A Denaby Miner’s Trouble

John Roughton, a miner, of Conisboro’, was summoned for the maintenance of his child at the Industrial School.

Inspector Watson stated that he was instructed to apply to their Worships for an order against the defendant for him to contribute towards the maintenance of a son of the defendant’s, who was now in an Industrial School. He was committed there by the Rotherham Bench on the 18th September, 1902, for larceny, and since then the defendant had been wandering about the country from town to town, and it had consequently been impossible to get an order made against him.

Mr. Andrews, who defended, said it was merely a question of amount. The man earned 30s. per week. That was to say, since the strike. He had been out of work during the strike, and had a wife and four young children to keep.

P.C. Richardson said he had made enquiries respecting the defendant’s family, and found he had a wife and four children, aged eight, three, and one month, to support.

Mr. Simpson, a wages clerk at the Denaby and Cadeby Collieries, said he had got out the average weekly earnings of the defendant for the past eight weeks, and found them to be £2 0s. 7d. per week.

Mr. Andrews asked for a reasonable order in view of what the man was. He was instructed that he only earned 30s. per week.

The magistrates made an order for the defendant to contribute 2s. per week, and also pay the costs.