January 17, 1913. __________________________________________________________________________________________________ THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN. 141 EXPORTS AND IMPORTS OF IRON AND STEEL IN 1912. The total value of the exports of iron and steel and the manufactures thereof (not including iron ore, scrap iron, and steel) from the United Kingdom during 1912 was £48,628,918, as compared with £43.730,292 in 1911, and £42,976,671 in 1910. Imports of similar articles were valued at £12,970,862, as compared with £11,133,854 in 1911, and £9,086,214 in 1910. The following tables show the values of the exports and imports of the various classes of manufactures included in the above in 1912 and 1911 Exports and Imports of Iron and Steel Goods. Exports (f.o.b.). as compared with £21,374,729 in 1911. This included the following items amongst others :—Boilers, £1,876,494 (£1,816,284) ; machine tools, £935,469 (£759,490) ;: mining, £937,187 (£6,779,231). The classified according follows:— NOTES FROM SOUTH WALES Value. __________ Iron— Pig and puddled iron........... Castings of iron ............... Forgings of iron ............... Wrought in bars, rods, &c...... Cast iron and manufactures thereof (unenumerated) ..... Wrought iron and manufactures (unenumerated) ............. Iron or steel— Railroad ...................... Wire.......................... Wire manufactures............. Ship, &c., plates(|in. and over)... Do. do. (under pin.) ... Blackplates.................... Galvanised sheets ............. Armour plates ................. Tinned plates and sheets....... Hoops and strips ............... Anchors, grapnels, chains and cables ...................... Tubes and pipes and fittings, wrought .................... ' ........................ Pipes and fittings, cast......... ............... Nails and rivets ...............7 Screws..........................5 Bolts and nuts ................ Bedsteads and parts thereof ___ Railway wheels and axles....... Tires and axles ............... Steel— Ingots ........................ Blooms, billets and slabs....... Sheet bars and tinplate bars... Castings of steel............... .................. Forgings of steel............... In bars, angles, rods and shapes or sections ................... ! Girders, beams, joists and pillars Manufactures of steel or of iron and steel (unenumerated)..... I Imports (c.i.f.'j 1911. £ 3,888,599 59,966 12,733 1,095,765 894,291 1,293,205 3,184,985 1,199,338 1,238,571 1,044,128 814,865 711,781 7,614,303 194,287 6,843,351 365,085 546,939 (£1,034,503) ; textile, mining machinery exported to country of destination £7,044,417 is as To— 1911. £ 1912. £ Countries in Europe 53,164 ... 75,278 United States of America 3,654 3,061 Countries in South America.. 60,371 ... 56,263 British South Africa . 525,592 ... 414,683 ,, East Indies 58,393 ... 73,082 Australia 85,351 ... 61,503 New Zealand 34,656 ... 30,887 Other countries . 213,322 ... 222,430 Total , 1,034,503 ... 937,187 find that prime movers 1912. £ . 4,878,876 70,680 8,879 . 1,247,240 945,949 . 1,413,419 ... 3,780,142 ... 1,055,536 ... 1,383,902 ... 1,190,116 a46,216 691,965 ... 8,597,372 243,134 ... 6,826,346 356,537 2,701,715 . 1,065/53 . 590,528 . 419,945 . 719,020 . 570,871 . 427,691 . 4,383 38,577 33,772 . 120,923 .. 2,920,304 ... 3,249,420 885,544 ------- 2,23 ’,674 ... Turning next to imports, we (electrical excepted) of the value of £205,965 were imported during 1912, as compared with £138,502 in 1911. Included were the following:—Rail locomotives, £4,059 (£5,145); pumping, £37,092 (£36,333); winding, £3,596 (£500). Electrical machinery of all kinds of the value of £1,151,351 was imported, as against £1,050,829 in 1911. The total value of the machinery imported, other than prime movers and electrical machinery, was £5,463.428, as compared with £4,579,331 in 1911. Included were:—Boilers, £5,894 (£5,619); machine tools, £282,643 (£214,219) ; mining machinery, £87,818 (£51,886) ; textile machinery, .£273,511 (£240,392). Exports and Imports of Pig Iron. Exports. [from our own correspondent.] Trouble Averted by Concession at District Board— Men’s Special Conference Abandoned—Dock Diffi- culties at Cardiff: Revived Discussion—Colliery Profits in South Wales: Interesting Calculation —Proposed Unifying of Cambrian Combine Interests—Mr. D. A. Thomas’s American Journey, and the Panama Canal Developments in Coal Trade—Swansea’s Fine Trade Record—Coke-oven Gas Offered for Town Supply—Badges for Trade Unionists, and Rejection by Banksmen of all Non-wearers—Cardiff’s Great Record. A matter of great importance, in reference to which the men had threatened decisive action and had summoned a general conference, came before the statutory District Board at a meeting summoned for the special purpose on