Sick and Injured Miners

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume V, Issue 1407, 18 August 1905, Page 3

Sick and Injured Miners

The Proposed Fund Suggests Leyy on Gold Duly ■ On "Wodneaday -the Premier and Minister < for Mines,wore waited upon by the goldfields members in reference to the proposed : sick and accident fund for gold miners, the (and to be raised by means of a special export duty for the gold produced in the oilony. Mr Guinness (member for Grey) - Slid that tho average number of gold mini era employed in the colony per year durV- ing the past five years had been 11,752, In order to secure an average sum per man per year, equal to that paid in connection with the coal miners' sick and accident ■ Imi (viz., It 11M), it would be naoca- • sary to raise i 1738 per year. The total '' yield of gold in the colony in 1903 was 533,3140z, and a duty of twopenco per ounce on that basis would yield i 4069 a year, 01 more than double [he ateount required, It WBs' therefore a question ' whether the duty should be one penny or twopencß an ounce. It considered tbit as goldminers suffered severely from the miners' complainta, and other forms of siokness arising out. of their occupation, something should,be done, to establish ut fund whereby they would be enabled I o ; draw a small amount per weik in case of - sickness, or a'certain sum might be provi- . ded in cise of death. It was desired that the Government should introduce the ■" necessary legislation to give effect 'to ? the proposal. : : ; ■ ■ : , ~ Mr Herries said he was perfectly m sympathy with the proposal, but lie poisW . ' out that tbo circumstances .wore different ; "in the twoishnds.- In the South Island the Gold Duty of two shillings an ounce 'had been abolished, but in the North Island it had been retained. Thecompamea in thei North Island < now complained that the duty of two shillings an ounoe • was too ■ much, and he did not think the local bodies would Bgreo, to have the proposed extra duty taken out of the present duty, which - .was now received by ' . . of. the scheme was a good one, and he . did not thinK an extra duty of twopehoe an' ounce would make much difference. What the companies feared was that the twopence might be increased to sijpcuco. If thore was an assuwnoe that it would not be more than twopence ho did not suppose there would bo any objection. " Mr. Guinness allied Mr, Herries by whom he thought the duly should be paid, ' ' ■ . ■ j Mr, Herries t I think the companies should pay Mr. Moss ssid tho scheme bad his sympathy! but before expressing any decided opinion upon it he would like to seo it put in a definite form, It would be necessary ■ to safeguard tho fund from claims bping , made upon it by men who were already 'suffering from disease before coming to the colony and onteriDg into,;- employment in ■ tho mines, . Mr, McGowan (Ministor for Mines) said he thongbt it was only right that all in dustries should bear the cost of relieving oases of accidont or sickness caused by employment in suoh 1 occupations. There w&s, however, the question of what should bo done in regard to engineers and others employed on dredges, or in connexion with sluicing operations. Thoy would have to decide whether those should be . included in the scheme. He pointed out that many mining companies were now paying a heavy rent, Dndi'hej'know one company which had obtained worth of cold, which had nil 'gone 'to tho miners as wages, Though thoro w.ero ob- > stecles ho did not jihink they, were insupcrablo, " Mr,, Boddon said the principle that tbo cost of such a scheme should bo a tax on (he industry coucorncd, as in the case of the, Workers' Compensation Act, was a eound one, In this case, however, the ; vaiying conditions between tho North and ■j South Islends presentod a difficulty, There 1 was a way. in which the money could be [aired in the North Is'and without affect' ing the companies, and that was by do ducting the proposod'levy froi« tho dufy o

two shillings an ounco at present received by the local bodies. That seemed to be a reueonablo solution whiot would meet Mr Herties' objection, Mr Horries: But wh'at about iho local bodies? Mr Seddon said the local bodies would have less money to find for charitable aid. and iimight be merely a ipbtion of taking it out of ono pookot and putting it into anolhor. Mr Moss: The Government subsidises the money raised for charitable aid, Mt Soddon said the restrictions as to the time within whioh miners could claim on the fund aftor leaving mining employment, as well as the length of suoh employment, would have to bo fixed. There were many' old miners who had never worked for a compuny in their lives, and their cases would have to bo considered. The difficulties, howevor, wore not insuperable. The matter would be considered by Cabinet and the decision ounoanced l iter on.