The Last Hope

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 22, 16 June 1914, Page 5

The Last Hope

THE FRENCH CBIBM®* THE TJMES ON THE DANGERS OF FRENCH Cgfll liy Cable—Press Asgociation-^mMH The Times, in a leader, ' Ribot's resignation is an evuutt|jßlß| gravity and may have very ! suits both to France and Europe, ffljS is reason to fear that his CabinwSH the last hope of saving France /rtmynß of those periods of vacillation agral||fl certainty which in the past and Europe so dearly. imSM RUSSIA AND THE THREE YSwjnj

St. Petersburg, .linta-ttM An article in tie Gazette de In attributed to General .i||3n jster of War, states that Russia Mirffifßj right to expept her ally to fulfil ligations. Russia has increased *SbS army peace footing to two million. hundred thousand men, and right to expect 770,000 men from I&|gl Paris, Jiuin-'iraß M. Noulcns states that the three y#|h| service will be maintained. NO CHANGE OF TRAINING J?ol2l(s§S Received 16, 9.10 p.m. ' ||| Paris, June U&fl Angohcu, Minister of I who favors two years' service, in course'of a speech at Lyons, said (jra|| would be no interference with the years' service until national defenoaSi^n

THE DIRECT AND IMWiIDUTIiH „ . CAUSE. , , VjH "Ta»bleti-port.er Donaldson's ca#e fr'JHfl ferent. His duty to inspect the sUDwi frequently is clearly and unmirtakMH laid down in the Department'? reriaßj tions. In the ultimate issue bis attention to duty in that; derail that toe safety of trains »"WmBS Wthangaanarino station dependedi"7M| ■received,, a warning from Te that the express was on its wiy Mffifj minutes before it arrived at friranil marino, and although it wag 4k MffiSl once he had last seen his south signal, whicfo no the one safeguard between thai Ml and disaster, he went aw&v ti> IffrJfl flhe goods tram without looking signal. His neglect of duty lw«.aj yond doubt the direct and imnetniml cause of the collision wuiibh iolkHm§l He knew that contraction of wiife tiMJjll to cold sometimes affected the ment of signals, and bis' neglect ii ffim more serious when it appears Unit' S3s night of May 2G-S7 was the coldetflw the year, up to that date. In extero|»§ tiori it must.be said that DonaldsoTn SSI never berore had any trouble wift S| signal < beyond a trifling error of <?«£ justment, that he had not altered'mi platform lever governing it ainoe be WW} locked it at 'danger' at midnight, ftfcjjli that he had then seen thatTtfee "sigSp mad answered properly. Dhere wq» ; is slight fog at midnight, and he asswneSli that the same fog was the cause of aiffl obscuration of the iback light' »t 'itf™ ajn. T*&&

EXTENUATING CrRcJMOTANOES. 'M "As in Cruiekshank's case,'so ]|«sif also am I entitled to take unblemished word of faithful• find <&•.s cient service into consideration! in ettil.'i mating the quality of his* conduct 1% am satisfied tUt he did not (think tfeftigJ there was any reason to doubt thatiHil signal was showing 'danger,' aqd ap£§4i from any other consideration it i» aiwA tain that had he thought he wag ning a risk of wrecking the express MiH would never had gone to sit on tiw|j points) lever, where he would be.iirfol*a«ii in the very centre of any collision tfh*tli might happen. Ab it was, foe severe injuries. A furthor extenuatiiKiji circumstances- i« tliat in the ootencet&Nl friction and the consequent 'tight |djl justment of the signal wire due- <.itaS3 Cruiekshank's alterations, the coßtrfcSvlf tion due to cold cquld not have puUeajS the signal over to trip '-safety" position.?! This fact does not, however, operate,s|J{ a sufficient excuse for Donaldson's laokSp of vigilance, for it is conceivable tHatS the slpal might he pulled over by cow fouling the wire, or bv ah erSttrk disposed person tampering with it, TMi rules of the Department, and the »* sponsible nature of the sigmu'man'a dutaal alike demand a righ standard of vMRrI ance and care. It is impossible to'aWs that Donaldson, as the officer in cJuSs! of the signal, exercised such reaßbna&Pf prudence and diligence as other offlowiil similarly aituated are ordinarily tneufagj tomed to use, ana l must find that Aw matters proved in his iavor do not opejts'i ate as sufficient excuse, though. they ? are palliating circumstances deserving-i of full consideration. ' . : »

CULPABLE NEGLIGENCE. V "This is equivalent to finding thatsJ Donaldson's omission, to verify the sition of the south signal 'dight ats whangamarino on the morning of May''.' 27th constituted culpable negligencema the sense in which that term is under-'" stood. >i THE DEPARTMENT EXONERATED, f, "Finaily," the coroner said, "toe «ww& agement and regulations of the Batt-"* way Department were in no- way *e- i sponsible for the collision." Continuing.''he said, "As to the allegation* regard-'* ing thei delay in providing relief me*.'* sures after the accident ,and callousne* !• in the treatment of the injured and tb.es disposal of the dead, evidence was given ' which showed that everything that--could have been done was done. TheV relief measures reflect great credit m' Messrs Pope and Bell, of the staff, who were the officers responsible;-) Tor tlliem. Some loss of time was necaa.I sanly involved, but there was no j able delay. It is regrettable that such, allegations gained currency, out one can*" readily understand that the state of' mind of passengers involved in the aP ' cident, whether injured or not, would/ not dispose tnem to look at the matter' calmly and a nil its be., rings. I am, satisfied that allegations oi callous ncss and avoidable delay were crut-1 S groundless, and it is wormy of mention that not one witness appeared befeff me to substantiate them." ™* The coroner also referred to &• £?£JJ nd , 110 J ncs . t wa - v in WWi all the witnesses had given evidence. ™ „i^ r * 6 in( l uest h,I(J concluded- OUI a dson was arrested, dialed with mu& slaughter, and WMnde/tffl TwSfi of £IOO and two of £SO each. ™