THE MINING TROUBLE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 3094, 18 January 1909, Page 7

THE MINING TROUBLE.

By Telegraph—Press Association. 'CHRISTCHURCH, January 17. There are no developments in connection with tin milling trouble. The informal conference between tha Prime Minister and Messrs Free (mine owners' representative) and Pry or (Secretary of the New Zealand ■ Employers Federation) has not taken place. Mr Free, on buiii£ interviewed on . his arrival from Reefton, state J that so far as he was svare matters were still unchanged, r.nd beyond that he 'could say nothing. Mr Prvor, S-XTatyry of tha New Zealand Employers Federation, who is at present in town for the purpose of corferring with Mr S. L. J. Free, with regard to the trouble in tjia mining industry, in form ad a representative c-f "Truth" that so far as he knew thrre wjs m alteration in the position so far as the mine-owners were concerned. The 'Government proposals did not re •lieve tha mine-owners in anv -shape or form, in that the temporary "*co7er b/ the State Department when it lapsed, would leave them -with the whole liability, whate\er it might be, imposed on them under the -Act. The mine-owners had desired that the G o.vemment should give them some indication of the alterations to b3 marie in tha law to meet the position, but up to the present the Government had not seen their way to do so. Unless that were done he was quite at a loss to see : how any settlement could be arrived at. Tha claim of the mine-owners :for a special session of Parliament to deal with the matter was, to his mind, worthy of more consideration than the Prime Minister bad given it. The importance of the trouble was in itsslf sufficient to warrant Parliament bjing called together. The issues at stake were so great . that nothing at all within the range ot practicability ought to be allowed ■to stand in the way of arriving at a -settlement. Mr Pryor added that he intended 'meeting Mr Free this evening on "his arrival from the West Coas,t, and though at present there did not appear to be any way out of ■the difficulty, he waa hopeful that they would be able to arrive at some solution so as to get the mines working without any further loss of time. Regarding the medical •examination of the men, Mr Pryor said that tha employers still claimed that such an examination was the only way by which they could ascertain their actual risk under the Act, and unlesj Parliament amended the -Act so as to provide for a medical examination, or that such examination should he optional, but thdt in the evert of any worker declining to be medically examined, such worker should not be able to avail hi ns If of the protection afforded by the Act, the present deadlock would c.n^nue. It is understood that Mr Free and Mr Pryor will have a conference with Sir Joseph Ward either this evening rr to-morrow, and it is hoped that, as tha result, it will be possible to restart the mines on IVIon- , day. I