TARANAKI PETROLEUM COMPANY.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LV, Issue 14011, 16 September 1909, Page 3

TARANAKI PETROLEUM COMPANY.

. - (To the Editor.) . Sir.— Possibly in view of the annual meeting (next month) of the Taranaki Petroleum Company, the directors wilf be able to throw a little light on the l following of considerable interest' to] shareholders : (1) Can the directors telij the shareholders why Mr. Simpsoii en-* gaged the night watchman, who it is al-' leged was dismissed from No. 2 bore ; and placed in charge of No. 3 bore; and, I understand, was in charge when burnt down. Is he such a reliable, man; that' the company cannot do without; him? Is it true that r the men at No.3 bore were in the habit of using a' kerosene stove inside the building many, times a day, which they must have lit* with matches? (2) Why did the direct-) ors, after notifying the , shareholders, through the press that they would hold; an inquiry on Wednesday afternoon at> No. 3 oore, choose to alter it, and hold,j apparently, a secret meeting on Tuesday night, bringing in a verdict that,!, there was no blame, attachable to airy*-' one. The directors should at once have, asked for a magisterial inquiry, instead, of going through with a farce. I am given to understand when the evidence* was sent to one of the witnesses tp sign tiie vital part of the evidence was cxcis-j ed from the paper. (3) Why did Mr. I Simpson dismiss Mr. Henchman and^ take Mr. Keith on at an increase ot' £'1 per week, and not 'only dismissed; Mr. Henchman, but I understand hej was not allowed to work at No. 2 bore, j (The shareholders will note the different j treatment Mr. Henchman got from Mr. i Simpson when he sacked him, as com-; pared to the treatment the night watch- 4 man received). (4) Will the directors' who have another year in office havethe courtesy to resign at the annual' meeting and give the shareholders a - free hand to elect new directors or. re-, turn the present ones, if they still re-j tain the confidence of the sharehqld-, ers? Bye the bye it is not many years' ago, at a meeting held to 'pass a vtoteof no confidence in the directors,. cer-' tain directors announced that they would resign and allow Mr. Berry to : take his seat on the board ; they' have ■ not done so, we must take it that their' word cannot be relied upon. — I am,, etc., A SHAREHOLDER. •