Excessive Temperature In Mines

Maoriland Worker, Volume I, Issue 7, 20 March 1911, Page 6

Excessive Temperature In Mines

As "will be seen from a paragraph in another column, the Government at last has appointed a Commission to enquire into the question of temperature and sanitary conditions in coal and gold mines, and as the question is of interest to a large number of our readers other than miners we are pleased to be able to furnish the following condensed report of a speech on the question of "Excessive Temperature in Mines," by W. E. Parry, President, Waihi Miners' Union. Explaining that the meeting had been called for the purpose of giving expression to the dissatisfaction felt among miners owing to the lack of a fixed standard of temperature in mines, Mr. Parry proceeded:—Some miners believed a fixed temperature had been determined, but that "was not the case. The Mining Act only provided for a certain amount of air per man (100 cubic feet to the minute), and the Mining Inspectors adhered strictly to that provision, and gave their decision accordingly; although in some cases sixhour shifts had been conceded owing to excessive heat. There was great diversity of opinion between the miner with his practical knowledge, and the scientific man, with his theoretical attainments, as to the injurious effects consequent upon working in great heat underground. Taking various decisions given by Mining Inspectors with reference to six-hour places, the cfrndings of the Royal Commissions at Home and in South Africa, together with a paper on this subject read at a recent meeting of the I.M.E.j it is found there is general unanimity upon certain points. The report of the Royal Commission stated : The effects of the temperature was found to depend entirely ripon the temperature recorded by the wet oulb thermometer, quite irrespective of the dry bulb's registration. At 72 degrees (wet bulb), it was found that heavy clothing was removed and only light clothing worn. At 80 degrees (wet bulb), ■providing the maximum body surface ivas exposed, hard work was 'possible. On page 76, the report set- out that The available information indicated that where the heat in a mine was excessive miners readily adapted themselves to the adverse conditions, by either doing less work or by working intermittently with periods of rest in cooler air. The Commissioners did not think that any good object could be served by prescribing a limit of wet bulb temperature for the carrying on of work in mines. But, the report contintied : The Commissioners considered that though miners could easily guard themselves against excessive heat, the mine horses and ponies were very apt to suffer from heat stroke, if they were urged too much. Great care was required with horses when the roads on Avhich they worked were very warm and moist, and the air current light. What a precious Corn-mission ! Frankly admitting that in 72 degrees only the lightest clothing was worn, and that at 80 degrees hard work was impossible, thus proving beyond doubt that between 72 and 80 degrees men were so affected by the temperature that they were forced to remove their clothing and work naked, then in the face of that, they had the audacity to say no good object would be served by fixing a standard temperature. Man, no doubt, could adapt himself to a great deal. He might accustom himself to live on a pint of milk a day; but he would live longer, and be much healthier in body and mind, on three good square meals a day! The Commission thought miners could regulate the intensity of their labour according to temperature. Preposterovis! "Under the competitive system of to-day a man has as much say in regulating the pace at which this earth of ours travels round the sun, as he has in regulating his labour pace. The boss determines the amount of labour power you expend. You must satisfy him. If you fail to do so, your services are

Need of a. Fixed Standard President Parry Speaks.

politely, and occasionally impolitely, dispensed with, and out of capitalism's Reserve Army (the unemployed) an-oi-hier all too willing wage-slave is called upon to fill your place and to give the pace you failed to yield. Then fancy men walking about looking for cooler places to have a rest, and the optics of the boss fixed upon them. How absurd it all is ! Think of men every now and again walking seven or eight hundred feet fi-oni their working traces, to seek cooler places! Leaving a temperature of 80 or 90 degrees and coming into one of 60 or 7U. Why, such a sudden change would produce a shock, and chills and chest diseases would be rampant. The Koyal Commission at Home, in connection with a disease known as ankylostomiasis, which is prevalent in Wales and other mining centres, after tracing this disease, found it only to be m mines where the temperature was 80 degrees or over, thus proving that hot places underground are eminently suitable for its growth. For three years the miners had gone cap -in - hand to the ' Ward Government asking them to fix a standard temperature. They had received the same old reply: "We will give it careful consideration." So far nothing had been done. The miners had waited long enough and the time had arrived when they themselves ought to fix tne standard temperature in the Dominion for sixhour places underground. After all, the question was. one for the workers to settle. The only two colonies having a standard temperature were Victoria and Western Australia. Notwithstanding mines were getting deeper every year, and consequently warmer, great reluctance was shown still in t&xmg a standard temperature for those who toiled in the bowels of the earth. The miner himself was the best judge of this matter —the man who toils and moils day after day, year after year, on to the dreary end, and not the man who went underground for about 24 hours in the year, and a even then, took precious good care not to stop too long in these places where it was said no good object could be served in fixing the standard temperature. Just imagine men confined in places for eight hours, not much bigger than a rat-trap, iOuOtt. in the bowels of motlier earth, stripped to the bare skin, scarcely able to recognise one another through grease, dirt, and dust, at intervals being compelled to taKe their boots off to pour the sweat out of them to prevent scalding of the feet! A strong statement, but nevertheless true. Tiiis work is carried on through all the circling hours of day, and night. Yet, in the 20th century, and in face of the facts he had adduced, and others equally strong, the theorists say a decrease of hours is not essential for miners, although admitting that great care was required with, horses and ponies. There was no doubt the workers , had swallowed a great deal, but the contents of these reports roiled together made the pill too large on this occasion. In conclusion. President Parry urged that this question be brought forward at the next Conference, and that the miners, having a practical knowledge of the injurious effects of working in excessive temperature, should themselves fix a recognised union standard of temperature for underground work ana compel the Government and mine owners to accept the same. (Loud applause.) The following resolution, proposed by Mr. Parry, and seconded by Mr. J. Blair, was then put and carried by acclamation : — That this meeting of miners of Waihi claim that the time has arrived when the miners of this country should fix the standard temperature for six-hour places underground in consideration of the health and well-being of the miners, and we therefore solicit the Executiye of the New Zealand Federation of Labour to take immediate steps in issuing a manifesto to all unions for the purpose of bringing about this much-de-sired reform.