In the War.

Maoriland Worker, Volume 2, Issue 73, 2 August 1912, Page 3

In the War.

EMPLOYERS AND WORKERS

FAG AN I , UTS THE CASE l>oll THE

MEN,

Mr. M. Fagan, Roerotar.y and worknion's insppctor of tho Inangaliua Minors' Union, who was in Christchurcli on Tuoisdu.y of last wcolc, niado a stateinoiit in n»pl,v to an inlorviow wiLli Mr. C. Hliotl«'s, jn'osidfiifc of l.lto Now Zoalaml Cold Mino-ownor.s' Association coißwninn tlu> triniblo at Kccfton.

lii the first place, Mr. Faga-n said, it ouylit to be remembered that it was not the TiiiuM'.s who were asking for concessions. They wished to maintain conditions tli.it l):id existed in R<vffon during tlio past nine, oi , ten years, and they i\(T«> quite willing to work under tlio Arbitration Court's agroomcnt. Theto was on agreement that, nc|vifiations sliould be' ln'Uwn t-lic <'oni|nitii<'S and the union, lint Miat was violate*] by t!io roinpiitiics' repi'oseiitativo. rr to iii(]ivi(]ii;i! members and offering tlon fis. a week extra to do rerta.in work. Tlio offer was refused, and a ]o?fc-oiit took place.

Til on , was Hip ((.ucstion of (lie "j)op])or" drill. It was necessary to explain that the drill was used in tl:e Kfime way as a rivet liny niitcliino in iwiJer-niakirrtj. Tlio drill tbc IN'i ;'lcn ii'ners were asked to hsp was noi -i c 'j<-j>ppr" »t all. It was a rth-k In!! au'l it could bore n hole 00 or 7\l IV, t loiif;. vliile a "ifoppcr" only wen! in a few inches, making; a hole in which a charge <-onld be placed for explosion. The stipulated that two men should be employed on a j-wk drill, and (he companies' ''popper," which was really a machine known anions miners as a. Tom" or ''war macliino,' , should take two men instead of one, as the companies proposed.

In Auckland.. :Mi\ Rhodes had staled that he could ttpt men who would wo , I; two drills at the same time, one 1,1 each hiiii.l, and that he could find a woman who would ''run" a "popper" drill. As a matter of hH , the in • t-111• 11> introduced ul Itoefton ,v,i,; kiunv;i

!iv "The AYidow-makor. , ' A mini who lt.-icd it fi)ti>l:inUy would not live In tliai respect, it suit Alt , . Khodes's requirements admirably, as, if il came into general use, it would restrict male labor, ;>nd would <it\-1' women a chance to show how they could use it. The trouble was that the drill was used f<)! , ■■upper" or overhead ■work, and caused more tins!; and :;rit than tin -, ordinary machine. I'or Uint reason alone it should he worked hy (wo men, as one man should use a spray lo keep the dust down. The old rock drill in use in Kecft'Oli was 3001 li in weight, and it was easier to operate than the new drill.

As the new drill would only Uor-> "uppers," and as the <|ii!ir(/ lofj-es around Keeftnii. contained flaws and "tlut-honds." the machine would cause vibration, and (here would he the added danger of quantifies of sm'l falling 011 the operator. The fact that- only one man was the machine, and that all his a Item ion must he ejvon up to it. increased the danger fr nn that point of view. Two men should he required trt pioteet the roof. There iva-i ample evidence i-.i show that the miners of 'Reefioii already suffered greatly from disease. During

tlio past 12 yours there were ->3 ease* recorded of minors' phthisis, caused by dust entering the lungs. Then; were many deaths, contracted in I, ho tninoe,' that, wore not attributed to the disease.] Sometime!a, for instance, a man. fool-* ing that liis energies were flagging,' left t!io calling and found souk , oilier moans of oTining a living. Ho pro-, longed his lifo for some, years. Init ul* iiniatcly died from minors' phthisis, al* though tho cause, of liis death niijfht be put down as ordinary oonsinnpi'ion. 1 Diin'jig Ilio previous fortnight, tliora liad lM>nn tlireo de-aths from the diwase in Reefton. Two men wcro in the boa-' pital, sufferinfT from the complaint, all the prosent time, and both wwe 36 years of age. The establishment of, tho prijiciplo of oHo-man-one.-dr.ill al R<softon would increase the <mses at miners' phthisis by 50 por cent. Humatf* lifo was at stake in tho present issneU The general mana.ger of the com pan ie* eoiicerned nad stated that he wisliod to introduce a single-haTide<l maehintf , into the mines in order to ineroaßoifcrf profits. Ho made the statement toth# officers of tho union. He was a man and was ambitions. The in inert did not object to that, huf they fell that when ambiiion mennt the saorifiorf of human life they ooul.l not help W gratify it. : ;'

Bhodos had stat<x] that '"pop* por , ' drills \\<to oporatod by nnd Kaffirs. Hut tlie average life of 4 minor in a silver miru' w;i : s foirf years and a-lialf, and mistical ovideno* showed that liiuklivkJs of IC'iffir 1 .!; \vha signed on for throe years in African mines did not live lono; enough i-o fu]fi' Uieir engagements.

Tn ronclusion, ifr. Fajfan said thaj( the Arbitration Co'.irt was open to the companies all the time. It was no! necessary to ask the union's consent in order to go to the Court, ant) ,that was tlio course which the eomttaniej ought to have taken several " m'ohthe instead of locking-out the miners.