THE BHUNNERTON DISASTER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 10132, 15 May 1896, Page 5

THE BHUNNERTON DISASTER.

[by telegraph.—press ASSOCIATION.]

Brcnnertok, Thursday. Tub Royal Commission sat this moraine, and had under examination Robert Tonoant. one of the employees in the Brunnerton mine. He completely upset the theory advanced by the experts that the explosion was caused by a blown out shot, and states that the shot hole discovorod by the experts was put in by a man some ton months ago. This evidence came rather as a revelation.

Wellington, Thursday. A conference of delegates, to docido what shall be dons with the funds subscribed for the Brunner disaster, opened this afternoon. Twelve delegates were present. The Premier was in the chair. . Mr. Seddon explained his reason for calling the conference, *ud expressed himself personally against diverting any part of the fund to national purposes, rs the money was subscribed specifically for the Brunner sufferers. Nor did he think they should go upon oharitable aid lines. As far as oould be gathered thora. was between £16,000 and £17.000 collected, and the ..total might reach £20,000. They would want all they oould get, as. based upon the wages earned by .(lie men who had been hurried into eternity* it would take a capital of £50,000 to put their families in as good a position as Defore the disaster. He was in favour oi electing trustees, as the Public Trustee could not have sufficient time to look closely into the wants of a large number of widows and children. He suggested that as Mr. Stead, of Christchurch, and others, had been unable to reach Wellington, they should only transact formal business, and adjourn until tomorrow. , „ Mr. Bland, chairman of the Central Committee at Brunnerton, reported that there were 40 widows and 109 children, with five more expocted, to be provided for. He hoped they would come to a speedy deoision, as the committee had only £'200 left out of £959 that had been reoeived. It was decided . that the first business should be to deoide whether the present Conference should take notion or leave it as suggested by the Dunedin Committee to the Municipal Conference, and the meeting adjourned till half-past ten a.m. to-morrow.

[FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.] Hotoroa, Thursday. The subscriptions received by Mr. Malfroy in aid of the Brunnerton Relief Fund now amount/ to over £40, but severallista haw yet to come in.

The sum of £210s, being the net result of a ooncert and danoe, held last Monday night, at Onehunga, under the auspices of the local Fire Brigade, has been devoted to the Brunnerton Relief Fund, and will be forwarded by the Onehunga Borough Council to the Mayor of Greymouth for that purpose.