MINERS' PHTHISIS

Evening Post, Volume XCVI, Issue 137, 6 December 1918, Page 2

MINERS' PHTHISIS

.WATER DRILLS DEMONSTRATED.

Ministers of the ' Crown, members of Parliament,' and others showed" great interest to-day in the demonstration v of a modern.rock-driller which pievents dust. < .From 'time to time the pnblic has had the seiiousnessY of -miners' phthisis, or miners' consumtfciori, .brought; Imder its .notice by the Miners' Federation, and there have been discussions regarding various phases of the disease—its prevention, its cure, .and the/question of compensation—at almost every Parliamentary, session. To-day's demonstration was arranged'by the Miners' Federation, and jn response to an invitation from the Government, Messrs. Richardson, M'Cabe and Co., Ltd., agents for Messrs. • Inger--8011, Rand Co., lent two machines for the purp6se*-of giving a practical, demonstration. Tjie; old and the new machines were worked side by side. 13ie old pat-' tern machines—thfe dust-raisers to which, great exception is taken—are the 'reciprocating drill with a 7iii stroke' and the telescopic feed stoping drill." Anyone.<attending the, demonstration must have been impressed with the effectiveness of the modern i driller, for there-was an entire absence of dust when it i was in operation. By introducing a jot of water through the steel drill' to., the bottom of the hole-where the boring is actually taking place, the dust is at •once' delayed, and thus , the principal - cause of miners' phthisis or pneumoconiosis is' got rid of. It is said that the average life of miners working with dry drills is very short, and that examinations, of the Jungs of miners who, have died of the disease have shown as much as 20 per cent, extraneous matter. It is asserted that the adoption of the water drills by the mining companies would be to the advantage of the latter as well as to the advantage of the men. The water drill is said to be more economical in, working cost than'the old dry drill, for the water keeps the drill bit cool, protecting its catting edges. The steel is capable of catting virgin .rock at each blow, and not wasting energy in cutting through and pulverising 1 cnttingß Val-. ready made. The new drill cnts quicker,, with a less' expenditure' of : compressed air. ■ . , ■ :/ ■■/■'. ■ ■■•;'• ■ Several members "of-Parliament assertr ed that they, would ;do all in their power to help the miners in their endeavour, to. make.the use of a water drill compulsory. ; y.V: ..." '■"•' '.