January 24, 1913.

THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN

181

3.. In which localities in the workings of a mine would
you expect to find firedamp and carbonic acid gas respec-
tively ? How would you make tests to ascertain the
presence of each ? State the height of the firedamp“ cap”
which corresponds to 2, 3 and 4 per cent, of firedamp
respectively. (50)

4.	Describe minutely how you would arrange to ventilate
a single heading driven in solid ground so as to restrict as
little as possible, or not at all, the quantity of air passing
through the district ? (50)

5.	If you have 20,000 cubic feet of air per minute passing
through a mine with a water-gauge of 1 in., what must be
the height of the water-gauge in order that 40,000 cubic
feet per minute may pass through it ? And what is the
theoretical horse-power required in each case ? (50)

6.	Given a persistent blower of firedamp in a cavity in
the roof of an intake airway near which there is a return
airway not necessarily in the same seam, what means would
you adopt to prevent the firedamp from reaching the
working faces ? (50)

Subject No. 3.—Explosions in Mines, Underground Fires, and
Inundations.

1.	What are the principal sources of coaldust under-
ground, and what character of dust do yc u consider to be
most dangerous ? What means would you adopt to prevent
or reduce the production of dangerous dust in a mine ? (20)

2.	What are the most common causes of explosions ? In
order to guard against the risk of explosions, what matters
would require your special attention in the course of your
daily supervision ? (20)

3.	What alteration would you expect to find in the
composition of the air in the workings of a mine after an
explosion, and what is the nature of the most dangerous
gas produced by an explosion ? What tests would you make
of the air in such workings before permitting men to
enter ? (20)

4.	In working a seam of coal known to be liable to
spontaneous combustion, what ordinary precautions should
be taken in the course of their daily work—(1) by the
officials of the district, and (2) by the workmen ? (20)

5.	Describe, with simple sketch, any type of rescue
apparatus with which you are familar, and explain upon
what principles its safety depends, and what defects or
misuse would render it unsafe. (20)

Subject No. 4.—Machinery.

1.	Give a list of the fittings and mountings that it is
usual to have on a Lancashire boiler, including everything
that is attached to the boiler shell, and state briefly the
purpose of each item. What is a deadweight safety valve ?
(20)

2.	What are the dangers arising out of the use of electrical
power underground in connection with cables and motors,
and how are they to be avoided ? (20)

3.	On your rounds underground you discover a crack, about
4 in. long, in a pipe through which compressed air is
escaping freely. The pipe is 5$ in. in over-all diameter, and
the crack runs along it. Make dimensioned sketches of a
plate and clamps suitable for effecting a temporary repair.
Draw up an order on the workshops for the materials
wanted, including the bolts, describing all the items
clearly. (20)

4.	Describe any type of coal-cutting machine. State the
depth of cut and the rate of cutting (either in feet or
square feet per hour or per shift) and the horse-power
required. (20)

5.	In connection with any tram (hutch or tub) that you
have used or seen in use, give as many of the following
particulars as you can:—Internal length of body; internal
breadth of body; internal depth of body; height above
rail; diameter of wheel; diameter of axle; gauge of track;
wheel base (i.e., distance from centre to centre of axles) ;
type of bearing; method of lubrication; type of drawbar
and coupling; gross weight of tram loaded with coal; net
weight of tram; kind of materials used in body; kind of
material of wheels.

Subject No. 5.—Arithmetic and Surveying.

1.	How many cubic yards of coal will be produced from
10 yards of a room, drift, or heading, 10 ft. in width, in a
seam 5 ft. thick, and how much will it weigh if the weight
of a cubic foot of coal be 80 lb ? (20)

2.	If the cost of driving a cross-measure drift, or cross-
cut mine, 9 ft. by 6 ft. be 95s. per fathom, what will the
drift or mine cost if its length be 125 fathoms, and what is
the cost per cubic yard of rock removed ? (20)

3.	What weight of water is contained in a tank 15£ ft. x
10ft. x 6ft., and how many gallons does it contain? (20)

(4 ) Describe how you would set out or lay off a bearing
of a drift, or heading, N. 60degs. E., with a common dial.
How would you fix your plumb lines, and what precautions
would you take to avoid error in setting out, or in laying off,
and in maintaining the direction ? What substances,
natural and manufactured, may you expect to find in a
coalmine that will deflect the needle of the dial ? (20)

5. Describe the process of levelling with a straight-edge
and spirit level ? Under what circumstances would you
adopt that method of levelling, and how would you test the
straight-edge and spirit level so as to secure accurate
work ? (20)

Subject No. 6.—Mines Act, General and Special Regulations
and Orders, and writing of Reports.

