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WORKERS' COMPENSATION.
Miners' Diseases Clauses.
Mr. Cornell's Views.
Mr. James Cornell, M.L.C.. who was
responsible for a long and illuminative
report on South African methods of
dealing with miners' .'diseases, yesterday
reviewed the present position in Western
Australia .regarding . the '.'industrial
diseases clauses ot the Workers' Com/
pensution Act. '
'Miners' .phthisis,' isa-id Mr. Cornell,
'is accepted to-day as a condition (not
a disease) brought about by the inhala
tion of certain- inorganic dust.'. There is
only one place in the world where this
subject has been tuckled exhaustively—
Johannesburg. Broken Hill is following
Johannesburg's lead: ' The ' funda
mental result -aimed, at in Johannesburg
is. to eliminate' the cause. That beins
achieve:!, miners' phthisis would natumllj
disappear, awl if is' for -this' reason that
all; South African 'researches are under
taken 'with ttiiir ..'underlying principle i«
view. The- Miners' Phthisis -Act, which
was our, first legislative -step in deuKng
with; the If/robjem. of miners' dlso.J^s, has
this sariie ?priridpl'e in vie w ' in so far as it
conNtined ' provisions ' for the prohibition
after medical' examination-' from further
mining' of men affected by tuberculosis.
I -always understood that that prohibition
was' based upon the knowledge tliat the
assodatibn of these men .with. other' minf
workers, , particularly underground, was
a- danger ;'ahd a imenace. '.The';. /'factor
of compensation for prohibition; was, if
rundensitand aright., not paid. because of
any prohibited person hayin;.' 'tubercii-
Iri-is.. but^as a monetary , consldoration
for his -prohibition; from what ?'?.was'.-pe^
haps : a- lifetime calling.' . . -
; .'The Government- wlvlch. passed; that
measure declined to isanctibn its. exton;
sion-to, siiliiotic conditions, giving,, as '&
reason .that it was. not prepared' to. g»'
further than to ascertain .the health con-,
ditibnisiof inine .workers ?'?with'-l the exc}b:
siye . ? pirohi&itionj : pro yisiions '.- ? for ? .''tuber ?
culosls .'cases , in ? .view. - - This ^measure
prbyjdirig tb.e.&ystem;pf medicijl' examina-
tions. ' was-, '?periodic' ;ari(l -,contmubiis . (s'
as to cover, both -present, and future) 'en
«ured'/th'e'''future vo'f tubercular- mineris
wliether'' pi ?; not ?; they , ? had piire v tuber
ciilps'i', ; or '?tuberculosis', ^superimposetl
upph''siHcosfe. Cbnsolidatedy revenuej was
made ;i to some 'degree' iresponsible . . f or
their! future; monetary provision. . -,:y ??'
??! ' ?'?Avcliange; of i Gbvarnmen t' 'resulted li-.
a7furthe'r; adventure into ? ;tlie:.- 'realm ... o'f
miners' diseases 'by; \vay of the ^Workers'.
?.Compensatipn :; Act, . and - made ; it' ' obl- :
gatbryOupoiii; employers' to' insure VorR
irien':'in;.*drder^tb''TOyeri';..fhe-.;ris'lB;en.toiIecV
'l-;ffas''-''Conviniredvat.'the:''tiine^thatI\'wi|ifle,
this.-Vas right in'p'rinciplerit' was; wrong
in' method.:;':- Itt was' right because; tardy
?justMjsiw^.al^t.Vtp.-.DeVidon'eSto-.inetal-1-
lifefbiis .''wprkerslv'It-. was' wroris because
thV-iebmpensation:pr6visibhB:;w5iTe-bnl.v
applicable tp- tlie^manCwhp'feUvdbwn'^qn;
the -job; -?{: If -iwe ihave \any '...'confidence in
the- .future :of; the: 'mining- industry, ooni
pensitJpn1 '.sliould be made- payable in; de
gKjies.'--;-J;;Thc-'LmeyjM^
.men t*hpuldv tiei'so:-''de'terhun'e'ul as.'.to ' place;
'Ihem ;in.V. three .categories', 'and;' a /graded
rate; b'fcbinpchs'atibil ^ fixed/'.' Men '..ih'Uh»
firs t and- second '.stages should ?';. be vwarned
^f.'.'tlielr.-'^ndition^'and-lt'.sKb'uUiy.beJrp-ip;
tiprial, for ?them'.tb relinquish; work in, -the'
minins1: ?ihdustry^'ibriti theyitshbuld -,''.pe
'madfi;-tbiiunder»{ttnd';,tliat,1.ifvthey:,:decide'd.
