15

I.—4a.

HENRY BETTS.]

57. In what mine were you a coal-miner ? —Only in small mines about the district. 58. Have you ever been working in a large coal-mine in your life ?—Not in a large mine. 59. How long were you engaged in quartz-mines ?—About twelve years. 60. And in quartz-mining, having had twelve years' experience, you speak with authority 1 — Yes. I have a very big idea of coal-mining, too, because I have often been in big mines. 61. On the West Coast, as compared with other districts, what relatively are the accidents in the mines—are they frequent or otherwise ?—I cannot say as to the coal-mines, but speaking more definitely as regards quartz-mines in the Reefton district, I should say the accidents were very frequent. 62. What is the class of accident ?—They can be put under three heads —fatal, serious, and minor. 63. What is the cause or class of gas accidents ? —The cause in my opinion is not sufficient care taken in the working of the mine—care on the part of the mine-owners themselves. The miners themselves may be responsible for a few ordinary accidents. 64. You have made a statement now which is a gross reflection on the mine-owners : can you give any instance where the mine-owners have not exercised due care ? —I can give cases where serious accidents have occurred. 65. There is an inquest held in such cases ? —Not unless the accidents are fatal. 66. In the case of a fatal accident, have the juries given any verdict which has laid the blame at the mine-owners' doors ? —They have in years past, but not recently. 67. Now in respect to the miners: if there is blame attachable to the miner he is held responsible ? —Yes, under the Act. 68. Do you know of any occasion where that has been the case under the Mining Act ?—Yes. 69. Can you state one ?—Yes, in the Progress Mines recently, where the men were being lowered down the shaft in a cage. When they came to No. 3 chamber the chairs were left out and the men came down on the chairs in the cage. The damage done did not amount to a great deal, but those men might have been killed. I saw the men, and it is not generally known that they had a claim under the Mining Act, where there is negligence on the part of the mine-owner. I told them their best course was to send in a claim. The company paid them full wages during the time they were off work. 70. No amount of inspection on the part of the Mining Inspector would have obviated that ?— No. 71. Can you give us any cases where there have been accidents that might have been avoided if there had been more frequent inspections by the inspectors ? —Yes ; most of the accidents would be avoided if a different system were adopted in the working of the mines. For instance, since these large British companies came to work the mines in the Reefton district, their system of timbering has not been so exact and so careful as the older companies, and there is a greater frequency of accidents. Take the Keep-it-Dark Mine, for instance ; there has been no serious accident there for years until quite recently a man fell down from the surface in a pass ; but that was nothing to do with the underground workings, and they have fewer accidents simply because there is a better system adopted in that mine than is adopted in the British companies' mines. 72. Have the unions or miners drawn the attention of the Inspector at any time to the insufficiency of timbering ?—I cannot say that we have as regards timbering, but we have on different occasions to the necessity of providing better ventilation and sanitation. They have not done so as regards timbering or the frequency of accidents through the necessity for the use of more timber. Our experience of the Inspectors is this : that there is no use in making any complaints to them. 73. You and the Inspectors do not " play in the same backyard " ?—No; we have not for some time past. I consider that any Inspector of Mines who comes into the Mining District of Reefton has as much right to come into the miners' union office and consult me as he has to go to the companies' offices. 74. And the Inspectors do not consult you ?—No. I could give them any amount of information. 75. You do not suggest that that should be put into the legislation ?—No. 76. If they do not come to you it is not your business to see them, is it ?—I write to them occasionally. 77. If there is any danger to the men is it not your duty to see them or write to them ?—I do write to them. Take as an instance the Golden Fleece Mine. I have complained to different Inspectors about the ventilation of that mine and the distribution of the air to the different faces, but no notice has been taken of it, and that has been going on for the last year or two. 78. Are there any other matters that you have drawn the attention of the Inspector of Mines to and they have not attended to them ?—Yes, there is the condition of the roads —the levels—which require retimbering. In most of these the timbers are in a bad condition, and the men who are there to truck are more like horses than men, simply on account of the condition of the levels. 79. Have you written to the Inspector about that ? —I brought it under their notice and complained to the management. 80. What is the number of quartz-mines in the district I—Practically there are only three companies now—the Progress Mines, the Consolidated, and the Keep-it-Dark. The Wealth of Nations and Golden Fleece are run by one of these companies. We have never had any complaint about the Keep-it-Dark Mine under local management, because it has been worked in a most excellent way. 81. How many big coal-mines are there on the West Coast ?—There are the two State Collieries, Granity, Denniston, Blackball, Brunner, and Tyneside. 82. We will say there are a dozen mines, roughly speaking ? —-Yes. 83. There is an Inspector of Mines and a Sub-Inspector on the Coast, is there not ?—Yes, and I believe the Inspectors go as far north as Cape Farewell,