THE MINERS.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13807, 19 January 1909, Page 6

THE MINERS.

WORK RESUMED AT ONCE. Per Press Association, All hands resume to-morrow at all the mines. The Union at a meeting to-night rescinded the motion not to go to work. GRAVE CRISIS IMMINENT. HUNTLY, Jan. 18.The coal mines at Huntly are still closed owing to the determination of the Miners' Union not to resume work until four of their members who underwent medical examination and are at r.-ork, are reduced iu status. A conference between the men and the directors of the Taupiri Coal Company is to be held to-morrow. Meantime the miners are amusing themselves and distracting the minds of the rowdy element by holding processions and concerts. The four alleged "blacklegs" are daily escorted to and from ivorlc and the town band plays the dead march in front of their residences. .The union officials disclaim any desire to see violence perpetrated and declare' that they are doing all they can to keep every one in order. There are 300 men out of work. At the same time they state that they will stand firm in their decision not tt resume unless the alleged " blacklegs " are reduced. It to-morrow's conference does not lead to a settlement an acute crisis is imminent.

A LEGAL OPINION. DUNEDIN, .Tan. IS. At the instance of ;the Coal Mineowners Association, Mr John MacGregor lias furnished a legal opinion on the effect upon the association of the provisions of the new Compensation Act. Dealing with pneumoconiosis the opinion concludes as follows:: —"It seems clear from the statements submitted to me that men working in coal mines do net contract pneumoconiosis and if my view of the law is correct, it follows that there is no risk of claims for compensation being successfully made by the men who contract (lie disease in the quart./ mines; and I fail to see 011 what grounds the coal-mining eomnanies should make common cause with the i]ua>-tz-mining companies, unless the coal-miners make common • cause with the quartz-miners. The position is sim-

ply this: Any miner who refuses to submit tp medical examination, thereby makes it impossible that he can ever receive compensation for pneumoconiosis or indeed any enumerated diseases and so far as he is concerned, the changQ might just as . well never have been made, as lie would, by his refusal, have practically .put himself outside section 10. As for- the insurance companies, it is not difficult to understand why they should seek to magnify the risk or they should be chagrined by the action of the Government indemnifying the Department and so diverting business in that direction. If that business should prove highly profitable, as it must do, if my view of the risk is correct, the companies can hardly complain when they find the Government taking-them at their word."