1.	As certificated under-manager, write a report to the
manager, of an accident to a winding engine which occurred
soon after the pit started drawing coals, you being under-
ground at the time, on the assumption that the engine was
used for raising men and coals, that the repairs took about
six hours. State what steps you took on hearing of the
breakdown. (30)

2.	What are the provisions of sections 64 and 65 of the
Mines Act relating to inspections before commencing work
and during shifts ? How are these carried out in practice
at any colliery with which you may be acquainted ? (25)

3.	Quote, in your own words, five out of the seventeen
regulations in the Third Schedule of the Mines Act relating
to the employment of horses underground, and state your
views upon the reasons for each of the five that you
quote. (18)

4.	What are the subjects of examination for firemen’s,
examiners’ or deputies’ certificates, and what are the
reasons for subjecting them to these tests ? (18)

5.	Quote, in your own words, the Order in Council
relating' to rescue apparatus, section 5 (b) on the provision
of tracings of the workings. What is the object of the
regulation ? (9)

WORKMEN’S COMPENSATION.

(Specially Contributed.)

Riding on Train for His Own Convenience.

Charlesworth v. Chatterley Whitfield Colliery Company.
—In this case (Tunstall, October 11) it appeared that
on June 8 the applicant boarded a coal train at Pittshill
in order to ride to the colliery to get his wages. The
train did not stop at Pittshill, but slowed down, and 50
or 60 men and boys were riding on it. The applicant
succeeded in getting on to a truck, but, in moving his
position, he fell off and was run over. Asa result, his
left arm had to be amputated. For the defence, the
manager of the company said the workmen had no leave
to ride on empty wagons, but were allowed to travel on
the company’s lines on sufferance only. The company
had never forbidden the men to climb on to the wagons»
and if they got on the trucks when the train was
stationary he offered no objection, but the train only
slowed down at Pittshill because of the gradient.
Evidence was given that some of the men had been
cautioned. On behalf of the company, it was contended
that the accident did not arise out of the applicant’s
employment, and this view was upheld by the judge,
who said the employees were only allowed to ride on the
train for their own convenience, and that the company
had never approved their getting on when the train was
in motion. It was impossible to find that it was any
part of the boy’s duty to get on while the train was in
motion at that place, and though sorry for him, he must
find for the respondents without costs.

Injury to a Dataller.

Pepper v. Sneyd Collieries Limited.—In this case
(Burslem, September 12) it was shown that an injury
which incapacitated a man, apparently even to a small
extent, may be such as to entitle him to compensation.
The accident, in respect of which the claim was made,
occurred on February 24. The applicant was a dataller,
and while carrying out his duties there was a fall of
dirt.. It was only a small fall, but the debris struck his
knee and injured it.

For the respondents, Dr. Shufflebotham said he
examined the applicant on August 23. He found that
the knee had completely recovered and that the move,
ments were in no way restricted. He was in a weak
condition, however, suffering from bronchitis and
shortness of breath, and there was also some degree of
arterial sclerosis. Witness was of opinion that the loss
of weight was due largely to the complete change of
habits since the accident, and in a lesser degree to the
arterial sclerosis and bronchitis.

Delivering judgment, his Honour said the conclusion
he had come to was that the applicant was not at the
present time able to do his ordinary work. His condition
was due, in his judgment, to the results of the accident
and therefore the compensation must continue until
further orders.

Compensation and the Minimum Wage.

Dean v. Tonge Colliery. — In this case (Bolton,
October 2) the Minimum Wage Act was considered for
the first time by Judge Bradbury. Dean, a drawer, of
Bolton, asked for compensation for an accident at the
Tonge Colliery, owned by Messrs. T. and H. T. Scow-
croft, to be fixed on the standard of the minimum wage
for colliers instead of on the average rate earned.
Evidence was given that the minimum in the case of a
drawer, like the plaintiff, was fixed at 5s. 6d. a day, and
for the collier at 6s. 6d.

