The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1949-01-21

disease exists IN Montana anC
the measures by which unde-
sirable existing conditions car
be remedied."
Comes now the commission with
its report and says, in effect, that
due to the preventive steps taken by
the mining companies, silicosis is nc
longer menace in Montana.
To all of which Butte Miners I'm
ion No. l of the international Union
of Mine, Mill and Shelter Workers,
as well as other Montana locals of
that union, take violent exception,
and demand that public hearings be
conducted by the legislative assem-
bly,.
Governor Fords appointees to the
commission, all signers of the report,
are: DR.. F. |. Terrill, chairman, head
of the State Sanitarium at Galen;
Mike Lacey, pres. of the Montana
State Industrial Union Council; G. ].
Trauerman, secretary of the Small
Mine Operators association; H. J.
Rahilly, general manager mines,
Anaconda Copper Mining company
at Butte; and James d. Graham,
president of the Montana State Fed
Grafton of Labor.
Who is right in this controversy?
Is it true as the commission reports,
that the dread disease silicosis has
been eliminated from the mines as
a result of the installation of pre-
ventive equipment and measures by
the mining companies?
Or is the Butte Miners Union
right in charging that the report
of the commission is erroneous in
almost every respect; that it is
whitewash of the mining COM
panies, designed to Iull the people
TO sleep; and that conditions giving
rise to silicosis are worse in the
mines today than ever before?
SiIicosis
In 1871 law granting state aid
to silicotics who were completely |
disabled for work was placed in eff
feet. Under that law at the present
time silicotics who are incapable of |
performing manual work are granted
aid from the state in the
amount of $4,000 per month. This
aid program is administered by the
of Public Welfare and
is paid from the general funds of i
the state from taxes collected from
the people. 1t is not paid by the
mining companies in Montana, as 1T
IS in some other states where silicosis
1as been declared to be an occupa-
,ional disease subject to the indus
rial accident compensation laws.
1870 Reside in Silver Bow County $
The number receiving such aid has &
increased steadily from 1873 at the
inception of the program in July g
-941, until today, according to the "
attest report of the Department of
public Welfare, 66S persons are re- l
Giving benefits at cost to the tax q
ayers of over $4,000 per year. a
If this number SOL, or rs per cent, c
eside in Silver Bow county. +
Certainly, these official statis-
tics give no basis for the assump-
ton that silicosis is on the decline il
in Montana. On the contrary, t
they show that complete disability p
from siIicosis has been increasing p
at the rate of about IS additional C
cases every year. e
The commission confined its sur .
ey to an analysis of the cases re- q
Giving aid from the state as of De- u
ember 1947. In it's report the COM
lission stated that, "After studying HI
le report of similar commission CT
ade to Governor Ayers in January lie
939, and due to the fact that under b.
le law now in effect, complete data ST
, to all silicotics is now availa, BILE, OF
was decided that public hearings TT
lch as held by the former commits st
on would bring out practically no pr
sw facts. Therefore, the commits