department on the West Coa«t had l>een ordered immediately to -visit the district, and a report would be received, from him. On the reception .ot the report, if the circumstances justified jt, the Government would bo prepared to use its legal powers and require the laying down of a water supply and drainago scheme without taking a ballot of tho rateDayers. ' . . With regard to the shortage of doctors for mining districts, he said that on account of war conditions there' jvere not enough medical men available in New Zealand to supply, all the districts in need of them.. He realised that on account of tho : dangerous nature of the work in mines it was desirable that there should be medical men in thn districts. He was. at nresent considering a scheme by which doctors in these disI tricts should be supported by a levy m the output of the mines, and possibly, also on the miners' wages, to provide a fund which would enable resident medical mon to be located in the mining districts ' immediately they were released from war. service. Ha made a suggestion that the -financial difficulty might be eased if the miners would send some young men or women from their own iieople to undergo training in medicine, He. told tho members of the deputation that, if there were .complaint* about the sanitary conditions under which the men lived they could approach_ Minister direct, and every possible inoujry would bo made to try to imnrove their conditions' The Public Health Amendment Act of lasb session had bfen eoecially /Wised to meet the cases of mining dt«anu ofiier industrial settlements, such as existed in the neighbourhood of freezing works, to ensure that the workers and their families had proper housing and sanitary conditions. Tt might be th;>t the local authorities would not carry out the law, but if not steps could be taken to apply compulsion in the interests of the health of the people.