MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XXXVI, Issue XXXVI, 3 November 1902, Page 2

MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

'IHE PUPONGA MINE CHARGES

The hearing of the charges againa Joseph Taylor in connection wiih the management of the Paponga Coal Mine was continued this morning before Mr H. W. Kobinson, S.M. i Mr 4. T. Maginnity appeared for Mr Hayward, Managing Direct r of the Company, and Mr C. Y. Fell represented the ac:c.;ed, Joseph Taylor, ex-manager. Mr Fell, reviewing the case, said that Taylor cams to New Zealand in 1894, and ■tinea that time had been engaged in work at Collingwood. Taylor was educated originally for the attd was in charge of two cburohe*, one being jn England and tbe other in Scotland. Taylor, however left tbe ministry aad went to Kensington for scientific studies, afterwards coming out to • ollingwood, where his clie-it bad lived since. At this place his client, beld a lay reader's licence, but gave it up. Taylor waa now an engineer, and besides holding aa English certificate, possessed a New Zealand cc tificate. Beyond natural aouteness Taylor had had no oxp» ience in bookkeeping. There were a sufficient number of mistakes to misrepresent Taylor's position. In one of the statements m-ide out by Taylot the sum of £164 htd Ibeen charged twico against himself Taylor). While at Collingwood Taylor discovered both co?l and gold. Taylor wrote to an old friend in England named Davis, and informing him (Davis^ tbat a discovery had been made. Davis sent £IC3 to Tnylor, and other Bnrns. Da <*i-s had great confidence in Taylor, The sums of money sent to Tat lor by the company arrived without any instructi- ns, but it is surmised that fcki--, inont-y ws.a F r deTreolpinf-f tile micd. l'he money was sent to Taylor*-- private account, not to a company's account, in fact there nerer was a company's account. There was iot much timber st Puponga, and none good enough for extended operatic ns Taylor lived bbuut 12 milos from Puponga, where be acncqui*ed land *ith timber on it. The whole of the timber used at thymine was eilher taken from his (Taylor's) p pioperty or from land held under license by Taylor. Mr Fell Ihen went into the proposals and counter-proposals for the formation of the company, and the allotment of shares, Mrs Taylor receiving a present of 2000 shar- s valued at £2000. The whole of tlie engineering plane and tbe de ign of the coal mine, in fas the whole working of the mine was performed by Taylor. lhere was a host of other matters which had to be attended* to, and involvd work more tbau any one man coold carry out. Tayl >r should not have volunteered to do it. Mr Hayward mast have known that Taylor was not a practical bookkeeper. Taylor had kept records of an ineffectual kind, bat his accounts and pay sheet 3 were truly correct. Had Taylor not been to cramped for money be might bavo ecgagept a bookkeeper, whioh in tLo flrst place should have be n done. With the exception bf one o*- two bookkeeper's blunders tho accounts were correct. Tbe company when formed na* to liave an assured capital of i 12,000. The company had no asset* rxcepting £1360 and tbe rest of the m .ney remitted to Taylor was the reßult of scrip sold. Tay. lor had been charged with lhe rendering of false accounts, which could not be proved in this case. Ta lor's total cash payments during the whole of. the period of the company n:--* in ted toJ69s> 2 Is ld, balance of sundry receipts handed to Mr Hayward £36 19** sd, thus makiu?a trand lot dof £9599 0s 6d. The conjpany, bow. ever, owed Tayl .r £1310 16s OdV Mr Fell then went into the figures of tbe case .--eri tiin. Mr Fell said that natter in the hi tory of his life hsd he fcnpwn of a charge where the accused ia a caße of this sorb waa not allowed t) give an explanation. This case Wonld be unique io the Court history of tha colony. Had the company been & substantial one, Taylor would have been met better by Mr Hay. ward, instead • f having lawyer's letteie demanding the account* forced on him day after day. MriyFeffithi-n concluded his address, which la ted an hour and a half, by stating that this **s not a casa for a conviction. Mr Fell then called Joseph Taylor, who on. jbeing swore, Baid that be waa brought up to the xuinis* try, and was in charge of two cb arches, one in England and one in Scotland. Then turned to technical work, and studied for a considerable tim-- at South Kens-ington. Eventually became a science teacher at Sooth Kensington, and gained diplomas in tl.o principles of mining, 6rst class advance 1 certificate in geolngy, and also gained other South Kensington certificates, including chemistry, mining, and a speci 1 scholarship at the Koyal College of Mines. Afterward* taught as a lecturer in North Staffordshire in tbe eleven centres of tbe district. Came to New Zealand with his family in 1894 and settled in Collingwood ; and to increase bis income acted as a pai i lay reader there. In 1896 witness took up the first Puponga coal lease, Mr Walker acting in conjunction with him. All the practical discoveries of coal were made by hinuelf and sons, Wrote to friends frequently about the discovery and affairs in gen eial. Knew Mr Ed* in Daris, of WhitS,^r^u e fe re ,eavin « ,he old «>w-try. On the 4th May, 1896. Mr Davis, wrote to layloi and forwarding him (Taylor) «100, Correspondence wa^aftersvard*. kept op laylor s first efforts werer to find ont the number of seams*, qaality of tho coal, and the bearing apd the extent of the measures. The money for tbis preliminary work waas provided by hiuwelf. Down to the time when the balance sheet started on tbe 30th May, 1900. Davis had already sent him £400, and £ 100 also came from Bicknell Ball. Tbe then exigtaing partnership owed him .£733 ]g a All thes money was spent in tbe de colon ment of the coal. Ou fche 2Ufc Octoher 1899, Davis wrote complaining of witl nes not writing to him (Davi9). o n -. h 4th August, Mr Davis also wrote a loot? letter to witness regarding the details af fhe partnership* The remittances of fiT partnership began in July, 1905 . n a V lor then received .£4OO, and oa the f«n~*" ing month £300. ThS* mon£*tt U ° w ' £ Taylor's credit in Z* Drio? n*^ The money sent by Hayward £ 1 *? k ' previous to this,/hic^mTuntod toS was ?rtlt through the Nat I , n T n "* 2OO NewZeaJaad It cL^TtiS?* « from Davis and Hall ThL „ °° each account of the original iu£h a T k l *** on and Hall. On the^L^^™ lor received ,63600 (thm thl'SS' '* r ' Ihe aocount was in -Slort £kW* 6s lOd on the 31st Dffibw, fig **« becompanyhM bee*'*, £$£ jgj