to-cbntin'ue'af mining until they. feH down'
'on', tlic! job} noihig'heiVrate.of :compensa-.
tib'n; wbuM. bHrtiaid- t'n.tlipw ' -'-'This, rea
fibning11. is' bused 'on-; the , accepted 'Practice
in. OS ivut h'VAf r icn. '.and.else wherc^that: ;fbr
'.e^n6mic.i'rpaso'n9;.-'T:;inen;..v'sfipuld.0.be'^'-]ii*
diiced :t6 leave,the,industry, in' their, own
interests' while: staiiisefHi.^rbn'omicSfnf1:
tbrs;:--''' Cbmpetfsation' sfapuld be' only. Tiaid
because'bfJthe injury; dbne'toiia- worker
byv the. /industry; ;:-i:Men;Jn;'.:the~c4hird
'grade' «|iou!d:have'^ii6;bption..buti-t(-.,'pe'ase
work;?fprthwith^d^be;;entitie-d;tp,;i:ni;
'cbmnen«ation:^v'v. -??',? :'??:.{?''. ?;?:,'- -?t:.'-'!: : .'? -'?
^v'Thef, legislature:-- -has i lieglectca-. .an
6.bTiOTivd«tyVby)i6't'-proyidjngrfo.r.-i these
men years^gb/and the.ihdustry.'has now
reachedia ^ state ; wherein'! thosfi,' workers
whom' the'legislation is- designed- to bene
fit appear; Ukely' to CTffer,instead.,;;Thcre
,is-no^gainsajiMg-'tIiia^flct:^theJ^industryi
in;' its- pr£«enf;stato:cannbt.;cariiiy.: the
whole'- bur^en.'The'refore,;'the-;inan., whom
the ? law. sought ; tb benefit .' should.!- not ; be
deprived ' of his 'just due ro win-gV to^;:; the
faults rpf-.ipacit-.v; legislatures-. ';'.;^r,. hold,
consequentjiy, .thati the'iprbpeivway^ Tto
cleu'n'-the.'-miries is: to-lollpw ni'y.-;earlier
suggestion ];-/ that Vconsblidated ;:' revenue
bear -. the' cost. ; : Then; vwith-!pr,oper/,sjiif e-
guardsy.it- would ? bel only L fight .thatrthe
iriSiiti'try .shoiild take up. the' bu'rdep, ^The
.SputtfAf-rican;:lawt,ifi::'spita^d..tliat;.?oiniT.
erX;'a're'.giveii/induceJne_nts'to, ifrei; -fhe
ln-Incs;: of .'the .dust .which ?.causes .those
diseases. -;Vv^hat' principle iia.rijtht.'^and:
an.v'-paymeritis. ba^ed-bp'alflat '?; rate/.;ar.e'
bbyiousiy; Iwroiigi ;; .Tlie ''.rate sbou!d; '?b'-%
fixed 'on the -siKcotc' incidence.1;, : The' in-,
surhnVe ?-' offices -were^'fccently/aEked tb
ascept,' the risk's ,.on'Athe,, strength Vpf'j.ii
?repor'trthat-Vypas:'-VwrongIy-;-l:.based:'-.V.T-Iii»
report pretendedvto have; m'easirfedjtlie.
ri*i^an;.va.^ie'yeiiwn-t--.-.',wbJch^ecieiiHfic.
attcin^its in South fAfrica; extending over
ten; yeari^'liajil .been .unable to ? attaint 'In
th^s connection ; it -.'is.'. interesting' -to,'' notice
a'report -by ' Dr. ' Sa'yers, ;.; chief surgeon
iif'the United States '-.'Pepartment.';- of
'CCQmmerce,;'in;.whicK''he'maKes''';th'e'-asser!
tiSn '; that; iii 1* American; legislatibn' ; Sil:
ipjve is ;jfot accepted as an 'accident; , awl
is,.i.\p't'.co.ittpensabie'.1for the '';; reason; that
iIlea?^^1relncn^;.;?bf^thi?9?1'iwkVia^?liotv?aff'?a^E-?'
tuarkU 'possibility.' '. ~ ?'???'vv-;''v:: ? V':; .
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