THE MINERS' DISEASE.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVI, Issue 10043, 11 January 1909, Page 4

THE MINERS' DISEASE.

(fts& Titan Aapwuaraer.) Reefton, January 10. - Oil reijeipt of information •~dt thejr -vvbuia -oiiaertaking the mining risks by tie Insurance Department, and after conference -with the miners' committee, the employing, companies wrote to the secretary of the Miners' Union at Reefton that the matterwas still under consideration by the mineowners. Their difficulty is that the proposal to insure till Parliament meets is meraty a palliative, and before accepting that the mine-owners want to know What legislative change the Government proposes to' -make with the object of settling the difficulty. The mine-owners 3d not wish to effect merely a temporary settlement, and re-open the whole question six months" hence: The mine-owners are in communication with the Government, and accordingly despatched a wire asking for an outline for the nroposed legislation dealing with the Act as a guide to go on> but no reply has. —* been received. Last night over 300 miners assembled in the Princess Theatre and were addressed by Mr geniple. Of GreymOutll, and other members of the Miners' federation. Matters so far were placed before them, and it was agreed to leave the management of the affair in the hands 6f the Miners' Federation. Votes of thanks were passed to the Federation, officers and to Mr P. J. O'Regah and JJr Cohloh. This is all {hat. was doiiei . „,.:... ~, ~.. ; . The situation is now growing in intensity. Yesterday the men were delighted with the prospect of resuming work, as the dispute has been most distasteful to all. They considered the difficulty was the medical examination, and that alone. The action of the Government, tardy as it was, was cordially approved.' Many men about to go away stayed, hoping for a settlement. The disappointment in town is extreme at the failure of the negotiations. Many others, on the other hand, hold that the Act is ' necessary in order to protect the victims of miners' complaint. The employers hold that they ire willing to go to work aiid employ niefi at once only it would be no use to reopen the question six months hence. The question to them is that the Act'presses too heavily on the industry, and will cripple every mining venture at all fluctuating. Consumption, according to Dr Gill's report, is shown, to be very prevelant at Reefton among both sexes. Consumption in the miners, it says, is liable to turn to pneumoconiosis .and. without medical examination there is iio show to detect this. There is no guarantee that the Act as amended will meet the situation, specially as strong exception in labor circles is taken to clause 17. If the Government bring in relieving legislation re-the Act as a Government measure, the end is clear.

So far,' the employers are determined •that no work there will take place tomorrow.

Only one mine is working, the Golden Fleece, owing to its tributors falling in with a Government Insurance Department risk covered by the Government. At last night's meeting they consequently were allowed to engage men. The men have now been a fortnight last Thursday without work,

POSITION AT AUCKLAND. Auckland, Januafy 10;. It was thought that the Prime Minister's statement, published on Saturday, to the effect that the State Accident Insurance Department would take the risks as regards pneumoconiosis, and issue policies without medical examination, hadl settled the mining trouble occasioned by clause 10 of the new Workers' Compensation Act. It appears, however, that there are still difficulties that prevent a speedy solution of the trouble. Inquiries instituted on Saturday amongst the representatives of coal and gold mining companies elicited the reply in almost every instance :—"Matters are exactly as they were before the Prime 'Minister's statement." Further investigations proved that the situation is not relieved at all, the employers feeling that very much more definite and reliable information is necessary before they can go any further in the direction of authorising work to be Tesumed in the mines. The opinion in insurance circles seems to be that it ought to be sufficient to setboth industries going again to know that the State has -undertaken to give cover against miners' complaint and to forego the medical examination. That this undertaking has not, however, led to that result is quite patent. Owing to a determined reticence on the part of the majority of the coal and gold mining companies, it was difficult on Saturday to arrive at the precise reasons why the deadlock should continue. It was gathered that one or two important) points are involved. In the first place, there is. the question of premiums. On the one hand there is an opinion that the State will not charge an extra rate, and on the other there is a doubt as to whether it will, but an either case there is an uncertainty on the point that needs clearing up. The uncertainty that exists is accentuated by the fact that, despite Sir Joseph Ward's reassuring message, the manager of the Auckland branch of the State Insurance Department (Mr J. W. Speight) had, np to closing tame on Saturday, reoeived! no instructions. When seeii by a Herald representative, Mr Speight would say no mora than that he had nothing to report. It is understood that nothing will be definitely settled as to the details of what the State office will do until this week.

Another point that is helping to keep back a settlement of the trouble is in connection with current insurance policies. Most of the companies concerned have their employees insured against accident ■with other than the State Insurance; Office, and these policies have various periods to run. The companies naturally want to know, in addition to what premium the Government will charsre, whether they are expected to let these policies be cancelled and reinsure with the State Department, both against accident and miners' complaint, or whether the State will issue policies to cover that disease only. There are several minor points at issue also. Summed up, the position is that" neither employer nor employee quite knows how he stands, and in consequence work will not be resumed in the coal mines on Monday as was at first thought likely. It is improbable that the situation as regards the gold mines will be any different.