British Miner and General Newsman : — 1862-11-08 (London, England)

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1862.  THE BRITISH MINERS' BENEFIT • ASSOCIATION.  WE have much pleasure in returning to this important subject. In our last number we stated that the want of Education was the great cavern of evil.  We urged the Miners of Great Britain to avail themselves of the opportunities that were offeied to them by the British Miners' Association. We pointed out some of the benefits it would confer, viz., Instant Relief for the families of such members as were killed Provision for the disabled; Superannuation for the infirm; Prevention of (as far as human agency can prevent) those sad accidents that so frequently startle the public mind, and Education for all. And such, generally, are the objects of the Association; they are most important, and will, we doubt not, receive the attentive consideration of every miner in the United Kingdom. Having said thus much in relation to the institution itself, one caution is necessary to be imparted. On all occasions where any remedy is applied to any disease, it is of first importance to distinguish between a palliative and a radical cure. It may be most desirable to take the benefit of the palliative when the radical cure is not within our command, but it is always extremely dangerous to mistake the palliative for the radical cure, because the radical cure may thus be neglected, and opportunities of forwarding its attainment lost, by a false and unhappy persuasion that it is already obtained. Thus, there can be no question but that the establishment of any association (and we refer with pleasure to the report of "the Northumberland and Durham Miners' Permanent Relief Fund," which appeared in a former issue of the British Miner) having for its object the relief of suffering and distress, is deserving of the highest commendation and regard; but because a fund is thereby provided, whereby the subscribers to it and their families may be placed beyond the reach of want in the hour of affliction, we would strongly urge do not neglect the radical cure— do not mistake the palliative for the radical Cure. Now the objects of the British Miners' Association combine both the palliative and the radical cure—Relief and Superannuation, Prevention of Accidents, and Education. We have it on the highest authority that the death rate by accidents.among our miners is at least from six to seven times as great as the death rate from violence among the whole population, including suicides, homicides, and the dangerous occupations. In confirmation of this we may state that the charge of the assurance companies against death is for colliers eight times the ordinary rate.  If this destruction of human life were inevitable, it would, indeed, be most melancholy; but a very large part of it is not inevitable; it would be very much diminished if the inspectors of coal mines could succeed in enforcing obedience to their regulations, and that obedience would be far better enforced if it were made the direct and palpable interest of owners and managers of coal mines to observe and enforce them. Prevention, then, being better than cure, it must be regarded as of far greater importance to our