U"NMASTERLY INACTIVITY."

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 406, 15 January 1909, Page 11

U"NMASTERLY INACTIVITY."

■: •.; ; ; ,/ONTJS 1 ON : ( ;..: 1-' '. (BI TBLEGBAPIi—SPECIAL COKKESrONDENTS.) .' . :-.-.:■ ;,. ,; : : ; Auokland, January 13.'.;,- ■';.-: Inquiries rando.in local mining. 'office's this nioTiung- show, that.the difficulty as to miners' disease- is -no.'riearer a owners have practically thrown the onus of settling the ;mhlter,;upon the Government, and have informed the miners thrown out of employment that such is their attitude. ' No reply has-yet been-received from the Prime Minister..ini.answer to the telegram sent on. Monda'y last from thelAucliland mine-owners, ; .asking what instructions were to bo-issued toH;he State-Insurance Department. Pending .the receipt. oflinformation on the ■ subject, the deadlock 'continues; .with "no 'prospect' of settlement insight. ,l •■. ' ; ' .. :{.\ -■■■' The 'unmastorly- inactivity of the Government is- creating, of. .resentment. This is voiced by.the'■"Hbrald-,*'^»hi4iii , .says:. • "It is; unfortun.its. that, the."(ifleptipnß»,bave gone by, for if they.were to'TaTio*prac§.''next. ■ week or next-month not. ignore the. increasingly-. gi avo [ 'aipec£ ; 'of L the mining situation, or watch with' unmslsterly inactivity the general .stoppage- of. mining: and, thp v closing. down of industrioat , which..depend'"upon" the'--stb^dy-'--si|pply--:of- ; It'may bo'tlfat to.'Mr, Ngata/who'npw'' presides over Accident' Insurance, tho siifv .. -pression of great,industries: for a few days ■ counts ,;ag ; corrt pa rat Ly eI.Y ; Ji tt nt, -, but, '' neither Sir Joseph ffard.(the,Prime Minister.)ii nor .Mr. Roderick'.M'Eeii'zib. ; for • . MinesV cau claiw to havo the ' Taihoa ':. terid-i enby; in- their "blpp'd.;... .They'-.wn 'offer, 'no' ex-'-cuse for 'allowing, the present ■ state' of,'affair.B tol'cbutinue. Has'the '.Goverrimoiit bebii'-'so long in office that it imagines it'can inflict a great; loss .upon ■ great industries and,-, upon thousands .of workmen :ratherthan take ; tho trouble to apply a:pronipt remedy to its ill- , digested and crude .legislation ?;' Or decs tho , •'. Insurance Department refuse : t6 accept the indemnity offered by the Cabinet? In any ; .casß,',it is the duty of ,the Government to act, and'-'to actat once.. -" '•':, ,_■ . '•■; '■.:-"'■ ' "The .situation has been caused entirely by the Act for which the Government is ro- :• siionsible, and 'would be ended at onco ifthoState insur'anco office accepted the risk thereby, imposed without the examination which '. the men'obviously will :not submit to. The- . Auckland coal-mines have-stopped, and in a dav or two dozens of industries will be com-'- '■ pelled tofollow.'the.Portland cement* works'" : in . nlosirig.. Throughout '] the; Doniihion a ■ similar state, of; affairs exists. In the end' ! the Government Insurance Department must '■ accept the risk,, or Parliament must be called together to take '.action. Every day. which. ; passes before one or other of-these steps is' j : taken;by the Prime Minister aggravates the . offenco, : for it vastly increases the -loss re- ! suiting from an amazing and unprecedented ■ instance of maladminrstration."