I.—4a

14

18. If the Government would not set up the local medical man as its authoritative representative, would the miners be satisfied to have their local medical man made one of a Board of two or three ? — Certainly. 19. And that would be an adequate protection for the miner ? A city doctor might be able to convince the local doctor that he was mistaken. In the case of a disagreement some other authority might have to be called in. The matter might be referred to a committee of the British Medical Association. If it was definitely decided by the British Medical Association, everybody must be satisfied that there must be a mistake; but. in your opinion, would the applicant be satisfied if he were turned down in that way ?■—No. The local doctor knows what he is talking about, because he will have been treating the applicant for years for different complaints. If the matter was to be determined by Auckland medical men who have never seen a mine the applicant would certainly not be satisfied. 20. For how long has Dr. Short been practising in Waihi ?—For about ten years ; and before that he was on the West Coast, in a mining district. 21. Then all his experience has been gained in mining districts ? —Yes. 22. And he has given most of the certificates in the cases now before the Committee ? —Yes. 23. How long has Dr. Cole been in Waihi ?—For seven years; and he is Superintendent of the Waihi Hospital. 24. Mr. H. E. Holland.] Are anv of the men working in the mines acquiring this disease now ?— Yes. 25. You have the water-jet machine in all the mines ?• —Yes. 26. Do you know of any one who has acquired the disease since its installation ? —Dr. Short has informed me that men are getting it to-day. 27. Notwithstanding the water-jet machine ?—Yes. 28. Hon. Mr. Veitch.] And to the same extent as formerly I—Perhaps not to the same extent. At the same time, the dust is there. I think that in any mine, if you put a wet bottle in an air-course and return after a few hours, you will find that the bottle has a coating of dust. You cannot keep it down. 29. But apparently it is not being developed to the same extent as it was when the old water-spray machine was in use ?—No. 30. I think you have made it fairly clear that you favour a miner's pension that would be the equivalent of a living-wage for the man and his family ?—Yes. 31. At the present time, if a miner is drawing the pension on account of phthisis, his pension is stopped if he takes on work ? —Yes. 32. I take it that you would be in favour of an alteration of the law that would make the pension depend solely on the fact that the man was suffering from phthisis, and would not take it from him in the event of his doing a light work to supplement his pension ?• —No. 33. The Chairman.] Would you be in favour of an amendment of the Mining Act providing for an X-ray examination of all miners, say, once every year ? —Yes. 34. Mr. Fagan said in his evidence that he was confident that by a general X-ray examination it would be possible to almost eradicate the disease altogether. Would you be in favour of that ? — Yes ; the man to be compensated accordingly, and be able to get out. I think that if the examination revealed that the man has contracted the disease to a certain extent he should be compensated. 35. That that should bring him under the Pensions Act ? —Yes. 36. You know the system in operation in South Africa ? —Yes. 37. And vou would be in favour of that ?—Yes.

Approximate Cost of Paper.—Preparation, not given ; printing (450 copies), £15 10s.

Authority : W. A. G. Skinner, Government Printer, Wellington. —1929.

Price 9d.]