PECULAR POSITION.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume LXVI, Issue 11883, 20 January 1914, Page 4

PECULAR POSITION.

EVIDENCE REFUSED

By Telegraph. — Press Association.)

REEFTON, Monday. A peculiar position has arisen out of the inquest on the man Downie, killed in the Energetic mine on Saturday last. Downie was underground boss, and tho mine' was managed by W. H. Saunders, a certificated mine manager. Downie was not certificated. The evidence showed that Saunders gave an order to two men to, timber certain ground on Thursday last. The men prepared the ground for timbering on Friday, and on Saturday prepared to do the timbering, but Downie came and opened up a pass, countermanding the mine manager's orders. While thus engaged a block of stone fell on him. He warned a mate, but was struck on the head and killed instantaneously. The Mines Department led evidence tending to show that Downie, and not c aurders, was the actual mine manager Winter Evans ( general manager of the Consolidated Goldfields Company, whoso property the Energetic is, when asked to give evidence as to the relative salaries' of Downie and Saunders, refused, and the jury directed the act-ing-coroner to summon Evans as a witness at the adjourned inquest to-morr-ow. Evans opposed this on the ground that the evidence on the point is irrelevant.