STATEMENT BY MR PRYOR.

Otago Witness, Issue 2862, 20 January 1909, Page 82

STATEMENT BY MR PRYOR.

CHRISTCHURCH, January 16. Mr Pryor who is at present in town for the purpose of conferring with Mr S. L. P. Free with regard to the trouble in the mining industry informed a representative of Truth that so far as li 9 knew the re was no alteration in. the position so far as the mine-owners were concerned. The Government proposals did not relieve the mine-owners in any shape- or form, in that when the temporary cover by the State Department lapsed it would leave them with the whole liability, whatever it might be, imposed on them uncle*- the act. The mine-owners had desired that the Government should give them some indication of the alterations to be made in the law to meet the position, but up to the present the Government had not seen its way to do so. Unless that was done lie was quite at a loss to ccc how any settlement could be arrived at. The claim, of the mine-owners for a special session of Pailiann.2nt to cbal with the matter wae, to his mind, worth y of more consideration than the Prime Minister had given it. The importance of the trouble was in

itself sufficient to -warrant Parliament being called /together. The issues at stake were so great that ziothing at all •within the range of practicability ought to be allowed to stand in the way of arriving at a settlement. Mr Pryor added that he intended meeting Mr Free this evening on his arrival from the West Coa6t. Though at present there did not appear to be any way out of the difficulty, he was hopp^ul that they would ba able to arrive at some solution so as to get the mines working without any further loss of time. Kegarding the medical examination of tne men, Mr Pryor said that the employers claimed that such an examination was the only way by which they could) ascertain their actual risk under the act, and unless Parliament amended the act so as to provide for a medical examination or that such examination should be optional, but that in the event of any ■worker declining to be medically examined, such worker should not be able to avail himself of the protection afforded by the act, the present deadlock would continue. It is understood that Mr Free and Mr Pryor will have a conference with Sir Joseph Ward either this evening or tomorrow, and it is hoped that as the result it will be possible to start the mines on Monday.