Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1909-06-25
Chief Mine Inspector Ac-
cused of Misappropria-
ton and Incompetency.
NOT A CITIZEN OF
WEST VIRGINIA
Charges Assert that Mr..
Laing Was Not Eligible
for Position When
Appointed.

Charleston, June 25. flgran:
charges of neglect of duty. misap-
l,opriation of stare funds an! ether
violations of his cath of of'ce were
received by Governor Classcock
against Chief JOHN LANG. OF the
department of mines. TIL. charges
were preferred by Deputy District
Mine Inspectors j. A. Springer. OF
Pennington. and j. +. Bratt, OF In
dependence.
Governor Glasscock refused to dis
cuss the charges and Chief !.aing Is
absent from the city. The charges
against the chief as given out al
Grafton follows:
The first charge against NJ
Laing is neglect of duty.-tTnder tai'
head we desire to state that. by reas-
on of his time being taken up as
manager and operator OF numbe:
OF mines, he is not able 10 give more
than one half OF his time 10 his Isl
mines, and in fact, has not beer
giving more than one-ha'f OF hi!
time to his position as such chief
The chief Of the department OF mine'
should not be an operate. Mr.. La.nf
has also recently been apop:ntel re
ceiver for coal company, whose
mines are located on Cabin Creek
His attention to this rec .ivershiI
takes up his time at the expense
of the mining department.
Gets Blame for Expl ,siOn.
":Mr. Laing did not give his per
soral attention to the Lick Brancf
explosion and permitted the mine t.
resume operation after the first ex
plcsion, thereby causing second ex
plosion to occur whereby 60 miners
lost their lives.
Incompetency Charged.
"Secondly-We desire to charge
Mr.. Laing with being incompetent
In support of this second charge we
refer your excellency to tie efforts
made by Mr.. Laing to enforce meas
ures not warranted or authorized 10y
law. For example, he issued an or
de" to the operators prohibiting the
use of explosives, to-wit, dynamite
and black powder. to be used in the
mines after July Is, 1909. He has
also appointed board to conduc
examinations of persons it.iring ap
pointment as district mine inspectors
no. required by the statute.
Laing Misappropriated state Funds
"Third-We also desire TO charge
NJ Lang with misappropriatini
state funds, and say in this connec
ton that he heretofore directed thu
district inspectors to charge to tn
state certain items of Expense tina
should not be so charged.
In the month OF April, 1909
while attending a meeting Of the in
spectors held at Pittsburg. Pa, a
the Fort Pitt Hotel in said city, {
banquet was held at the L.stigatioi
of Mr.. LANG and said Laing in
structed the district mine Inspector
OF this state, who were attending tn
said banquet. to charge up the ex
penses thereof to the state, whicl
is contrary to law.
Charge discrimination.
"Fourth-We desire to charge MI
LANG with discrimination. Prior 4
the first examination hell for tn
purpose OF examining ire diferen
applicants for district inspector, tn
questions which were to 10 used Il
said examination, to be given on
prior to holding of said examination
thereby enabling certain applicant
to prepare themselves in ADVANCE 70
the said examination, and also b
allowing the number OF the boar
plicants TO pass the exc minatior
Neither did Mr. Laing furnish Gel
tain blanks for making oGt the dali
reports by the district niine iaspeC
tors to some of the district mine IL
spectoTs.
Says He Il Not Citizen of Yves
Virginia.
"Fifth-We further desire I
charge Mr.. Laing with not being
citizen Of the state OF West virgini;
when he was appointed to his pres
ent position. He also aUlointed