Colliery Owners’ Claims Dismissed

Sequel to Mishap at Denaby

Doncaster bench to-day dismissed, with costs against the colliery company, claims made by the Amalgamated Denaby Collieries, Ltd., against 400 miners at Denaby Colliery, for absenting themselves from work on July 6. 7 and 8.

Mr. A. S. Furniss, for the company, said there was a breakdown in No. 2 shaft of the colliery and the men refused to go to work. He alleged that an attempt was made by the miners’ representatives to get the colliery to play so that the men could draw additional day’s “dole,” but afterwards the excuse was made that there was no secondary means of ingress to or egress from the pit in case of emergency. As matter of fact, the Company owned two adjoining pits, at Denaby and Cadeby, and there was an adequate road from Denaby workings to the Cadeby shaft which could be used.

Mr. D. Dunn, for the respondents, said it was merely suggested to the management that, as the pit was working short time, might be so arranged that the men could be entitled to unemployment benefit. But the chief reason why the men refused to to work was that the underground road referred to was not known to the men, and in any case was looked upon merely as return airway and not as travelling road.

The chairman (Mr. M. Nokes) said the bench had come to the conclusion that the roadway was not a secondary means of egress, but merely an airway. They also thought that its existence had not been properly made known to the men. The bench agreed to state a case if the matter went to appeal.