After much legal argument, his Honour said he was
surprised that the plaintiff should have based his claim
on the minimum. He claimed 32s. and had only proved
30s., whereas the respondents claimed the right to pay
26s., and admitted paying at the rate of 32s. The
respondents said the colliery worked 269 days last year,
and his Honour eventually based his judgment on this
rate, saying that the average must be 5£ days a week,
and at the minimum rate of 5s. 6d. a day this would
come to 28s. 7d. a week. He felt that the man’s average
would be 30s. a week ; he arrived at this average from a
consideration of a period of the man’s actual employ-
ment, and would base the compensation amount on this
figure, which gave 15s. a week compensation. It was a
mistake for colliers to base their average earnings on the
minimum because the average rates must be over the
minimum.

*#* We shall be pleased to answer in this column questions
relating to Workmen’s Compensation and Employers’
Liability. All communications must be authenticated by the
name and address of the sender, whether for publication or
not. No notice can be taken of anonymous cowvmunications.

NEW RAILWAY DEMURRAGE REGULATIONS.

As a result of the views laid before the goods managers
of the railway companies by the Association of Chambers of
Commerce of the United Kingdom at a conference on
January 7, new regulations in regard to the addressing of
goods have been adopted by the railway companies and will
come into force on March 1 next. Articles or packages will
then be accepted if fully addressed or bear a distinguishing
mark, together with the name of the destination station.
Bars, plates, rods and sheets of iron, iron forgings, chains,
&c., must have the address or the trader’s mark and destina-
tion station painted or stencilled thereon or on suitable
tallies. Export and import traffic and goods carried in full
tiuck consignments to a single consignee will, for the
present, be exempt from these regulations. As regards
traffic to or from Ireland, the Irish railway companies
require every article or package to be fully addressed.

The deputation also submitted various reasons for the
revision of demurrage charges which came into operation
on January 1, but the railway companies would not agree to
this.

The new regulations propose to enforce the payment of
demurrage on trucks detained more than two days for
loading. The revised charges (which came into operation
on January 1) are:—

Before conveyance, Is. 6d. per ordinary wagon per day,
and 3d. per sheet per day, after the expiration of one day,
exclusive of the day upon which the loading of the wagon
is begun.

After conveyance, the same charges after the expiration
of two days, exclusive of the day of arrival—e.g., wagons
arriving on Monday, and not released before closing time
on Wednesday, would become subject to the charge.

Wagons of special construction or large capacity (such as
are extensively used in the Sheffield district) are subject to
special arrangements, and the regulation does not apply to
coal and coke traffic.

The deputation, above referred to, asked that, failing an
agreement to postpone the regulations, traders should be
given the benefit of the South Staffordshire and South
Wales agreements by which traders in those districts are
allowed three days’ grace before conveyance on railway
sidings and three days after conveyance, while traders
having private sidings are allowed four days before and
four days after. Four other suggestions were submitted:—

1.	Would they agree to the trader providing his own
wagons at an agreed rate for wagon hire ?

2.	Would they undertake to provide the trader with
an ample supply of wagons?

3.	If the trader is to pay demurrage for wagons
occupied beyond the specified time, it is only reasonable
that the railway companies should agree to allow for
delay either in supply of empties or in transit of goods
beyond a reasonable time. What did the railway com-
panies suggest was a reasonable time?

In the fourth place, reference was made to the custom of
railway companies, who send advice notes from the receiving
station to traders of the arrival of goods, when the latter
are in wagons in storage or marshalled in sidings. To
these sidings there was no access, and they might be
anything from half-a-mile to three miles away from the
goods depot, where the wagons were available to the trader
for the purpose of being unloaded. The wagons were
placed in the storage sidings until the railway companies
were able to put them in position for unloading at the
proper goods depots, and it frequently happened that the
time of demurrage commenced when the goods arrived at
these sidings, and not when they arrived in position avail-
able for unloading. Mr. T. W. Ward, who placed these
propositions before the companies, asked that this state of
things should be remedied.

The delegates generally left the meeting very dissatisfied
with the results of their efforts, as the railway officials
showed no disposition to yield to the arguments put forward
by the traders.

At arresting of representatives of the Chamber of Com-
merce of Newcastle, Sundeiland, Sti ckton, West Hartlepool,
and Middlesbrough, held in Newcastle, on Saturday, it was
resolved to ask the secretary of the Railway Clearing House
to arrange to meet representatives of local chambers of
commerce at an early date with regard to particular points
on the demurrage question.