Pay, Strikes and Living Conditions -
Improving Quarrymen's Health
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III. PROMOTION OF HEALTH.
75. After the evidence given by the medical men,
we can have no difficulty in making suggestions for
the improvement of the health of the Festiniog
workmen. They may be arranged under the various
headings :—
- Houses.
- Food.
- Clothing and habits.
(Public baths.)
- Travelling to and from
work.
- Accommodation at the mines.
- Sanitary arrangements.
1. Houses.
76. The three great requisites for wholesome
dwellings are that they should be dry, light, and
clean ; and in a rainy climate, like that of the
mining (quarry) districts, it is necessary to insist
very strongly upon excellence of construction, and
upon the observance of all precautions calculated to
prevent damp walls and damp floors.
"We consider that the local authorities in
the quarry districts should see that their towns and
villages are properly drained, and should fearlessly
condemn all dwellings which do not present the
necessary guarantees of dryness and perfect
sanitation. That such a course will cost money we
readily admit; but, in our opinion, any expenditure
for promoting the general health of the community
will be amply repaid by the lessening of disease. To
quote the trite proverb, "Prevention is better
than cure."
2. Food.
77. The evidence of the medical men shows that
the food of the quarrymen and its mode of
preparation might be greatly improved, and their
opinion is corroborated by the instructresses in
cookery. We fully recognise the impossibility of
suddenly altering the mode of livine" of the
workmen and their families; any change must- be
begun with the young, and it may be accomplished
gradually by laying more stress upon the teaching of
cookery in schools. We consider the present course
too short;
but if the maximum grant for the subject can be
earned in five weeks, the school authorities have no
inducement to prolong the teaching. Cookery cannot
take the place which it deserves in the school
curriculum until the Education Department becomes
impressed "with the fact that it is an art of
paramount importance to the working classes.
3. Clothing and Habits.
78. The evidence of the doctors was to the effect
that the workmen are suitably clothed, but that they
do not change their underclothing or perform their
ablutions as frequently as is desirable. The blame
for the want of cleanliness with which the quarryman
is reproached, is partly attributable to faulty
barracks, without appliances for washing or living
in decency and comfort. The Inspectors of Mines have
directed attention to the shortcomings of the
barracks upon more than one occasion in their
reports. The Festiniog Local Authorities have at
last awakened to a sense of their responsibilities,
and, as far as the barracks are concerned, no doubt
matters will be improved, though we do not agree
with them in allowing two men to occupy one bed.
For the people generally, it is necessary to go
further than the rules and regulations vvhich can be
enforced by byelaws. They must be taught from their
earliest childhood that the body must be respected,
that baths are .essential, and frequent changes of
underclothing a sine qua non if health is to be
preserved. Let the local authorities establish
public baths and let the rudiments of hygiene be
taught to every boy and girl. It is useless to hope
for improved hygienic conditions among the workmen
until the schools, local authorities, and persons in
position act as guides, and point out the paths
which lead to health.
4. Travelling to and from
work.
79. We are of opinion that some of the illnesses
of the Festiniog men may be fairly attributed to
chills contracted in the daily .railway journeys to
and from the mines (quarries). The men waiting for
their train, sometimes in wet clothes, may of ten be
seen sitting on the ground at one of the stations of
the Narrow Gauge railway, as there is not sufficient
bench-accommodation. A journey of three-quarters of
an hour in damp clothes in a draughty railway
carriage may easily lay the foundations of disease,
and quarry men who can live within easy walking
distance of their homes would, a priori, be expected
to be less subject to illness than those who travel
daily to and from their work by rail. On the other
hand, one of the witnesses told us that, in his
opinion. lower house rent at Penrhyn and a better
climate more than made up for the possible risk of
catching a chill when travelling. The medical men do
not agree with him on this point.
The stations and the carriage accommodation of
the 'Narrow Gauge railway might doubtless be
improved, and some effort might be made by the
railway companies to run more convenient workmen's
trains.
5. Accommodation at the
Mines.
80. At many ore mines the men have a set of
clothes appropriated solely for their
work, which they don on arriving at the mine in
the morning, and take off again in the evening-, so
as to go home in their ordinary dress. A suitable
changing-house is provided by the mine owner, with a
fire or heating apparatus of some kind for drying
the clothes. The miner, therefore, always has a dry
suit in which to commence work, and no matter how
wet he gets during the day, he can put on warm, dry,
and clean clothes before starting for home. It is
true that slate mines are drier than the average
lead or tin mine, so that the workmen as a rule do
not get wet; but many of them are often exposed to
heavy rain in proceeding to their work, and we think
that the example of the Cornish miner might he
followed with advantage. But, given the best and
most comfortably arranged changing -houses. would
the Merionethshire men use them? We must confess
that we do not believe they would, and on this
ground we do not feel justified in recommending that
they should be erected everywhere. We should like to
see the experiment tried of providing one of the
mines with a thoroughly Stood and comfortable
changing-house, with everv convenience for washing
and dressing; if it were found that the younger men
gradually began to avail themselves of the
health-giving appliances, we would advise Section 23
(16) of the Metalliferous Mines Act, relating to
changing-houses to be enforced rigidly.
Comfort during meals is essential. Excellent
eating-houses mav be seen at some mines (quarries), and we should like to see them
universal.
6. Sanitary Arrangements.
81. Much was said in evidence about 'the absence
of closet accommodation above and below ground. We
are by no means 'convinced that any illness has ever
resulted from this fact; but the present practice
may lead-to disease, and we recommend that
sufficient closet accommodation be provided below
and above ground, and that the men be forbidden to
use the old workings as latrines. The amount of
closet accommodation required below ground would be
small.
As far as it is reasonably practicable,
under-ground paths along which men go to their work
should be kept dry, and water should be prevented
from running down the working faces.
Considering the large amount of cubic space per
man in the slate mills, and the comparatively small
amount of dust which is produced, we think that
watering with a hose or spray in very dry weather
will probably render the atmosphere sufficiently
harmless. Every quarry man may, to a great extent,
protect himself from the noxious influence of dust
by breathing through the nose instead of through the
mouth. Men in the mills should be guarded against
unnecessary draughts as far as possible.
Extract from: Report of the Departmental Committee upon Merioneth Slate Mines,
1895
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