January 24, 1913.

THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN.

193

but the increased output had been followed by the opposite
effect to that which many people forecasted—the whole
demand had been exceeded to an extent that few people
would have expected, whilst the surplus coal had been
introduced to other inland and foreign markets with the
most striking consequences. Instead of the market becoming
glutted and low prices being realised, its reputation had
been enhanced and higher prices gained, so that he was
perfectly convinced there was no limit to the lucrative
trade available for this coal. Excellent coke was
made from the slack, and valuable by-products were
obtained from the gases evolved during the process.
By the introduction of washing plants and coking ovens
and other by-product machinery they were now making
satisfactory progress in dealing with a very large tonnage
of coal formerly left in the pit, or exported to our Conti-
nental manufacturers. It was to the technical education
given by the universities of Sheffield and Leeds that they
owed their thanks, and as mining technical education pro-
ceeded so much richer would they be in the Doncaster
district. Notwithstanding the six weeks’ strike of miners,
the output of coal this last year had been a record. The
same remarks applied to the exports, which had also been a
record. The tonnage of coal exported from the ports of Hull,
Grimsby, Goole, Boston and Lynn for the years 1887 and 1888
were 2,894,977; in 1897 and 1898 they were 4,981,619; 1907
and 1908,11,871,390; 1909 and 1910, 23,971,210; and 1911
and 1912, 26,238,616. Unfortunately there had been an
attempt by the Home Office, in the recent prosecution at
Bentley, to put back the hands of the clock of progress of
prosperity of their trade; but, thanks to the three level-
headed, common-sense West Riding magistrates, what might
have had a disastrous effect had been averted. He happened
to know that in France the Government Department dealing
with mines would have assisted the colliery management
in such a matter as this; and he could not help thinking, if
the member of Parliament for the Doncaster division had
been able to spare a little time to see the spirit in which
the case was conducted by the Government officials, he might
have brought some influence to bear upon the Home Office.
He could not sit down without referring in the most satis-
factory way to the foresight of the various railway com-
panies in providing the excellent docks and shipping
arrangements at Immingham and Hull, and it must be
satisfactory to see the record exports from the Humber and
Wash ports. If, however, the railway companies, seeing the
ever-increasing volume of trade, would make an extra pair
of rails for the coal traffic, instead of continuing to make
such gigantic store sidings, he had little hesitation in saying
upwards of 25 per cent, more could be earned by their rolling
stock, besides giving better despatch to traffic.

Mr. R. Kinnear proposed “ The Railway Companies.” He
said Mr. Dunston had given them figures to show the
increase during the last few years in exports from the
Humber and Wash ports; if they had the figures, he
believed it would be found the exports had been in the same
proportion, if not higher, on the west coast. When they
considered the railway companies were responsible for the
handling of this traffic, independently of how many new
collieries were opened out, they realised what a great task
was put upon them. Mr. Kinnear referred to the railway
developments around Doncaster, the concentration sidings
at Wath, the new docks at Hull and at Immingham, which
showed that the companies were fully alive to their duties
and prepared to carry them out, whilst their officials as a
body of men were the most businesslike and able in the
community.

Mr. J. H. Williams, Mr. Gatenby, and Mr. Butler
responded.

The concluding toast was that of the chairman, which
was heartily honoured.

The West Cumberland Iron Trade.—It is some years
since the Cumberland haematite iron trade was in such a
healthy condition. Although the whole of the by-product
coke ovens are working regularly, yet they are unable to
supply the demands of local smelters, who have still to rely
to a great extent upon a supply from the north-east coast.
It is highly probable that if coke were forthcoming in
sufficiently large quantities several more furnaces would be
put into blast. The number of furnaces in blast in Cumber-
land at present are :—Moss Bay and Derwent Works,
Workington, three each; Oldside and Lowther works,
Workington, one each; Solway works, Mary port, Distington
and Cleator, two each ; and Millom, four. A comparative
statement of prices, &o., shows that the average cash price
of haematite pig iron warrants for 1912 was 73s. 3d , com-
pared with 63s. Id. in 1911, 65s. 46. in 1910, 58s. Id. in 1909,
59s. 7d. in 1908. In 1907 it was 74s. 4d., in 1900 78s. 9d.
the highest yearly average price on record for West
Cumberland haematite. The production of iron in West
Cumberland in 1912 is not yet known ; but in 1911 it was
598.402 tons, in 1910 749 033 tons, in 1909 723,204 tons, in
1908 666,612 tons, in 1907 859,454 tons, in 1905 930,754 tons,
in 1905 872,478 tons, in 1904 551,341 tons, and in 1903
796 699 tons. The average number of furnaces in blast in
1912 was 26, in 1911 21, in 1910 24, in 1909 28. In 1888 the
number was 50, in 1889 56. It fell to 31 in 1894, rose to 47
in 1899. and has been in the thirties and twenties ever
since. The shipments last year totalled 262,344 tons, com-
pared with 283,123 tons in the preceding year, with 365 386
tons in 1910, 249,602 tons in 5909, and with 440,466 in 1908.

