STONE QUARRIES AMENDMENT BILL

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LVI, 18 July 1925, Page 7

STONE QUARRIES AMENDMENT BILL

MEASURE EXPLAINED (From our Parliamentary Correspondent). WELLINGTON, This Day. In moving the second reading ol the House last night, the Minister of Mines (lion. G. T. Anderson) said the Bill a simple one, intended to extend the provisons of the main Act to scoria and other pits, so that they might be subject to inspection. Railway and road cuttings were left out, because t-bev were generally controlled by the Railwav Department, hut private contractors would not be exempt. The Government Departments were excluded because it was considered that their engineers were as capable of safeguarding the lives of the men as quarry mspecl' Provisions had also been put into the pull to clear up ambiguities in regard to licenses. The clause empowering and lewiim of a fee up to one guinea might be "contentious, but it. was felt that this was justifiable, because of the number „f quarries and the expense incurred m inspecting them. lie would propose that the Dili be sent to a special committee for considerMr Holland thought that railway contractors would be excluded from the provisions of the Bill and m addition, ],,» could not understand why the bt.rtc cl.ould lint be liable to be sued for compensation in cases of negligence m Dm same way as private persons. he irrcator number of tunnel workers Hi the Dominion were in Government employ, •uni there was an anomaly when they had no remedy against the Crown m the case of accident. During the imr the Oliva tunnel work was m the hands ol contractors, the.men had the protection of the Stone Quarries Act, 1910. but as soon as the work was taken over bv the Government, the protection lapsed. Several accidents on Government tuimel„.q'linn- works had been d>“? to failure to observe the provisions of the Stone Ounrries Act, which m fact, did not a'polv to those works. Something must bo*done to extend the law to men cm ploved on State works. Sir John Luke thought that no hoy of the a ,r e of 14 should lie allowed to work about” a quarry. The age limit should he raised. In reply, the Minister said all Slate quark's and workings were under more efficient control than private stone quarries and the engineers should have a hett’er knowledge of the requirements (ban an ordinary inspector wilb a mining certificate. The question regarlmg the age at which boys should be permitted to work about, the quarries would be gone into committee. The second "reading was agreed to and set down for committal.