January 10, 1913. THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN. 83 Just Published. 380 Pages, 207 Illustrations, and 3 Folding Plates. Large Or. 8vo. Cloth. Price 6s. net. ______________________ LAND AND MINING SURVEYING As Applied to Collieries and other Mines, For Students, Colliery Officials, and Mine Surveyors. by GEORGE LIONEL LESTON, Mining Engineer and Surveyor, Certificated Colliery Manager. ________________ London : CROSBY LOCKWOOD & SON, 7, Stationers’ Hall Court, E.C., and 5, Broadway, Westminster, S.W. TUBES & FITTINGS, IRON AND STEEL. Tubes for Gas, Water, Steam, and Compressed Air. Electric Tramway Poles, Pit Props, High Pressure Steam Mains, &c. JOHN SPENCER LTD., Globe Tube Works, Wkdnbsbuby. J. W. BAIRD AND COMPANY PITWOOD IMPORTERS, WEST HARTLEPOOL, YEARLY CONTRACTS ENTERED INTO WITH COLLIERIES OSBECK & COMPANY LIMITED, PIT-TIMBER MERCHANTS, NEWCASTLE-ON-TYNE. SUPPLY ALL KINDS OF COLLIERY TIMBER. Ti:l«grams—«• OsuaoKS, Newoastlb-on-Tynb." __________________________________________________________ *#* For other Miscellaneous Advertisements see Last Whitt Page. Forthcoming Annual Meetings. _____ Institution of Mining and Metallurgy, March 13, 1913 International Geological Congress— August 21, 1913 (Toronto) Geological Society _____________ Feb. 21,1913 North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers ___________________ August 2,1913 South Wales Institute of Engineers— Annual Dinner _______ Jan. 2-3, 1913 Annual Meeting_______ March 18, 1913 Institution of Mechanical Engineers Feb. 14,1913 Annual Dinner _______ April 17,1913 Mining Institute of Scotland— Annual Meeting_______ April 12,1913 Manchester Geological and Mining Society— October 14, 1913 Institution of Mining Engineers— June 5 & 6, 1913 (London) Sept. 24, 25 & 26, 1913 (Manchester) Midland Institute of Mining, Civil and Mechanical Engineers ___________________ July 20, 1913 Midland Counties Institution of Engineers, Sept. 1913 South Staffordshire and Warwickshire Institute of Mining Engineers_____________October 20, 1913 Mining and Geological Institute of India, Jan. 31,1913 _______________________________ W MUtry (Swilun. LONDON, FRIDAY, JANUARY 10. 1913. _______________________ Last month 5,966,177 tons of coal, coke and manufactured fuel were exported from the United Kingdom, valued at £3,941,865, as com- pared with 6,040,779 tons, valued at £3,528,970, in December 1911, and 5,383,541 tons, valued at £3,099,991, in December 1910. The total quantity exported in 1912 was 67,036,457 tons, of a value of £42,584,774. This compares with 67,271,883 tons, valued at £38,447,354, and 64,520,320 tons, valued at £37,813,360, in the respective years of 1911 and 1910. The average value of coal, coke and manufac- tured fuel exported from the United Kingdom during December was 13s. 2 5d. per ton, as compared with ]ls. 8’2d. in December 1911 and Ils. 6'ld. in December 1910. The value during the completed year ended December 31 is 12s. 8’4d. per ton, as compared with Ils. 51d. and Ils. 8*6d. respectively in the corresponding periods of 1911 and 1910. Seven motions for the rejection of the Govern- ment’s new Railways Bill have now been put down. The third part of the General Report on Mines and Quarries for the year 1911 by the Chief Inspector of Mines has been issued as a Blue Book [Cd. 6550]. A summary of the general results shows that the total value of the minerals raised during the year amounted to £124,579,313, an increase of £2,473,731 as compared with 1910. The increase is mainly accounted for by the increased output of coal. The total output of coal was 271,891,899 tons, and the value £110,783,682, showing an increase of 7,458,871 tons and of £2,406,1] 5 respectively on the figures for 1910. At the Doncaster West Riding Police Court on Saturday, the magistrates gave their decision in the Bentley case. The Bench were of opinion that the evidence for the prosecution was inconclusive, and that the information must be dismissed. The Home Office has decided to withdraw from the remaining actions. The second meeting of the Coal Conciliation Board for the Federated Districts of England and Wales was held at the Westminster Palace Hotel on Monday to consider the application of the miners for a 5 per cent, advance in wages. It was decided to grant the advance, to commence as from the second making-up day in January. At a meeting between representatives of the Northumberland Coalowners’ Association and the miners on Saturday, it was decided to revive the joint committee, which has not met since the national coal strike. A meeting of the Manchester Geological and Mining Society will be held on Tuesday next. A meeting of the North Staffordshire Institute will be held on Monday next. The Prime Minister on Wednesday received a deputation consisting of the Parliamentary Committee of the Trade Union Congress, the Management Committee of the General Federa- tion of Trade Unions, and the National Executive of the Labour Party, who urged upon the Government the desirability of pressing forward with the Trade Unions Bill, in order that it might secure the advantage of the provisions of the Parliament Act. The Prime Minister, in reply, while