Working the Popper.

Maoriland Worker, Volume 2, Issue 70, 12 July 1912, Page 10

Working the Popper.

IS IT A ONE-MAN JOB?

PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE REPLIES IN THE NEGATIVE.

"It is absolutely impossible for ono man to work the poppers the mineowners aro trying to introduce at Reefton —that is, if any regard is to bo given to safety of life and limb. I have worked on tho things myself, and I know what I'm speaking of; a man simply cannot run them by himself without tho very greatest risk oi injury. sl This .statement was mado to a "New Zealand Times'' reporter yesterday by Mr. Delaney, a miner from the Black water mine, who, with his comrades, left work rather than take tho risks they regarded as inseparable from tho single-handed popper.

Mr. Delaney said that he had operated poppe-is with a mate for abotit three month?, and in that time had become well acquainted with the work to bo done with them. If worked single-bonded there must be tho gravest danger from bad ground, and dual-. The automatic spray could not keep the dust down properly, while tho danger from bad ground was selfevident. Even if one. man could work a popper ir. safely lie eon Id not possibly do nmro than about one-third of the work that two men. could get through. For one thing., after firing ho would find that the walls, had to bo timbered up., which would mean that he would have to call upon the man working the popper behind him for help Thus thc two of theni would be losing time. Not nuiic. than an hour and ahalf ir. a shift of eight hours was requiied le boro all tho holes necessary to take out a set of ground. The rest of the (.hift was occupied in timbering and otli< r work--pl< niy for a man and his mate to do.

"In my opinion. - ' be declared, "no man who has any sense will ever take on a popper on his own unless he is wniitinf ti lon-mit suicide rh-liboraloly. I would Mron-r he a Maori's- dog than do it." Mr. Do]an«y also mentioned thai, tin machine known as a popper heio was very (Vill'rient fruiii the poplar iu-'ii 11. Australia. The latter was a light Tfi.vHi'ino. souk tiling like a hand pii,eiiinain ii'.e-tl<-". but the popper they, were tiyng to iulrodueo at Reefton was a great, thing nearly live feet high —really a rock-breaker. —"N.Z. Times," July 4,