Sir Clifford Cory, M.P., presided at a meeting of
the South Wales Mining Board, which was held on
Friday at the Engineers’ Institute, Cardiff, the purpose
of the meeting being to interview candidates for the
position of director of the new mining school which the
coalowners are establishing at Treforest. Seven candi-
dates attended; but the actual appointment had to be
deferred, as so much time was taken up in the personal
investigation. It has, however, since been announced
that Prof. Knox, of the Mining School, Wigan, has
received the appointment, and that Mr. John Samuel,
Rhondda, has been chosen as his assistant. The latter
gentleman has been for some time one of the lecturers
under the Glamorgan Council.

Members of the South Wales Federation commenced
yesterday (Thursday) their further ballot upon the
reorganisation scheme. The vote last September upon
the same subject was taken part in by only 85,000 out
of about 120,000 members.; and of these there was a
majority of 10,000 in favour of the scheme outlined.
Prolonged discussion since then has not made the men
regard it any more favourably, one chief objection being
that it will destroy the district action which has prevailed
in the past, and will make the agents only paid servants
of the central executive, instead of independent advisers
of the men in each locality. It has been shown during
the meetings since held that the central body will be
physically unable to deal with local grievances at its
ordinary meetings; that the working will be extremely
dilatory and very expensive; and that the interests of
the men will fall into the hands of any central extreme
group who may secure office, the existing freedom of
each area in meeting and settling its own difficulties
being extinguished. Originally it was intended that the
ballot should be completed this week ; but certain delays
have arisen which occasion an extension of the period
till February 8. Among the proposals is one for
reducing the wages of miners’ agents to £3 a week;
and naturally there is strong opposition to this.

The proposal is so clearly recognised as a Syndicalist
one, resulting in the perpetuating rather than composing
of strife, that even confessed Socialists have condemned
it; and special interest therefore attaches to this
renewed ballot.

The Conciliation Board, during its meeting at
Cardiff on Monday, discussed the question of the
banksmen, for whom the Federation desires to ensure a
levelling up in wage-rate and also a reduction of hours.
Mr. Brace, M.P. (president of the South Wales Federa-
tion), urged the employers to reconsider a previous
decision, and stated that at several collieries the banks-

ROTES FROM SOUTH WALES.

Lfrom our own correspondent.^

<£100,000 Expenditure at Swansea for Improving
Coal-shipping Facilities—Director Appointed for
Coalowners’ New Mining School—Another Ballot
of Miners upon Reorganisation — Conciliation
Board and Banksmen’s Claims—Men’s Breach of
Christmas Holiday Agreement—Test Case upon
Piece-worker’s Wage Rate — Albion Men and
Rejection of Leaders’ Advice — Fort Talbot’s
Prosperity in 1912 — Critical Situation in the
Tin-plate Trade.

A great improvement in the facilities for coal
shipment at Swansea is foreshadowed by the announce-
ment that the Great Western Railway Company intend
to spend no less than £100,000 in the construction of
additional siding accom modation near the Briton Ferry-
road Station. This gratifying fact was disclosed on
Tuesday during the visit to Swansea of Mr. Frank
Potter, general manager of the Great Western Railway,
who made his promised journey to the port for the
special purpose of personally investigating the circum-
stances of dock and railway service, and of the reported
shortcomings. He was accompanied by officials from
London, and was conducted over the ground by local
officials, who fully explained the requirements of the
port and the needs of the growing trade. Sir Griffith
Thomas, chairman of the Harbour Trust, with the
president of the Chamber of Commerce (Mr. Jeffreys),
Mr. Law (general manager of the harbour), and others,
met Mr. Potter in conference; and a tour was made of
the docks, so that careful inspection of the coaling
arrangements might be made. A visit was paid to the
Graigola-Merthyi- Fuel Works, and also to the tin-plate
sheds of the Trustees. One question raised during
discussion was as to the availability of the movable tips
for the larger vessels coming to the port; and it was
agreed that such arrangements should be made as
would ensure that these tips are available “ for the
purpose for which they were provided.”

