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Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3101, 6 June 1881, Page 2

The culpability attaching to persons concerned in the dangerous condition of the Chaucer-road quarries is easily determined —the matter lies in a nutshell. All the evidence taken before the committee on Saturday goes to show that the quarry worked by Mr Davies was left in a perfectly safe condition, Messrs Glendining and Griffin, who required material for contracts on hand, made a verbal agreement with Mr Davies to take over his quarry at one penny per yard royalty, and this agreemeut was broken by Mr Glendining on the ground that he had received information that Mr Davies was trying to injure him with the Council in reference to No. 5 drainage contract. Then Messrs Glendinning and Griffin's quarry, adjoining that of Mr Davies, was so worked as to bring the division wall between the two quarries into a very dangerous condition, and when attention was drawn to this danger to the workmen Mr Glendinning was

desirous of renewing the arrangement with Mr Davies to the extent of taking away the dangerous portion of the wall, and paying the penny per yard royalty on tbat portion. Mr Davies declined this offer, on the ground that he was in treaty for leasing the whole of his quarries. Failing this arrangement with Mr Davies it was clearly the duty of Messrs Glendinning and Griffin to withdraw their men from a danger which they themselves had created, and Mr Davies can in no way be blamed for the continuance of this danger. We believe that the report of the select committee to the Council at their next meeting will fully clear Mr Daives of any blame, and give it as their opinion that the danger arose entirely from the mode in which Messrs Glen- | dinning and Griffin worked their quarry.