very mnch puAeM* times to keep g -iog andh.dit not been fur his f^ s ***** oat.of^r wa** hhoe o wonld wan proposeapj -w <r « „ provrl J e thd pn««ing to form it ana P cy wb a tslU l tobe l /aied. U P to tramway, oOMttocted with a ne* to couiSS&Swe o* the coal to marke with a w\ra mi&lfc *hat its quality was, ai-dfpi-. the trarifport of certain mateiiift* "tiffifa** had also been erected, and* number of prospecting drivee'luld sbefU had also been made Thefneo*6B*ry ; tfmfeer for all the work eamilromttt^l^tbßsb. Tbe tiaAer wMjict very (rood and all that w&a bt wae.pracfctc&fy tehausted ia the first jea^^«& .Its farther nee wan condemoidby the Inspector towards tbe end of 1899 Iftf Jor formulated a scheme tnfol^sSxof £12,0C0. This •- » qui*** or tEe necessary opening np ot ttJl «;»« nnd also tbe opening "pot driTM. the whole of which had to be udjE^il^iSaneot wh«nf and s->me taStfStfSSto* shipping faciliS^toaptovision for getting a vessel K^ttoW to market; also for procarinff timber, aud, opening »P » *-P°J for So ode of coal in Nelson. Ibe length of wharf meded was 300 teet. Plans w-ere prepared for the wbaif and submitted to the Marine 'Jeparlmen*. The Departmentraffcer eonaiderable correspondence, sanctioned the plane, and the plans were approved by order- in Council ou the sth J und, 1902. Ihißrinvolved a supply of a large quantity of limber. Taylor formed a Bcheme for- getting the limber in what waa coeoeived to be a cheap ana economical, ac be was a partner and had a third interest. (Left Sitting)