men were working long hours, and that, as a class, their
wages were inadequate considering the responsible nature
of the duties they had to perform. On behalf of the
employers, Mr. W. Stewart (chairman of the Coal-
owners’ Association) declined to take any course which
was contrary to the existing agreement; this being the
consistent attitude of the colliery proprietors. Banks-
men were, he said, included in the agreement under the
present Conciliation Board, and their wages and hours
had been settled. Nevertheless, it was shown that there
was no unwillingness to deal with specific cases of
grievance individually, seeing that conditions varied
greatly. After investigation made by both sides, the
matter will come up at the next Board meeting for
separate treatment of each case.

At Christmas the men took three days’ holiday
instead of the two days which had been agreed upon ;
and the owners’ representative made complaint of this
at the Conciliation Board meeting, asking that the
men’s representatives would take steps to see that any
future arrangements were duly carried out. This the
latter promised to do.

It has been decided by the executive council of the
South Wales Federation that their solicitor shall be
consulted as to the advisability of taking a test case
into court concerning the application to piece workers
of the Minimum Wage Act rules—in respect of rates
higher than those stipulated in Lord St. Aldwyn’s
award.

Upon a ballot, the decision of Albion Colliery
workmen is—808 to 436—that they will adopt the
recommendation of their leaders to agree to the new
price list for the 4 ft. seam. This decision is contrary
to the vote of the mass meeting, which rejected the
leaders’ recommendation; and it shows the advisability
of resorting to ballot—which ought always to be secret
if the real opinion of the men is to be ascertained. The
refusal of the men to follow the advice of their leaders
came up at the Conciliation Board meeting on Monday,
when the employers entered protest against such
action, as calculated to upset the whole machinery of
the Board, seeing that the price list had been arranged
by representatives of both sides. The miners' represen-
tatives on the Board promised their endeavours to
induce the men’s return to work without delay, a
further difficulty having that morning arisen at the
colliery in respect of the 4 ft. seam.

Mr. Watts Morgan, miners’ agent, speaking in the
Rhondda, on Friday, said that if concessions and
improvements were to be obtained at the termination of
the present agreement, there was no time to be lost
in preparing their demands and in understanding one
another. Their aim should be to secure to day-wage
men (irrespective of loss of work) the increase which
under the Act was now conditional, and thus raise the
standard rate of pay to 3s. 8d. per day as an established
wage. Mr. Vernon Hartshorn, who also spoke, declared
that the men failed to realise what they had gained in
the national strike. In the Rhondda, where 12,000 men
had endured the rigours of two winters during their
strike, they would have considered themselves to have
gained a great victory had they established a minimum
wage of 6s. 9d. for 80 men in one seam. Yet in the
national strike they had gained for thousands a
minimum of 7s. 2|d. In a meeting at Pontypridd,
another speaker, Mr. John, said they were “out for” a
better Minimum Wage Act; and they would soon have
an opportunity of reviewing the rules and regulations
under the award.

Port Talbot returns for 1912 are most gratifying,
showing, notwithstanding the strike, a material increase
of business. Coal exports rose from 1,822,424 to
1,949,669 tons, but patent fuel declined from 211,767 to
197,500 tons, and coke from 16.424 tons to 7,307 tons.
These figures are an increase of 127,245 tons in coal,
but decreases of 9,177 tons in coke and of 14,262 in
patent fuel—leaving the combined increase under the
three heads at 123,851 tons.

The large increase of productive power in the
tin-plate trade—no fewer than 70 new mills having been
erected during the past eight years—has combined with
other influences to bring manufacturers to the point of
over-production ; and at the quarterly gathering, which
took place in Swansea on Tuesday, it was resolved to
convene a special meeting early in February to take the
condition of the industry into full consideration. There
was steady growth of trade from 1903 till the beginning
of last year; and, as a consequence of good profits,
continuous expansion of manufacture took place. In
the steel mills the productive capacity of tin-plate bars