THE BRUNNER RELIEF FUND.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5566, 15 May 1896, Page 2

THE BRUNNER RELIEF FUND.

CONFERENCE AT WELLINGTON, [Pbr Press Association.!

WELLINGTON, Mat 14.

A conference of delegates to decide what shall be done with the funds subscribed for the Brunner disaster opened this afternoon. Twelve delegates were present, the Premier in the chair. ..

The Hon R. J. Seddon explained the reasons for calling the conference, and expressed himself personally against diverting any part of the fund to national purposes, as the money- was subscribed specifically for the Brunner sufferers, nor did he think they should go upon charitable aid lines. As far as could be gathered there was between .£16,000 and £17,000 collected, and the total might reach .£20,000. They would want all they could get, as, based upon the wages earned by the 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 before the disaster. He was in favour of 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 till to-morrow. Mr Bland, chairman of the Central Committee at Brunnerton, reported that there were forty widows and one . hundred and sixty-nine children, with five more expected. He hoped they would come to a speedy decision, as the committee had only .£2OO left out of the .£959 that had been received. It was resolved that the first business should be to decide whether the present convention should take action, or leave it, as suggested by the Dunedin Committee, to the Municipal Conference ; and the meeting adjourned till 10.30 a.m. tomorrow. BRUNNERTON, May 14. The Royal Commission sat at Brunnerton this morning, .and had under examination Robert Tennant,'. one of the employes in the Brurmer mine. He completely upsets the theory advanced by, experts that the explosion was caused by a blown-out shot, and states that the shot hole discovered by the experts was put in by a man some ten months ago. This evidence came rather as a revelation.