WALTER ROGERS.]

41

I.—4a.

228. The Chairman.] Do you inhale bad air going down a shaft ?—There are always the fumes. 229. Mr. J. Allen.] You were speaking about wet places, and the Court awarding shorter time to the men working in them. Supposing this Bill made the hours of labour fixed ones, would you still desire that the time to be worked in wet places should be fixed by the Court ? —Yes, I think so. 230. Then, you want the time to be worked in wet places fixed by the Court, and the time in other places fixed by the Legislature ?—Yes, I think that is only fair. 231. Has the question of reduced wages for shorter hours been discussed by your union ?—Yes, it has been discussed, but nothing definite has been arrived at. I was empowered to do what I could towards getting the measure passed. 232. What I want to get at is this: Do the miners desire shorter hours, even though that necessitates less wages'?—l could not speak for every miner on that point. Waltee Rogees examined. (No. 11.) 233. The Chairman.] What is your name? —Walter Rogers. 234. Where do you live ?—At Blackball. 235. What is your occupation ?—I am a miner. 236. A gold or coal miner ?—At present I am a coal-miner. 237. Do you belong to any union ?—I am secretary to the Blackball Miners' Union. 238. Mr. Guinness.] Have the Blackball coal-miners considered the proposed amendment in the Bill that I have introduced this session, including the meal-time in the eight hours from bank to bank ?—They have. 239. What is the opinion of the miners on the clause ? —The Blackball miners feel that it is just the thing necessary for them. They think that the present hours are too long. After seven hours' work a miner slackens off owing to his being exhausted. 240. The Chairman.] How many shifts do they work at the Blackball Mine ?—Two. 241. When does the first go on?— K quarter to 6, I think, is the starting-time from outside. 242. When do they leave the surface ?—At a quarter to 6. 243. And when do they reach the surface again ?—At 2 o'clock. 244. How far have the men to go before they get to their faces and commence work ?—Different distances. The majority of them have to go about 500 yards. 245. Some get to their faces quicker than others?—Yes. 246. Do those who have the shortest distance to go commence work immediately on reaching their faces, or do they wait till the men working at the faces furthest away get into the faces, or how do they manage?—They start work as soon as they enter the working-faces. 247. Some work longer than others ? —Yes. Of course, those who have the shortest distance to go start working first. 248. How long do you have for crib at Blackball ?— A quarter of an hour. 249. On the average, how long does it take the men to get out ? —About ten minutes. 250. How long to go in ? —lt takes them longer to walk in, because there is a sort of incline in the travelling-road, and going in is all on the up grade. 251. What do you think the difference would be ?—At least five minutes. 252. That makes twenty-five minutes, and, with a quarter of an hour for crib, makes forty minutes to come off the time from a quarter to 6 till 2 o'clock ? —That is right. 253. Mr. Guinness.] What is the number of miners on each shift, on the surface and underground ?—About sixty-five men and boys underground on each shift—say, 130 in the two shifts, or thereabouts. 254. The mine is worked by a tunnel, is it not ? —Yes. 255. What is the time that the miners are actually working at the face under present arrangements ? —About seven hours and three-quarters, I should think, or a little less than that. 256. Forty minutes off eight hours and fifteen minutes would leave seven hours and thirty-five minutes ? —Yes. 257. So that the actual time worked would be seven hours and thirty-five minutes, without counting crib and travelling time ? —Yes. 258. You state that you have been gold and coal mining: what is the total length of time ?— Twenty-one years. 259. What do you say, with regard to the work of a miner, as to its being as healthy an occupation as work on the surface, or not? —As far as my experience teaches me, men working underground are always affected, and in any number of cases where they have worked for twenty-five or thirty years, and sometimes a good deal less, their health gives way. I refer to both quartz and coal miners. 260. Have you had any evidence as to whether working at Blackball is more unhealthy than at other mines, or healthier ?—lf it is of any service to you, I have a note here from the medical practitioner now at Blackball. 261. The miners have a medical association there, have they not?—Yes. 262. Is this a report from your medical officer as to the unhealthy nature of the work at Blackball? —Yes. I will hand it in. [Document handed in.] 263. You have worked in quartz-mines?—Yes. 264. Can you speak as to the need for this amendment in the law with regard to miners working in quartz-mines?—Yes. Quartz-miners are subject to the same conditions as coal-miners. They have to contend with the smoke caused by the various explosives used, and the use of explosives causes impure air, decayed timber, and other things detrimental to the health of the workers.