COAL MINE FATALITY.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 August 1921, Page 5

COAL MINE FATALITY.

SEQUEL IN COURT CASE. ■ BLAME NOT ON EMPLOYER. By TeleffraDh. —Press Association. Timaru, Last Night. T. F. Slowey, owner of the Chamberlain coal-mine, was charged before Mr. E. D. Mosley, S.M., to-day on five counts of breaches of the Coal Mines Act and regulations. The first count was a charge of negligence, by which an employee, John Hector Robinson, lost his life by a fall of coal on May 17 last, and the other counts alleged neglect to comply with section 41, rule 2, of the second schedule, with section 2, “that he did not appoint or act as underviewer, and did not make every part of the mine safe.”/ Defendant stated that be directed the employee to leave the place where he was working and to work elsewhere. After the accident he learned that the man did not leave, but remained, because the coal there was easily got.

The Magistrate dismissed without prejudice the first charge, as he was not satisfied that negligence caused the death of Robinson, 'but he convicted defendant on the other charges and fined him £3 and costs £8 10s 4d. It was stated that defendant had paid compensation to the widow of “deceased.