I.—4a.

[ALLAN MCINTOSH.

805. Is there no definite time?—No definite time—no specified hour. 806. What is the usual time that they take for " smoke-ho " in the morning ?—I am not aware. 807. How do you know that they do take any time ?—I meet the men smoking in the colliery frequently. 808. Do they smoke while at work, or do they knock off to smoke?—l am not in their presence sitting alongside of them when they are working, and cannot tell you whether they smoke at their work or whether they sit down to smoke. 809. You are not the mine-manager now, and do not know what the methods of working are in the mine ?—I think I should do so. 810. You are not in the mine ?—I am not the manager of the mine. 811. You are not in the mine, or working in the mine, or inspecting the workings ? —I go through the colliery two or three times a week for my own satisfaction. 812. While you have been going through the colliery you have not seen men knocked off from their work smoking?—Yes, they have done so when I have gone round—they have knocked off work, filled their pipes, and smoked with me and had a yarn. 813. What time would be lost in doing this ?—That would depend wholly on the time I would entertain them. 814. I want to know what time per day you are in the habit of entertaining the men at smoking ?—lf the conversation was interesting I might remain five or ten minutes ; probably at another place I would not be two minutes. 815. The time occupied for this entertainment of smoking and interesting conversation between you and the miners would be from five to ten minutes sometimes and as low as two minutes at others? —Yes; and sometimes a quarter of an hour. The miners are not particular, nor are the employers. We are very sociable in that way. 816. You have told the Committee, I understand, that half an hour is lost each day in going to and coming from the face? —Yes; a full half-hour, I consider —perhaps a little more. 817. If the half-hour for meal-time were to count in the time underground, you think the effect would be to increase the cost of the coal and reduce the output ?—lt would increase the cost of the coal, as far as the Allandale Coal-mine is concerned, and would reduce the output considerably ; and that is a thing we cannot overtake. If a day is lost at Allandale through anything unforeseen taking place, it cannot be overtaken. The haulage is at its limit. 818. The Chairman.] Did you not say that if you spent £300 or £400 the haulage could be increased ? —Yes ; but that would not look at it. 819. Then your answer was wrong when you said that if you expended that sum the coal could be taken away as fast as the men could produce it ?—I put the amount down as far too little. 820. Mr. Guinness.] Do you think that a miner should work longer than eight hours underground ? —I consider that whoever brought in the bank-to-bank business did not go far enough. I think they ought to have made it from home to home. Considering that some miners have seven miles and a half to walk, if I had to pay for that I would get no work from them at all—they would be walking all the time. 821. You think that you ought to be paid for walking from your private home to your office ? —I might think it, but I am wondering where the money is to come from. 822. Do you think that you ought to be paid for walking from your private home to your office ? —No, I do not think it is right. 823. You do not think it is right for a miner to be paid for walking from his private house to his place of work ? —No, I do not. 824. Then, you think a miner does not commence his work till he actually commences cutting coal at the face ?—That is my opinion. 825. Do you think that the law should make any difference in the cases of a miner who has to go underground only 3or 4 chains to the face, and one who has to go 70 or 80 chains ? Do you think the law should be made to make any difference?—l think the law should not be made to make a difference. 826. Do you think that a miner should be underground for a longer period than eight hours? —Yes ;to perform his work properly, if he has a long distance to travel, he must be underground more than eight hours. 827. You think he should ?—I do. 828. Do you disagree with the statement which miners make that being underground for a longer period than eight hours in a day is injurious to their health ?—I consider that being eight hours underground is no hardship to any man. 829. I am asking you an abstract question, and not referring to your own particular mine. Do you think it tends to injure the health of a miner if he is underground for more than eight hours ?—No, it does not tend to injure his health. 830. Does it if he is underground for nine hours ? —lt does not. 831. Ten hours ? — A man could take his blankets down the mine, as far as some collieries are concerned, and sleep there. 832. Hon. Mr. McGowan.] Are your men working on piecework or day-work?—A number are on piecework and a number are on day-work. Unfortunately, under the Arbitration Court award, I cannot put them all on piecework. For instance, if a miner comes to a deficient place—and the Court has laid down what are to be considered deficient places—he says, " I cannot make a wage here. I want 10s. a day, and for that I will give you a fair day's work." I take him on at that. Where there is anything over 4ft. 6in. of clean coal—the limit fixed by the Court—that can be worked by piecework; but where there is not 4 ft. 6in. of clean coal the man must be put on daywages.

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