MISREPRESENTATION. THE MINE-OWNERS IN REPLY

Evening Post, Volume LXXVII, Issue 12, 15 January 1909, Page 3

MISREPRESENTATION. THE MINE-OWNERS IN REPLY

A SUGGESTED SETTLEMENT. LOSS OF WORK TELLING HEAVILY. [BT TELEOnAPH — PRESS ASSOCIATION.] REEFTON, 14th January. , The mine-owners have issued the following statement :—: — "We cannot allow the .manifesto of the Miners' Federation to go uncontradicted, as it only serves to perpetuate the existing misapprehension there must be as to our attitude. There is one paragraph with which we cordially agree. That is the statement 'the facts have been misrepresented, witb the result that the public outside this district has not yet learned the real meaning of the struggle.' The only qualification of the above statement we would make is that misrepresentation is probably more active iv this district than outside. "The manifesto sets out that 'the statement has been assiduously circulated that the struggle has been precipitated solely because of the inclusion of miners' phthisis in the category of industrial diseases under section 10 of tli3 Workers' Compensation Act.' This is correct. We are willing to allow the public to judge the correctness or otherwise of the statement made by the Miners' Federativm, and as a test of the bona fides of both sides, we make tho following offer :—lf: — If the Miners' Federation, with the approval of the local unions, will join us in a petition to Parliament to remove pneumoconiosis (mm ei's' complaint) from the operation of the Workers' Compensation Act we will undertake to dispense entirely with medical examinations, however undesirable it may be to have working in the mines men suffering from certain complaints, notably ha?.rt disease. "The local mine-owners did not attempt to onforce medical examination until met with their present liability for pneumoconiosis, and they adopted the only means of preventing unjust claims being made. 'If our offer to forego medical examination is accepted, it means an end of the present difficulty. If refused, it shows that the stand taken by the Miners' Federation lacks honesty of purposo. — We are, etc., Consolidated Goldfields of New Zealand, Ltd., Progress Mines of New Zealand, Ltd., the Biackwater Mines, Ltd." EMPLOYMENT URGENTLY DESIRED. WHAT THE NEW INSURANCE RATES MEAN. REEFTON, 14th January. It is too early yet to know what effect tho employers' statement will navo on the mind of the workers. A great number of members of the local union are speaking in favour of wiping out miners' phthisis, attributing to it the great loss and inconvenience already incurred, but the union is unreservedly in tho hands of tha Federation of Miners, the leading spirits of which express themselves averse to putting aside the original ground of trouble. Loss of work is telling heavily on a number of man. It is three weeks today since the last pay, and they have been three weeks of suspense. It is stated that over a hundred of the younger miners left the district last week seeking work at Dunnollie, Blackball, and Otira. Employment is urgently desired on pecuniary grounds alone. Somo employers have infoimed tho Inangahua Times that the insurance rates covering pneumoconiosis are to hand. - They are asked to pay 20s per cent, in addition to the present rate. If the recent rise of 10 per cent, by the companies is included, this will mean 49s 6d. There is to be no provision made for insurance against pneumoconiosis alone. Thus contracts with other private companies will have to be broken if insurers avail themselves of the Government's offer. As tho premiums in many instances have already been paid in advance, insurers wish to know if tha companies will refund a proportion of what has been paid if they transfer to I the Government Department. The Golden Fleece tributers' mine pays £200 per annum in insurance. It amounts to over 2s per week for each man. The Consolidated group of companies put down the extra cost as from £800 to £1000. ' THE PRIME MINISTER AND THE { COMPANIES. REQUEST FOR SPECIAL SESSION REFUSED. TIMARU, 1 14 th January. The Prime Minister has received 'the following telegram from Mr. Free, attorney for the mine-owners at Reef ton : "Although we cannot admit .ill the conclusions arrived at by you in your" telegram of yesterday, it seems inexpedient for us at the present time to further discuss the controversial matters mentioned. We regret exceedingly that we have been unable to place our views before '"you in a really comprehensible niiir.ner, and, at the risk of becoming wearisome, desire to state that, after long and deliberate consideration, remembering the decision of the insurance companies, we cannot see how the provisions of the Workers' Compensation Act relating to pneumoconiosis can be amended so as to operate justly towards em-

ployers unless medical examination of workers is permitted, and to such examination the Labour organisation explicitly refuses to submit, thus creating a permanent deadlock. "It was our hope that your large experience of administration would enable you to devise some way out of the difficulty at present not apparent to us, and thus enable a forecast to be made of the necessary amending legislation. "We regret that you are unable to assist us in this direction, and therefore respectfully urge upon you the necessity of calling Parliament together at the earliest possible date, to amend the present law in such manner as may be fcund best calculated to meet the situation. "S. FREE, •'For tho Mine-owners." NO NECESSITY, SAYS THE PREMIER. The following is the Premier's reply : "S. Free, Reefton, — "I am ir receipt of your telegram, contents of which are noted. There is no necessity whatever to call Parliament together, and I am certainly unable to agree to the suggestion made by you in that respect. "J. G. WARD."-TWENTY-FOUR, MEN EXAMINED. ' DUNEDIN, 14th January. The miners at the Golden Point and the gold and tungsten mines at MacRae's Flat, numbering twenty-four, have submitted themselves to medical examination, and all have passed. It is stated that the men raised no objection to submitting themselves to examination. TWO AUCKLAND OPINIONS. AUCKLAND, 14th January. Mr. C. Grosvenor, secretary of the Auckland Employers' Association, intervit'Vi ed to-day on the subject of the Piime Minister's telegram, said that even now it would bs impossible for the mining companies to deviate from the attitude they had taken up until they knew precisely what the general conditions of the Order-in-Council were. "I have no hesitation in affirming that there is no likelihood of the mine-own-ei-j being satisfied by a merely temporary cover extending only until Parliament meets," declared Mr. Grosvenor, "for in the event of Parliament filing to amend the Act the owners would ob viously bo saddled with a liability in jus f the same manner as if they were now accepting the risks without a medical examination of the men." Mr. W. J. Napier, attorney for the Day Dawn and Norfolk Mining Companies, coiisiders the difficulty to be at an end. The Prime Minister's promise is, he considers, quite enough to justify the miners in resuming work, Tho only difficulty which may arise before Parliament meets will, in his opinion, be infinitesimal, and he does not think the companies now have any valid reason for continuing in the stand they took up. There is, he believes, no risk worth mentioning compared to the injury which may arise to the miners through a cessation of working operations, and for this reason the Day Dawn miners have resumed work, the company being content to take the risk upon the Prime Minister's assurance. DIFFICULTY IN TPIE NORTH SAID TO BE ENDED. TIMARU, 14th January. Interviewed" in Timaru this evening, the Premier said: — "I have received advice that the difficulty legarding the Northern Coal Mine has been settled. The owners have accepted the Government Accident Insurance Department's cover, and the miners will irefaume work to-morrow."