'THE UGLY FACE OF CAPITALISM'

ROLAND "Tiny' ROWLAND ROLAND "Tiny' ROWLAND yesterday routed the boardroom rebels and retained his job as chief boardroom rebels and retain‹ executive of the £200m Lonrho mining and trading executive of the £200m Lonrhe group. plexity.

Shareholders decided in favour of Rowland's abrasive and Shareholders decided in favour of daring business style by 29.5 million daring business style by 29.5 million votes to 4.5 million.

It was a victory for-to use the 'the ugly face of capitalism'.

After voting to keep Rowland as chief executive the meeting went on to purge eight directors who had led the revolt against him. Those ousted by a huge majority included Sir Basil Smallpeice, the former chairman of Cunard.

At times the packed meeting at Central Hall, Westminster, was like a crowd of football hooligans. They booed, hissed, jeered, slow handclapped and stamped their feet.

Duncan Sandys Lonrho chairman and Tory MP for Streatham, was on his feet on a number of occasions trying to establish order.

But still they bayed and catcalled. He eventually gave up.

YESTERDAY'S unruly meeting was the dramatic climax to a boardroom row which began on March 18 when the Smallpeice lobby tried to oust Rowland. Lofthouse: Smell warned miners of water danger BLAME for the Lofthouse colliery disaster moved closer to top NCB management on day two of the official inquiry at Wakefield, Yorkshire.

The court heard that officials up to the pit manager were told water was seeping on to the death face up to a week before the disaster.

They knew Division S9B was approaching old workings but decided not to halt mining operations unless production was affected.

The day before the inrush of water which trapped and killed seven miners, an abnormal smell at the coal face associated with a increase in water was so bad that men and under-officials gathered to discuss it.

Face worker Mr Walter Stubley told the inquiry there resterday routed the d his job as chief mining and trading Rowland's abrasive and votes to 4.5 million.

Prime Minister's own wordsThis resulted in a court action and a spate of publicity about the company's financial activities in Africa.

Details also emerged of fat fees to directors paid into tax havens in the Cayman Islands and Jersey.

Although he has defeated Smallpeice, Rowland's problems are far from being over. It was revealed yesterday that the South African police have sent documents to the AttorneyGeneral's Department in London about dropped fraud charges against several Lonrho directors.

said this week that Sandys had been involved in getting the charges quashed.

When the votes were counted showing Smallpeice's defeat, the was no smell like it in any part of the colliery.

As it got worse speculation grew that the smell was linked to the presence of an old borehole.

Keith Stone (26), who ran out of SOB onor ards ahead of a killer wall black water and slurry, said that the entire preVIouS shift had complained about the smell and about growing dampness.

Earlier, pit under-manager Mr John Oliver (47), disclosed that he had inspected the coal face three times before the disaster, but decided against halting work because production was unaffected.

Senior overman Mr Gerald McWalters confirmed that the face had been inspected, but only to ensure that production Top: Triumphant "Tiny'. Above: Sullen Smallpelce.

meeting turned vengeance.

They shouted good riddance' and 'get out' as he other seven purged directors sat grimfaced on the platform:

During his speech the shareholders' meeting Smallpeice was repeatedly booed and catHe said: "A majority of the board of Lonrho consider that over the last four years Mr Rowland has failed you and is still FROM IAN YEATS IN WAKEFIELD would not be affected and not from the point of view of safety or determining the source of the seepage.

He said: 'I thought the majority of the water was coming from chocks and the cutting machine. I saw no reason to conduct an investigation for safety.

It crossed my mind that the water could be connected with the old shafts which were marked on our working plans as being 50 yards away.

'But I had no reason to be apprehensive because of the cover given by the plan.

I always had it in mind that we wouldn't be allowed to work there if there were workings at our level.' failing you by hi failing you by the company's aff the company's which falls far sh‹ which falls far quired for quired for • a Lonrho's preser Lonrho's present plexity.

'Rubbish', the d •Rubbish', the lobby shouted. lobby shouted.

Sandys silenced the loud voice bellowed: you bloody, silly fool.' This conduct of affairs — conduct short of that recompany of size of comdefiant 'What about you at Cunard?' asked one shareholder recalling Smallpeice's chairmanship of the ailing shipping line.

Sandys asked shareholders to give Smallpeice a 'fair chance'.

Another shareholder was booed to silence when he raised some political issues about the Lonrho affair.

He said: 'All my voting life I have actively supported the Conservative Party. Every vote for resolution one (in favour of Rowland) will rebound against the Party and the next election. I have peace of mind you have not.' He shouted above the rising crescendo of noise, 'You have joined the Maxwells and the Poulsons. Now you follow the German messiah (Rowland was born in fixed address, Germany) of no fixed andress.

man as a 'Sit down Mr Oliver confirmed he knew of ol workings in seams above and below the face where the seven men died.

But he denied knowledge of workings or shafts in the same seam.

Plans, including the old workings, are certain to become the subject of fierce controversy later in the inquiry.

Already serious discrepancies have arisen over the exact location of the workings. One chart shows them 35 yards away from the face of S9B while Mr McWalters put them at 50 yards.

But Mr Oliver claimed he was told by the pit surveyor Mr Peter Wood that there were 100-120 yards to go before a stop mark would be reached.

The inquiry heard that Mr Wood sent pit manager Mr Tom £100,000 BUILDING FUND ANOTHER smashing post of £411.00. Just think of it. We're running two funds at once and both are successful. Only a politically prepared revolutionary movement could achieve such success. We now look forward to the best weekend's campaign ever.

Reading £1; Birkenhead £10; Middleton £17; Basildon £150; Wolverhampton £20; Southwark £50; Basingstoke £4; Acton £10; Paddington £11; Battersea £4; Bristol £27; Acton £25; Post Office Workers £42; A.R. £40.

Our total is now £38,325.64.

Post all donations Party Building Fu nd 186a Clapham High Stree London SW4 7U Mapplebeck a warning tha it the S9B face was approachi ng a 'cautionary area'.

In a critical statement, Keith Stone, who was at the face minutes before the water broke in, said an unusual smell like rotten eggs was coming out of the coal as the machine.

Minutes before the tragedy Mr Stone said the smell intensified and fellow worker Mr Walter Stubley said he turned round and saw water coming out of the face 'full bore' (the width of the seam).

He said: 'I was in the packing hole. I heard a heavy rumbling and then a queer noise like an explosion. The water picked me up and flung me onto the stage loader. A deputy picked me up. He said run ... and I did.' The inquiry continues.

up bank