Saturday. The point at issue arose out of the bonus turn which is paid to men on the afternoon and night shifts. Should that bonus be taken into account in calculating the daily wage-rate of men on piecework ? Six turns are paid for five worked, and the question was whether the week should be divided by five or by six, the men contending for the latter. Acting upon their interpretation of Lord St. Aldwyn’s award, the employers held that the minimum daily rate of colliers and others engaged on piecework on those shifts should be reckoned on the actual number of days worked; but the men’s representatives argued that to take five shifts per week instead of six when calculating the earnings for minimum-wage purposes was contrary to custom which prevailed before the new law came into operation. They added that it would be necessary for them to take strong measures in order that these breaches of custom discussion, the owners agreed to six shifts being taken in the calculation ; and a meeting of the sub-committee will be held to draft a scheme applicable to the whole coalfield. Therefore the intended conference of is unnecessary, and will not be held. ______ 623,863 976,840 482,929 542,161 853,532 163,942 128,116 160,231 17,v24 40,970 215,793 494,357 649,126 549,951 425,862 57,807 981,160 87,585 21,702 2,855,283 1,277,388 377,481 270,352 537,861 801,633 707,801 502/92 1,599 46,872 60 27,213 130,030 To 1910. Tons. 1911. Tons. Sweden 74,381 ... 67,399 Germany 134,481 ... 126,950 . Netherlands 79,384 72,728 Belgium 91,662 ... 62,629 France 119,265 ... 142,098 Italy 151,322 ... 135,104 Japan 73,548 ... 146,140 United States of America 183,345 ... 112,249 British East Indies 13,180 ... 12,363 Australia 25,796 ... 46,810 Canada 127^944 ... 91,024 Other countries 131,136 ... 187,785 Basic 21,579 .. 20,365 Forge and foundry... 805,871 .. 849,236 Haematite Spiegeleisen, ferro-I 218,211 ../ 195,778 manganese and > ferro-silicon J 159,783 . ... 137,930 Total 1,205,444 . ...1,203,309 Imports. Basic— From Sweden 4,602 . 427 United States of America — 2,569 Other countries 18,665 270 Total 23,267 . 3,266 Forge and foundry— Sweden 25,955 . .. 27,945 United States of America 1,575 . 8,306 Other countries 47,562 . 6,842 Total 75,092 . .. 43,093 Haematite— Sweden 24,225 . 33,833 United States of America 204 . — Other countries 15,672 . ..’ 64,138 Total 40,101 . .. 97,971 Spiegeleisen, f err o-mangan- ese, and ferro-silicon— Sweden 12,907 .. .. * 13,041 United States of America 1,491 .. 656 Other countries 18,952 .. .. 17,326 Total 33,350 .. .. 31,023 Total, pig iron ..... 1912. Tons. ... 81,038 ... 212,2**5 ... 88,377 ... 80,620 ... 126,467 ... 124,277 ... 129,595 ... 106,521 ... 14,928 ... 37,451 ... 68,024 ... 194,332 7,155 ... 847,065 ... 247,225 ... 162,390 2,906,181 ________ ...1,263,835 should not be made. After miners repre- bonus Iron— Pig and puddled iron........... Castings ...................... Forgings ................ ....,. Wrought, in bars, angles, rods and sections ................. Iron or steel— Hoops and strips.................... Tubes and pipes and fittings, wrought .................... Pipes and fittings, cast........... Ship, &c., plates and sheets (| in. and over).................... Ship, &c., plates and sheets (under | in.) ................. Wire.......................... Wire rods .................... Wire nails ..................... Nails (other than wire nails), screws and rivets............. Bolts and nuts ................. Rails.......................... Railway wheels & axles (complete) Tires and axles___................ Manufactures of iron or steel (unenumerated) ............. Steel- Ingots ........................ Blooms, billets and slabs....... Sheet bars and i in-plate bars... Castings in the rough........... Forgings in the rough ......... Bars, angles and shapes, other than girders, joists, &c........ Girders, beams, joists and pillars Imports of Machinery, &c. 742,692 58,062 40,692 797,384 ... 1,076,815 316,025 .. 302,509 39,441 601,710 ... 239,312 440,399 594,753 475,432 154,403 83,980 204,286 28,877 38,082 730,975 ... 158,013 . 2,286,721 . 1,450,125 . 101,510 . 207,713 . 216,337 ... 2,704,106 .. 1,274,284 153,134 268,223 589,058 ... 451,700 ... 728,301 676,514 Exports and Exports (j'.o.b.). Cutlery, hardware, implements (except machine tools) and instruments ................... 7,395,084 ... 8,122,202 Electrical goods and apparatus (other than machinery and tele- graph and telephone wire) ..... 2,819,374 ... 4,369,877 Machinery ....................... 30,960,678 ... 33,161,772 Ships (new)....................... 5,663,115 ... 7,031,899 Imports (c.if.) Cutlery, hardware, implements, (except machine tools) and instruments ................. Electrical goods and apparatus (other than machinery and tele- graph and telephone wire) ..... Machinery ..................... Ships and boats (new) ............. 