Mexborough & Swinton Times, August 11
Colliery Casualties
New Practice Adopted at Denaby and Cadeby
An Interesting Arrangement
A meeting of Denaby and Cadeby miners was held in the Denaby Picture Hall on Sunday morning, the chairman being Coun. T. Hill, president of the Cadeby branch of the Y.M.A., and he and the secretary of the Denaby branch of the Y.M.A. Mr. A. Roberts, C.C., placed before the men the results of the deliberations of the collieries management and the miners officials regarding fatal accidents in the two pits. The proposals formulated had, as the main object the elimination of the cessation of work in cases of fatal accidents, the demonstration of real practical sympathy on the part of the management, and a very decided financial advancement in benefits to the dependents of workers who meet with fatal accidents.
Mr. Roberts mentioned that the old days, when men who were killed were simply put aside until the turning of the shift were gone, and the consequent refusal of the men to continue working while the corpses were thus dealt with was past. There was more humane treatment nowadays, and the proposals to be laid before the men marked advancement in thought. The suggestions were laid before the meeting and the fundamentals received unanimous approval.
Before business commenced, the following proposition was put on the motion of the chairman ” That this meeting of Denaby and Cadeby workmen extends to the bereaved ones in the Maltby disaster. Our sincere sympathy and condolences and pledges itself to assist to the utmost capacity”, and this was presented to all the miners standing bareheaded.
The meeting then considered details of the new proposals, and it was agreed that in future, in case of a fatal accident, there shall be no cessation of work, and in consideration of this, and conditional on not less than 75 per cent, of the normal number of men attending work, the Company will add £20 to whatever is collected from the workmen for the dependants of the worker killed, the number to be based on the corresponding shift of the previous week.
The last clause was inserted by the compilers of this agreement, as the shift numbers vary, especially on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. It was pointed out that a collection at Denaby raised £36, and at Cadeby £30, but that a stoppage of 6d. per man and 3d. per boy would result in over £50 being collected if both pits were collected from. The meeting thereupon decided that in future stoppages should be simultaneous at both pits at the rate quoted and by this means the dependants of any man killed would receive £50 more than had previously been the case .