The Dominion. TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 1909) AN UNSATISFACTORY SOLUTION.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 409, 19 January 1909, Page 4

The Dominion. TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 1909) AN UNSATISFACTORY SOLUTION.

'■ The disturbance in the mining industry induced, by the Workers' Compensation Act is at an end, and while-the public will.be glad that work in the mines is to be resumed,'there is ground for serious dissatisfaction. at the nature of the settlement. Sie Joseph Ward, >ri a conference with representatives of the mineowners, declined to, entertain the suggestion that a special session of Parliament should be held in order to deal with the situation, and refused to give any moro definite assurances respecting the Government's intentions than a promise that the whole position will be inquired into when Parliament, meets at" its usual time. The mine-owners' representatives are naturally, disappointed with the Peihe Minister's . determination to let the, Government's only action bV. its iniquitous misuse of the public funds to stop/the clamour of the miners. The mine-owners.have no guarantee that the new liabilities imposed upon them are not permanent; they, have, no guarantee that the ; heavy burden placed.upon the mining industry by the advanced rates of .insurancq will not grow heavier, since by a of the pen the Government can cancel its instructions to the State Insurance Department. In such a case the ' mine-owners would have to pay still heavier rates for cover; if the miners still refused to submit tp'examl iriation, the insurance companies, which lack the convenience of a public whose cash, they may use to gamble with, would refuse to give cover at all, and the mining industry would be almost ruined as a consequence. There were thus two courses open to the mine-owners: the shutting-down of the mines,' or the resumption of work in the hope tiiat the law would bo amended in the direction of giving them relief. They-have chosen to follow the second of those courses. In doing so, they have taken a very heavy risk, and trusted the Government rather further than is prudent in view of' the Government's character and Its attitude towards private enterprise of every kind. We are not bo confident as we should like to be that the Government will meet the heavy responsibility that the decision of the mine-owners has placed upon it. ... . .■■'".-■ .' ■ ' : The larger part of Sir Joseph Ward's declaration of the Government's attitudo was occupied with a defence of his refusal to' call Parliament together. With the general question raised in this connection by the Prime Minister we must deal on a future occasion, and will content purselves hero with saying that the i question cannot be disposed of so simply as ho seems to imagine. In the present i case wo never considered the summoning of Parliament absolutely necassary; if ', ■the Government had not surrendered to : Labour to the extent of establishing a vicious precedont of doubtful legality for misusing the public funds, for political purposes the trouble would have ended.before now, and the Government ] would not have committed the action which must fill every prudent man with i distrust of such unstable and shifty custodians of the nation's affairs. Even if Sir Joseph Ward knew as a fact beyond dispute that the new liability of tho iuino-owhors was • exaggerated, fchcra

would havo been no excuse for his interference with' the Insurance Department. But he admits that that liability is a doubtful quantity: an admission that means hie policy of accepting miners' risks without examination may cost the country a tremendous sum. One of his arguments against the holding of a special session is an astonishing one. He thinks that it will be putting the cart before the horse to ask Parliament to amend the Act before the justification for_ amendment is examined. This insistence upon the proper ' precedence of cart and horse comes with little force from the head of the Government which forced the Workers' Compensation Act upon the country without knowing or caring what its Act would involve. It is a little late in the day that Sir Joseph has made his discovery; putting carts before horses has for so long been the Government's. legislative policy that it cannot now defend its actions by pointing out that the horse should be placed in front. As to the future, only one of two courses is open to Parliament: either medical examination must bo made compulsory upon miners who desire to benefit under Clause 10 of the Act, or pneumoconiosis must be eliminated fvom the list of 1 diseases for which compensation shall be paid. Both of these courses are open to objection, from the Government's point of view, as being likely to annoy the miners. But we have little fear, that the Government will be driven by its reluctance to offend Labour to make permanent the arrangement under which the public funds are pledged to repair the legislative folly which the Government, owing to its party necessities, is reluctant to repair in the correct constitutional way. Not the least important aspect of the settlement is the. fact that .the; workers have again discovered that they havo only to show fight, and the Government will surrender without delay and at any cost of principle and at any sacrifice of. the nation's interests We are fast approaching the time when tho public will have to decide whether it is worth.while hoping for reform from a Government that ■is still the. obedient servant of militant. Labour.