THE MINER'S LOT

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 233, 26 June 1919, Page 7

THE MINER'S LOT

.» —.— HARD TOIL ■BUT HIGH PAY AND FREEDOM Interesting observations on tho lot oi the coal miner are made by the Board of Trade in the report on the coal industry just issued: '.•■■. ' -There, is a group'of important factors that influence evory intelligent worker in assessing tho sum .total- of tho real re- . numeration of the'employment open to him and deciding'whether to enter it or, being already in tho occupation, to continue in it. These are no less powerful be. , cause they, are many of thorn difficult ■ to measure in terms of money. Such aro • the agreeablenesa or disagreeableness ot the work in itself; the length of the working day; the nmount of leisure available in the year; the chances of eucccss and the opportunities for promotion; the degree at which the occupation stands in public esteem;.its. effect.on tho worker's health and on tho length of the .effective working period of his life; the extont to' which it cramps or enlarges the worker's sense of persona! freedom; nniT the opportunities ' its pursuit affords for the exercise of the faculties which the s average man delights in using, and for the enjoyment •of those pleasures, high and low, which 'tho social standards of the day approve aa worthy objects, whatever may be their value in the eyes of the moral philosopher. It is in respect qf many of these that the life of the miner appears to tho ordinary worker to be at a disadvantage when compared with the gener. ality of occupations open *to himself or his sons, and to require high .money earn, ings in' order that its real wages may tend to equality withtho-soin other callings that appeal to him. Underground work in itself .tends to repel tho normally constituted man, who will demand somo compensation in the rate .of pay. for his loss of, sunlight and pure air. Though, coal is'a "clean dirt," working in it, especially in wet places or on fields with a wet olimatc, is attended by, many domestic, inconveniences which the installation of roomy and properly. | 'equipped bathhouses' at the mines is only now beginning, to remove. ,It is mifortunate tliat in many cases the erection of theso has been retarded by .tho shortage_ of plumbing and other necessary materials. Miners work in pairs, and are in close touch with one another and with the truckers, and this circumstance tends to alleviate the drawbacks, ofi under-, ground work, satisfying .-the'.natural'gregarious instinct of man. There is no doubt that the fact that mining brings men to dwell together in numbers, with interests' that uro common beyond', the Average ..degree'of. community of interest reached by bur townships in general, ■ toads to make it' attractive, as ■' well as accounts for some of tho strong corporatespirit shown by ' mining Mining, too, is an operation'which de-' mands certain qualities of skillj physical strength, endurance, and of character, tho development of which is congenial to a vigorous, healthy man. * Hand, eye, and ■ brain are constantly exercised; there are problems to solve calling- for somo initia- • tive and resourcefulness; and the hour of peril evokes' sonio' of the noblest examples of sclf-sacriticing courage and generosity!' That the occasions for theso occur almost daily in our mines and never fail to provide examples is unkiipiyn to the public, whose, attention is occasionally drawn by the more spectacular,, the "explosions" and "disasters," but passes unnoticed-the simplo "nameless ■unremembered acts of kindness and of

love." -, • . . : The hours of labour are such ae to allow af air share 6f daily leisure to the miner. Though the miner spends eight houre in the mine, his time at the coal-face varies from six to seven'hours. Miners in. wet places usually spend six hours from bank to bank, and receive in addition to their ordinary pay a bonus of 4s. to compensate for the two hours short time. But -there are not a few . mines where the distance to be traversed between home and pit-mouth is so long as greatly to , reduce the minor's free ■' time, and also, especially wheTe the travelling-places are rough, wet, or steep, ft! well as.<long, ! -to. ; impoir -his-efficiency .' in tho; urine.. ' The amount of walking done.by considerable numbers of , miners in order to get to their work is remarkable, especially whon it is remembered that within any . old-established mine itself the travelling distance between mouth and working-face is gonerally not less than half an hour. • Where the distance is traversed by. train, or. other conveyance the fare .has to bo deducted -from the .wags. Only in one or two niines.are 'tho companies able to transport the men to their work. . . . ■ Apart from, the necessity to labour for his living, which is the common lot pff tho great majority of mankind, if not all, the miner enjoys- considerable freedom. A. witness with as intimate a knowledge us anybody of the actual conditions of coal-mining work of all kinds in New Zealand over a great many years gave his opinion tha.t '"the miner to-day ; as a working man haa the best -.condi,tions of any working man in New Zealand, and is better paid for the work done. J,v When asked to express himself with more detail ho added, "Tho niiner is practically' his own boss, ho is on the tonnage.rate, and he workswhen .he iikes. In any mine he can make from £1 os. to -3JI 10s. a day. 1 do.not think there is any other labourer that can do thai.' 'i'liiit is , done in six hours' actual working time." This may be accepted as substantially true, witfr Blight modification of tho figures for the average miner's possible wage and working day. TJio freedom to work when he likes extends : largely'lilsu to tho freedom to. wort now ilia likes, iot -the miuer'e inlluenciv ou methods of work exercised through Bis check inspectors,"'etc., and union is not inconsiderable,' and restrictions imposed from without are mainly in the interests of his safety in common .with the preservation of tne mine. '■■ The opportunities for promotion appear to_ bo at .least as iiumeToiis ns in tho majority of occupations of similar status. The many positions in the mines above tho grade of miner are nearly all filled Jjy men who began life at the lowest grade; this: is a striking testimony to the "vertical mobility" of labour and the commendable policy, of the companies of rewarding skill and honest" service. The mine worker us an individual enjoys no less 1 social esteem, nor fewer fe-ocinl privileges, than those that are the lot of the average worker in our democratic society, Miners us a class havo perhaps diawn more public criticism upon thomselyes than, most other classes in recent years, because of the frequency or mine strikes in times of national stress, . But there is no evidence that mining requires to be , paid at a higher rate in order td attract men into tho industry because of any social opprobrium attached to it as aii occupation. That such a higher rate is necessary because of tho character of the general 6ocial environment of the mining , townships or "camps" is undeniable.