Echo Of The Denaby Strike

Richard Chilton, Chas. O’Brien, miners, Fryston, and David Billingham, miner, Castleford, were the defendants in an action brought by the Denaby and Cadeby Main Colliery Company, who applied for judgment summonses against them.

Mr. W. M. Gichard prosecuted, and stated that the summonses had been issued by the Denaby and Cadeby Main Colliery Company, who sought to recover £6, with 7s. 6d. costs, being damages and costs awarded to the company on the 23rd Sept. last year against each of the three defendants.

There had been some difficulty in tracing the defendants, but at last they had got to know where they were working. They were in regular employment, and the least wage earned for some time by one of the defendants had been £1 10s. 1d. per week, this being the wage of Richard Chilton. Billingham’s average wage was £1 18s. 4d., and O’Brien £1 11s. 11d.

No instalment had been paid, and not a fraction of the amount had been received by the colliery company, although the Bench at the time extended to them the privilege of paying the amount at 2s. a month. No payment had been made, although it was twelve months since the orders were made, which he thought was a total disregard of the orders made by the Bench, and he must ask the Bench to assist the Company in recovering the damages awarded to them.

Mr. Blace, court clerk, proved that orders for the amounts had been made by the court, and Mr. A. H. Parfitt, agent to the company, also gave evidence.

Mr. Wm. Brame, accountant to the Wheldale and Fryston Colliery Company, proved that the average wage earned by Chilton during the past five weeks had been £1 10s. 1d., O’Brien £1 11s. 11d., and Billingham £1 18s. 4d.

The Bench committed each defendant for two months, but said the committal would be suspended if the defendants regularly paid 5s. per week until the claim had been settled.