5,273,043 6,990,575 907 12,945 4,345 A further application, made by the men’s sentatives to the District Board, was that payments should be, in future, based on the rates shown in the award wherever these were higher than the old rates. But the owners pointed out that this matter had already been decided, the independent chairman having stated that his award did not apply to bonus payments. Lord St. Aldwyn had decided that bonus turns must be paid at the old rate. 18,197 _______ 50,140 14,747 1,829 66,716 38,084 101 47,517 85,7C2 26,017 1,498 21,924 ... 49,439 ... 220,054 171,810 ... 175,353 Imports of Iron Ore. The following shows the imports of iron ore (including chrome ore, &c.):— From Manganiferous— Spain........ Other countries ....... 1910. Tons. 139,832 32,468 1911. Tons. 192,066 ... 24,034 ... 1912. Tons. 150,961 12,221 Total .............. 172,300 ... 216,100 ... 163,182 Other sorts— Spain.................. 4,714,774 ... 3,753,539 ... 4,139,028 Other countries........ 2,133,725 ... 2,376,960 ... 2,300,263 Total ............. 6,848,499 ... 6,130,499 ... 6,439,291 Total iron ore..... 7,020,799 ... 6,346,599 ... 6,602,473 In addition 63,181 tons of old iron and steel were imported (not including old rails), as against 50,381 tons in 1911. 1,435,492 5,768,662 64,484 1,457,646 6,820,744 33,651 The value of the exports of prime movers (except electrical) was, in 1912, £8,269,419, as against £7,795,230 in 1911. Of these, the following may be enumerated:— Rail locomotives, £2,139,036 (£2,307,620); pumping, £771,243 (£646,059); winding, £44,108 (£38,760). Elec- trical machinery was exported to the value of £1,973,156, as compared with £1,790,719 in 1911. Eliminating prime movers and electrical machinery, machinery was exported last year reaching the total value of £22,919,197, Exports of iron ore last year amounted to 6,142 tons, as against 6,252 tons, the value of these being £11,179, as against £10,644. Of the total last year, 164 tons were manganiferous ore, as against 353 tons in 1911. The amount of old and scrap iron or steel exported (excluding old rails) was 125,594 tons, valued at £398,205, as against 145,425 tons, valued at £441,970, in 1911. _________________________ There are now about 200 men employed in the work of lining with brickwork, followed by iron tubbing, the shafts of the New Welbeck Colliery at Warsop, Notts. The shafts have reached a depth of about 66 ft. Towards the end of this month it is expected that sinking will be resumed, and will proceed continuously until coal is reached. The sub-committee met on Monday, and came to agreement as to the matters relegated to them by the Board on Saturday. They also dealt with a number of other questions that had arisen in the coalfield as to which difference of opinion prevailed. ______ Bock difficulties are again acute at Cardiff, and the traders are signing a petition to the port authorities, who have issued a statement that the delays originate with the railways serving the docks. As our previous references to this subject show, this issue is very compli- cated; and each side sets out only part of the case. Doubtless, the lack of unity in railway and dock administration accounts for much of the delay ; as also does the failure of the dockowners to regulate use of tips (as in Newport docks). But “ nursing ” tips by shippers, and extension of the practice of coal-mixing is also responsible. Other questions—such as adequate equipment and sufficient power—have also been brought into the discussion, which promises to be both long and earnest. ______ Estimates as to colliery profits are always interesting} sometimes amusing, occasionally correct; but is there any industry with regard to which the outside observer and critic can so easily go wrong ? Some figures have been published locally which set out that 16 companies made a profit of a million and a-quarter in 12 months’ working, and carried half a-million forward in addition; moreover, that this twelvemonth was below the average of the past five years to the extent of a quarter of a-million. For five years the total profits are stated to have been no less than £7,839,714. These were, of course, selected undertakings, and they represent less than half the output of the coalfield. The other side of the story would show the risks which are inseparable from the industry; though few have had the long- continued financial strain of one of the more modern concerns, which has had about £600,000 outlay and not yet paid a penny of dividend. Profits per ton are stated to have varied from Is. 6d. to 2Jd. But this is scarcely a trustworthy calculation, for in the case of the iron companies the profit from iron and steel is included;