"MINERS' COMPLAINT," —

Otago Witness, Issue 2860, 6 January 1909, Page 25

"MINERS' COMPLAINT," —

A SERIOUS OUTLOOK. (Fbox Oue Own Cobeespondent.) GREYMOUTH, December 29. Questioned as to the present outlook in regard to the miners' complaint difficulty, Mr Robert Semple (president of the New Zealand Miners' Federation) stated that the Hon. J. A. Millar had informed him jbhiat the legal advisers to the Government were of the opinion that the matter did not constitute a dispute under the Arbitration Act. He (Mr Semple}, however, had advice that in the event of the worst occurring it would be a lockout under section 3 of the 1908 act. The State Collieries Miners' Union held a mass meeting last evening, whereat the following motions were agreed to unanimously :— " That this meeting "strongly enforces the action of the Reefton Miners' Union in its efforts to resist the proposed medical examination, and urges upon all fellow .unionists in the Dominion the necessity of united action in assisting fellow unionists at Reefton in their just protest against the said medical examination." " That we urge all unionists in the Dominion not to submit to signing any agreement that has for ite object the denial of compensation." ' Mr Semple yesterday forwarded the following telegram to thp Prime Minister : — "A mass meeting of the Reefton miners .-was held on the 24th inst., when it was unanimously agreed to resist the proposed medical examination. The employers are equally determined to enforce same. All probabilities of an industrial conflict at the beginning , of the New Year. Six hundred miners are directly affected. Can you suggest any way out of the difficulty? — R. Semple."" PRIME MINISTER'S RI'TLY. WELLINGTON, December 29. The Prime Minister has s»nt u«e following reply : — " In reply to your telegram of yesterday? I have been making all inquiries with the object of trying to effect some settlemenf of this difficult question, but find it almost impossible without parliamentary sanction. The liability of miners' phthisis was thrown on the mineowners by Parliament, but the position is that the insurance companies decline to accept any risk without examination, on the ground that the extent of the disease is unknown, and that they therefore have no other means ot ascertaining the risk which they are asked) to carry. This quection doe 6 not affect Reefton alone ; it applies to all mines in New Zealand, and the liability involved is very great. Without examination it is impossible to ascer- : tain what really would be tbe responsibility, and it therefore appeals to me that, in their own interests, tke nnners •would do well to allow the examination to take place. This would afford the necessary information requisite to consider the whole position, so that if necessary the Government would be in a portion to place the question before Parliament, and allow Parliament an opportunity of seeing what can be done. I regret that, as far as one can see, we have no power to go further than this, and I trust that you will endeavour to induce the miners ■to accept examination, and thus enable a temporary settlement at anyrate to be arrived at. It can only be one examination, because if a man has not got the 'disease at the present time, andi goes back to worE in the mine, any development thereafter entitles him to compensation. I am anxious to help the miners, •but they, with you, will "sfe that the position is an exceedingly difficult one." HON. MR MILLAR'S VIEWS. (Fbom Our Own Correspondent ) WELLINGTON, December 29. In regard to the with the West Coast miners in consequence of the mineowners stipulating for medical examination for pneumoooniosis, the Hon. Mr •Millar, Minister of Labour, states that the Government can do nothing in the matter. It' was, be says, never intended that the law should be Tetrospectwe. He finther stated that the premium for insurance, •which is paid by the mine-owners, will probably be very heavy. It is purely a question between the owners and the men. The Government can do nothing. The act Bays tli at this is a disease for ivhich compensation can be claimed, and nothing

1 can be done without the authority of Parliament. The insurance companies "Say that the extent of the ,risk is unknown, and until they can ascertain the extent : to which it affects the mining community ! they cannot insure against it. He thought a compromise was the best way out of the difficulty until the matter can be dealt with by Parliament. December 30. In the course of a reply to Mr Guinness, M.P., who^. suggested that the Government Insurance Department should accept the employers' risk in connection with the Reefton dispute, the Hon. J. A. Millar telegraphs :—": — " I can assure you that " the Government has been doing everything possible in this matter. 1 have been making the fullest inquiry from the insurance companies, but find it impossible to get thj&rh to accept^ the risk without examination." To give some idea of the magnitude of the amount of money involved, the Waihi alone carries a risk of somewhere like £375,000. Add to this the Reefton and other mining areas, and you will see that -the amount of money involved is far beyond the ability joi any one company to carry. The Government Insurance Department has never cared about mining risks, nor has ! it ever carried any quantity, and the • Commissioner of the Government Insurance Department absolutely declines to 1 carry any risk whatever wfthout examina- ! tion, as he maintains it is his duty while in charge of the department to protect the interests of the people of New Zealand. It would not be possible for the Government to agree in regard to -this disease alone, as if once agreed upon it would have to apply to all diseases specified in the act. I sincerely trust that some satisfactory decision may be arrived at, but, as you are aware, the GovernI ment is absolutely powerless, and cannot be expected to take upon itself the liability which by law is thrown on to the mine-owners. If I could do any good by coming to Reefton I should be very pleased to do so* but I cannot say ' any more or do any more than I am I doing here.. I think that there is only .' one of two" courses, and' that is either for a mutual arrangement between the two parties to .arrange the matter to hang over until Parliament deals with the .- whole question anew, or, in the alterna1 tive, for the mine-owners to take the '. risk' themselves. I cannot see any other ' way of getting out of the trouble, nor i can I give any suggestion which is likely to ' avert trouble, the only one being that the I Government should take the responsif bility. This is impossible for us to do • without the authority of Parliament, and I I am.somewhat afraid that if Parliament j is asked to make provision for one section { of the community only in the question of i compensation Jor diseases, it will be : somewhat difficult to get it to do so.— ! J. A. Mhxar."