"MINERS' COMPLAINT."

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 319, 9 January 1909, Page 5

"MINERS' COMPLAINT."

SETTLEMENT ARRANGED. GOVERNMENT ACCEPT' RESPONSIBILITY. By Tslegrbpu.—Press Wellington, Last Sight The trouble oyer the medical c.v. ition of miners in consequence of an alteration in the law making owners liable to compensation where an employee becomes disabled through pneumoconiosis within twelve months of contracting the disease, will in all probability be promptly elided, for Cabinet, after further considering the matter, yesterday decided that the Government would take the financial risk involved fa issuing in-' surance policies without medical exam ination. The Prime Minister according )y telegraphed the president of the New Zealand Miners' Federation as follows: "R. Semple, Esq., Reefton. '•ln further reference to my wire of yesterday the jGovernment will legislate early next session with a view of removing present difficulties and making the Act workable. Pending Parliament dealing with tne matter, Government will jnuViniiiiy the Government insurance Department against loss for policies covering pneumoconiosis, under section 10, and will authorise the Department to issue policies without medical examination or declaration as to health. lj taking this course the Government rely with confidence on the honor of the min era that none but bona fide claims will be made. Aa I have to leave Welling-' ton to-aight, I should be glad to have an early reply. "J. G. WARD. . POSITION AX THE THAMES!. Auckland, Eruiaj. As a result of telegrams received •< r ~'-froin the Waikuto Coalminers' Union, a meeting of Labour Unions has been convened at Auckland to-morrow night, to consider the advisability i.. waterside workers refusing to unload vessels bringing coal. There is no change hi the local posi.tion"so far as the miners' trouble is con..The miners who after the first - - unieling of the Union were examined aud resumed work are still at work, and no demand has been made cu tiieiu to cease, though it is contended that they acted witn undue haste. The fact of the Thames Union consisting of threo branches, whose vote must be taken collectively, tends to somewhat complicate matters, as conditions differ considerably. Whereas one mine employs the bulk of the miners at Karangauake, Thames and Coromandcl have a large number' of small mining propositions, whose financial position is such that they cannot bear any extra burden, but /Will insure the men and pay for medical examination. J

The men appear to think that .re jection at the hands of the doctor will practically class them as inferior workmen, though the local managers say they will employ men afflicted, and, - that they already know from persona! observations those suffering. It is con- ' tended that under a clause of the Act a man must die or become incapacitate ttd after contracting it, otherwise he will not benefit, as the ravages of the disease are slow' and extend in some cases over many years. Objections are " raised to the clause if the local interpretation is correct. Another point is that when men change employment fre quently, as they do at Thames, miners iwill be compelled to submit to exanun ation at each employment, which would lie harassing, annoying, and eatail eon siderable expense. A meeting will be held later in the day when it is hoped a solution will be arrived at and the men now out can re- - inme work. » . AT REEFTON. ;' Reefton, Last Night. The situation is unchanged. Strong resentment is felt at the Government by the workers, who accuse them of } dallying with the position. The Premier's reply is considered most unsalis* factory from their point of view. TU* employers take strong exception to Mr. Guinness' telegram to the Minister for Justice remonstrating against calling policemen to guard the mines. They state that watchmen were paid to guard •the mines all through the Christinas and New Year holidays. This was done till Monday morning, 4th January, whep they left without notice, thus constituting, in the employers' opinion, a strife. They then approached the Union asking that men for watching onlyy- not tr, , work, be allowed to go on. This tflte Union refused.- The companies not be ing able to get unionists, applied Sm non-unionists, but received no response Therefore they were compelled to ask for police protection of valuable pro perty, not against the unionists, bu.t against ordinary risk of theft. The situation is telling severely on trad)'. The credit system here has suffered foi a iong time, and it leaves tradespeople, wjth a large amount of. money on their books dependent on the work of the •miners. The cessation of that woiT., (consequently, reacts at once on trade. "Peculiar problems are cropping up in - "this connection every day. The beiaviour of the men is most exemplary. There is a strong feeling against medical examination.

JIB. O'REGAN AXD THK ", '" PREMIER. . Reefton, Last Xiglit. The wire sent to Mr. Scniple by th,e- ---■ Premier was also seat to Jlr P. O'Regaa. In reply, Mr. O'llegan stated that lie yvould see if .anytiling could be done. She limitation of the proposed examin) ations for pneumoconiosis simplified matters considerably. The difficulty was enhanced by the fact that indemnity had been asked against c\eiy bodily defect in terms of section 17. Hie duty was to point out to the Govern went that this meant every man not j>erfectly sound had to choose between losing his employment and surrendering: lis right of compensation. This meant that many men who could have claimed- "* even under the old Act were barred and jeyery class of labor (not miners aloaic)f .were similarly involved. This fact haa not yet, been appreciated either by thes iPress or the public outside. Otherwise ithey would have seen before now a general outbreak of opposition from all classes of organised labor. "Your telegram," continued Jlr O'llegan, "'contains no reference to the class of coal miners. No matter what the Accident Department may say to the contrary, I maintain it is* absurd to examine them i|jrj pneumoconiosis. This matter is of miu i importance here, but obviously it is iin portant elsewhere." Mr. O'Regan returned here to-night. jMr. Semple is expected to arrive hirp. AlsoPOSITION IX OTAtiO. ' •■&*&-: ~►—,. , ...... Dunedin, Last .\iglit. A conference of coalmine-owners was Jo lave been held to-day to consider thl question of examination of men, but owing to the absence of the managing) director of one of the most important mines it was postponed, probably till Tuesday., It is not thought likely that trouble will eventuate ta Otago. .- Dunedin, Last Xiglit. The secretary of the Employers' Association received word this morning that all the men employed at the Barewood. quartz mine had submitted themselves to medical examination and were passed. ..' i.'J:t I : : ZL'MM\