expressing the utmost sympathy with the objects of the Bill, said the matter was one simply of time. The Home Secretary has issued a draft of general regulations for mines which he proposes to make under the Coal Mines Act, 1911. The regulations are divided into seven parts. Pro- vision is made for the reference of objections, “ general ” or other, to a referee if made before March 1 next. ________________________ In our issue of the Colliery The Bentley Guardian of November 22 last Colliery we commented upon the prose- Case. cution instituted by the Home Office for contravention of Section 67 of the Coal Mines Act, 1911, against Mr. John William Fryar, as agent of the owners of the Bentley Coalmine (Messrs. Barber Walker and Co., Eastwood, Nottingham), Mr. Robert Clive, as manager, and Mr. Albert Longden, as under-manager of such mine, for not withdrawing men from the mine when it was dangerous through having over 2J per cent, of gas in the atmosphere. The case was heard at the West Riding Police Court, Doncaster, on November 16, 1912. In giving the decision of the Bench, the chairman said that the question they had to try was not whether the mine was adequately or inadequately supplied with atmospheric air, but whether the defendants were guilty of an offence under the particular section—67, of the Coal Mines Act, 1911. They had come to the con- clusion that a technical offence had been committed, • and therefore there must be a conviction. They did not think, although the offence might have been one of great gravity and had serious consequences, they could take that view of it in the present circumstances, and they thought the case would be met by putting on the nominal penalty of 20s., to be paid between the three defendants, and also the costs. There were three other summonses against Mr. Fryar and Mr. Clive for alleged contra- ventions of section 29 (1) of the Coal Mines Act, 1911, on July 22, 25 and 30, 1912, respec- tively. The summonses relating to offences alleged on July 25 were also heard at the West Riding Police Court, Doncaster, on November 30, December 14 and December 20 last, the Bench being constituted as on the former occasion (November 16, 1912), with one additional magistrate, and the proceedings have been already reported in the Colliery Guardian J The Bench reserved their decision until Saturday last, in order to have the opportunity of going through the whole of the very lengthy evidence, and eventually dismissed the Home Office summonses in question, as reported on p. 73 of our present issue. The Home Office has since withdrawn the remaining summonses. As we have already stated, the prosecutiorb which has just been decided is for alleged contraventions of section 29 (1) of the Coal Mines Act, 1911. Section 29 is at the com- mencement of Part II. of the Act, which deals with “ provisions as to safety,” and subsection. (1) is as follows :— 29.—(1) An adequate amount of ventilation shall be constantly produced in every mine to dilute and render harmless inflammable and noxious gases to such an extent that all shafts, roads, levels, stablesy and workings of the mine shall be in a fit state for working and passing therein, and in particular that the intake airways up to within one hundred yards of the first working-place at the working-face which the- air enters shall be normally kept free from inflam- mable gas. Provided always that— (a) an abandoned road or level not used in connection with the working of the mine shall, if properly fenced off, not be deemed to be a road or level within the meaning of this section; and (5) no person shall be liable in respect of any , contravention or of failure to comply with the provisions of this section if he shows that the ventilation was interrupted in con- sequence of an accident, and that no persons were employed in any part of the mine in which an adequate amount of ventilation was not being produced, except such persons as it was necessary to employ in that part of the mine for the purpose of restoring the ventilation. The main line of argument put forward by the prosecution was briefly as follows : — Section 67 (l)says—If at any time it is found by the person in charge by reason of the prevalence of noxious or inflammable gases, the mine or any part of it is dangerous every work- man shall be withdrawn. Sub section (2) says— For the purposes of this section a place shall be deemed to be dangerous if the percentage of inflammmable gas in the general body of the air is 2-J- per cent. In other words, if you find 2^ per cent, of gas in a place where men are working, these men ought to have been withdrawn when the place was found to be in such a state, and kept out till the danger was removed. But if they are not withdrawn, it is clear from the wording of the Act that the place is dangerous, and if it is dangerous under the section by reason of the presence of that gas, and if there is a dangerous percentage of that gas present, it cannot be said that the gas is diluted and rendered harmless. Evidence was tendered to show that on July 25,1912, Mr. Henry Moore Hudspeth, H.M. inspector of mines in the Yorkshire and * November 22, December 6 and 20, 1912.