DOBSON MINE DISASTER.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19970, 11 December 1926, Page 14

DOBSON MINE DISASTER.

FLOODING THE MINE. UNEMPLOYED MINERS SEEKING WORK. (Special to Daily Times.) GREYMOUTH, December J. Reports from Dobson this afternoon state that pumping operations are proceeding, and the mine is slowly becoming flooded, though the water is still some distance from the high level. Last evening the members of the Greymouth Borough Council decided that a deputation should wait upon the Minister of Mines to-morrow and request that a grant be made for expenditure upon widening the road between the Greymouth Hospital and Karoro Cemetery with the object of providing some of the Dobson miners with temporary employment upon an urgently-needed work. At a meeting of the Brunner Collieries at Wallsend the directors passed a vote of sympathy with the relatives and friends of the miners who lost their lives in the Dobson disaster and instructed the mine manager (Mr A. V. Whitelestone) to render any assistance he could to the Dobson miners. They afterwards received a deputation from the president and vice-presi-dent of the Grey Valley Miners’ Union asking for work in or about their mine or sidings. The directors promised to do their utmost to find work for any of the miners out of employment and instructed the manager to act accordingly. The Greymouth Chamber of Commerce to-day passed a resolution of sympathy with the miners' relatives. The relief fund now totals £439. Mr A. B. Kimbell, Under-secretary of Mines, visited Dobson this morning at the request of Mr J. Smeaton, president of the Grey Valley Miners’ Union. Mr Kimbell addressed a large number of the Dobson miners in connection with the matter of assistance in finding employment for the men affected by the disaster. With the object ot making the best possible arrangements to place the men at the various locations to the best possible advantage out of regard to their domestic affairs, Mr Kimbell suggested that the wisest course would be to empower the president (Mr Smeaton) to make the selectioi of the men going to the different places. The men unanimously agreed to adopt Mr Kimbell’s suggestion. He stated that 20 would be placed at the Blackball and Roa mines, 20 5t the Omoto railway deviation work, and 20 at the State mines. He had also arranged for a transport service for the men at Omoto and the State mines to convey them from their homes to their work, and vice versa. As the tools used by the miners had been lost in the explosion, Mr Kimbell promised to provide each miner with tools valued at £6, on the understanding that they return or replace anything missing. With regard to the question of giving assistance to the Grey Valley Union Miners’ Union medical fund, Mr Kimbell promised to make a recommendation to the Minister of Mines that some assistance be provided. Mr Kimbell expressed his sincere sympathy with the relatives and dependents of the victims of the disaster and the miners in their predicament. On behalf of the union, Mr Smeaton thanked Mr Kimbell for his efforts to help the men, and the valuable assistance he had given in finding them employment. In response to representations made by Mr Kimbell, the district public works engineer (Mr H. Watkinson) stated this evening that work would be given to 26 of the miners on the Blackball-Brunner road and the Brunner bridge. The whole of the married men have now been placed in employment. Interviewed this evening Mr A. H. Kimbell stated that when he visited the scene to-Bay gas was still coming from the return airway. When asked how long it would take to Qood the mine he said that it had been repreesnted to him that it would take another fortnight. In connection with the work of unwatenng the mine Mr Kimbell said that this would be a more difficult undertaking as another set of pumps would be required, and there was a difficulty in "-etting suitable pumps for pumping the mine dry. This will involve considerable expense and time. The annual meeting of the shareholders of the Grey Valley Collieries (Ltd.) will be held at Christchurch on Tuesday next, when the question of the , resumption of oiterations will be dealt with. M- e J ss , rs fHogarth, S. Kircaldie and E, Catchpole, directors of the company, leave by tomorrow’s express for Christchurch. In connection with the Dobson disaster relief fund a suggestion has been made that, after adequate provision has been made for the dependents of the victims it would be a very wise course to lay aside the balance as a fund for the relief of the dependents ot the miners who might possibly be involved in future accidents Great interest is manifest here as to what decision will be reached in connection with the mine at the meeting of the shareholders which takes place at Christchurch on Tuesday. It is understood that the real difficulty ahead ia one of finance Later information is to the effect that unless the unallotted shares in the company are taken up by investors, or money is raised in some other way, the directors may not feel inclined to recommend to the sharehlders a continuance of activities, since the company commenced operations the amount spent in developing the mine has reahod £70,000. Prior to the disaster Dobson was one of the most thriving .ownships on the West Coast, and if the mine is abandoned a very severe loss vill bo inflicted on the Grey district.