a—4,

144

128. What else did you call attention to ? —The state of the air. 129. On how many occasions ?—I remember two occasions. 130. Was that attended to ? —That is what I say I do not know. 131. Have you any reason for thinking it was not ?—Yes. 132. What is the reason? —By other men telling me. That is all I have to go by. 133. In what part of the mine ? —lronbridge and Coalbrookdale. 134. When you went again into Ironbridge and Coalbrookdale did you see the condition of the air ? —The condition of the mine changes so much that the ventilation on some occasions is good and at other times fair : it depends upon the wind. 135. Had you occasion to report again on Ironbridge and Coalbrookdale ?—I do not remember. 136. What was the last occasion on which you went round ?—lt would be about a month or five weeks ago. 137. What was it like then?— The ventilation was fair then in both places. 138. Had anything been done to it, or had it cleared itself?— Some days it is better than others. 139. Had anything been done to improve it? —Probably there had been or had not; I could not say. 140. Mr. Lomas.] If you were going round the mine repeatedly, would you not notice if anything had been done to improve it ? —Yes ; in some cases there might have been bratticing put up. 141. But can you not tell us whether there had been anything done ?—No. Between my visits there might be two or three months. 142. Suppose you were round the mine yesterday and found in a certain place there was no brattice-cloth up, and you went round again two or three months later, you would know whether anything had been done ? —Certainly ; but where the machines are working the men are working from the face, and between my visits the men may have been put in different places. 143. Mr. Haiden.] The complaints about the ventilation apply practically to the faces where the machines are working ?—Yes, practically. 144. The complaint as to places where inexperienced men are at work applies to the machines as well ?—Yes. 145. Did not most of the accidents happen where the miners are holing ?—I could not say. 146. Is it not so from your experience ?—No ; I have not worked where the machines are. 147. Is not working with a hand-pick the most dangerous part of a miner's occupation?— I should think so. 148. And where accidents are most likely to occur ?—Yes. 149. You say the man Bruhn was not an experienced man ? —Yes. 150. Do you know that he had been in charge of a mine twelve or eighteen months ?—I did not know. 151. Before Hart's case had you heard any complaints in the union about him ?—No. 152. Did you personally hear any complaints about him ? —Yes, incidentally, that he did not do his spragging properly. 153. Was this during the time you were inspector for the men ?—I do not know. I heard it outside the mine. 154. Was attention called to the complaint?—l do not know. It was not a complaint made to me. I only heard of it. 155. The Chairman.] When you are check inspector do you do no other work ?—Decidedly I do. lam just a collier, and take a day off to do the inspecting. 156. Mr. Harden.] Will you give us other instances where Mr. Tennent shirked his duty by allowing inexperienced men to have a boy or youth under their control: was this particular instance of Hart's in your mind ?—I wrote that letter under instructions of my union. 157. Who are the inexperienced persons you refer to? —I do not care to give names. 158. But you made the charge ?—Mr. Lindop has the names of the new workers. 159. Were you present when the union discussed this matter ?—Yes. 160. Were you present when the union passed the resolution that it should complain of Mr. Tennent ?—Yes. 161. Of whom did they complain ?—The new starters. 162. When did you count them as new starters?— When the machines came. 163. Has that state of things existed ever since the machines were put in the mine ?—Yes. 164. Did the miners at Denniston refuse to work at the machines ?—I believe there have been some instances where men refused, and others where the men did not care to work on them. 165 Did you ever refuse ? —No. 166. As a check inspector, did you ever draw Mr. Tennent's attention to the fact that the company were employing inexperienced men to work at the faces?—l cannot report anything unless I have the sanction of the union. 167. The Chairman.] Are you check inspector for the union?— Yes. 168. Mr. Harden.] You never reported to Mr. Tennent that inexperienced men were allowed to work at the faces ? —No. 169. Did you report it in the company's books ?—No, decidedly I did not, because in many cases when I go round the mine I do not see the men working the machines at all. 170. Have you at any time during your inspections seen an inexperienced man working at a coal-face in charge of a boy ?—When going round the mine I have seen very few men working at the machines. 171. Have you ever seen any inexperienced person in charge of a coal-face with a boy or youth under his control ? —I have seen men that I have known to have recently come here in charge of a coal-face and a boy under them.