WARNINGS DISREGARDED.

Otago Witness, Issue 3996, 14 October 1930, Page 71

WARNINGS DISREGARDED.

PROCEEDINGS AGAINST MINERS SAFETY REGULATIONS DISOBEYED INVERCARGILL, October 8.

At the Magistrate’s Court at Riverton yesterday the mine manager of the Linton Coal Company, Ltd., proceeded against Edward Hunt, Samuel Giles, and Peter Fuller, miners employed in the Linton mine, for a breach of the safety provisions of the Coal Mines Act. The defendants pleaded not guilty.

After hearing the evidence the magistrate stated that when previous cases arising out of somewhat similar facts were before the court he did not enter a conviction, because he was not satisfied that sufficient warning had been given to the men of intention to enforce the regulations. The previous proceedings should have acted as a warning to the defendants. He commented in strong terms on the action of the miners in refusing to obey, the regulations, and pinpricking the management of the mine, and stated that he intended to uphold the manager in enforcing the regulations. . As the company did not press for a heavy penalty each of the defendants Hunt and Giles was convicted.and fined £1 with costs. The defendant Fuller, who was a novice, was convicted and • ordered to pay costs (£1 13s).