352 THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN February 14, 1913. COAL AND COKE EXPORTED FROM PORTS IN ENGLAND, SCOTLAND AND WALES Daring the month of January 1913, compared with the corresponding month of 1912.* Port. January 1913. January 1912. Coals. Coke. Coals. Coke. Coals. Coke. Increase. Decrease. Increase. Decrease. Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. Newcastle 882,231 28,635 934,134 29,943 — 51,903 — 1,308 North Shields 70,861 1,024 65,893 1,394 4,968 — — 370 South Shields 138,053 353 89,673 2,728 48,380 — — 2,375 Sunderland 237,969 2,837 202,530 9,632 35,439 — — 6,795 West Hartlepool 103,920 — 88,988 2,296 14,932 — — 2,296 Goole 106,324 2,308 93,040 2,662 13,284 — — 354 Blyth 304,892 2,544 250,433 3,661 54,459 — — 1,117 Newport 463,757 1,437 401,691 1,051 62,066 — 386 — Liverpool 43,425 2,813 49,080 356 — 5,655 2,457 — Methil 164,121 226 178,065 1,600 — 13,944 — 1,374 Glasgow 146,050 3,627 85,117 3,373 60,933 — 254 — Kirkcaldy 5,641 — 9,053 — — 3,412 — — Burntisland 134,398 689 137,994 1,486 3,596 — 797 Cardiff 1,638,368 7,469 1,604,389 4,438 33,979 — 3,031 — Borrowstoness 41,685 2,031 43,266 1,042 — 1,581 989 — Llanelly 21,326 — 15,482 — 5,844 — — — Middlesbrough 1,436 1,605 1,175 3,393 ' 261 — — 1,788 Seaham 69,306 61,800 342 7,506 — — 342 Swansea 365,195 3,571 274,584 701 90,611 — 2,870 — Granton 14,456 3,259 6,093 2,278 8,363 — 981 — Port Talbot 175,105 346 139,402 2,620 35,703 — — 2,274 Alloa 12,449 100 9,043 — 3,406 — 100 — Grangemouth 127,605 4,274 105,065 705 22,540 — 3,569 — Neath 14,607 13,018 — 1,589 — — Hull 301,165 7,573 202,805 7,176 98,360 — 397 — Amble , 31,409 — 38,602 — — 7,193 — — Troon 11,989 — 2,361 — 9,628 — — — Grimsby 79,452 265 132,884 184 — 53,432 81 — Ayr 2,789 — 1,076 1,713 — — — Greenock — — — — — — — Leith 128,650 — 108,412 224 20,238 — — 224 Ardrossan 2,012 — 4,785 — — 2,773 — — Stockton — — — — — — — — COAL AHD COKE SHIPPED FOR LONDON AND OTHER PORTS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM.* Port. January 1912. January 1913. Port. January 1912. January 1913. Coals. Coke. Coals. Coke. Coals. Coke. Coals. Coke. Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. Newcastle 461,929 1,807 429,796 547 Ayr 64,713 390 pf 49,052 60 North Shields ... — — — — Irvine 6,333 — 2,657 South Shields ... 13,538 220 — Alloa 705 — 2,150 — Blyth 43,405 — 31,025 — Whitehaven 21,737 — 19,073 — Amble 5,735 — 8,270 — Liverpool 173,892 310 147,227 — Sunderland 151,780 — 117,496 — Grimsby 9,281 — 2,070 — Seaham 80,650 — 72,974 Granton 14,520 — 19,209 Hartlepool 45,525 12 59,851 — Borrowstoness .. 9,458 — 9,382 Stockton — — — — Burntisland 37,750 — 17,800 Middlesbro’ 30 77 — 160 Kirkcaldy 1,159 — 745 Hull 110,448 — 80,944 Methil 16,890 — 28,165 Goole 128,259 — 113,916 — Port Talbot 12,042 600 pf 10,300 400 pf Swansea 30,095 190 29,307 — Glasgow 50,042 557 21,326 643cl5pf Cardiff 275,852 60 232,617 2,530 Grangemouth ... 15,590 — 10,134 600 Llanelly 3,096 — 3,165 — Greenock 1,750 — 190 190 Newport 69,912 700 56,387 3 pf Neath 15,161 — 12,127 Troon 16,184 5 14,551 — Leith 10,075 6 6,300 — Ardrossan 11,677 — 3,572 — * From Browne’s Export List. the balance from last year of £30,23112s. Id., makes a total of £151,228 3s. 8d. The directors have written off for depre- ciation £10,000, and have transferred to ordinary reserve fund £15,000. They recommend a balance dividend of Is. per on the ordinary shares (making, together with the interim dividend already paid, 10 per cent, for the year), and also a bonus of 4s. per share, both free of income-tax, leaving to be carried forward to next year £33,728 3s. 8d. Western Wagon and Property Company Limited.—The directors, in their report for the year 1912, recommend a dividend of 10 per cent., half of which has already been paid on account. The sum of £1,272 has been applied in writing down simple hire wagons account, and £3,000 added to the reserve fund, raising it to £85,000, leaving £1,026 undivided. Wigan Coal and Iron Co. Limited.—The report for 1912 states that the death of the Earl of Crawford, K.T., who had been chairman of the company since 1880, deprives the shareholders of a most able and conscientious director. The directors further regret that Mr. Alfred Hewlett, who had occupied the position of managing director since the formation of the company in 1865, on account of advancing years desired to relinquish his post. The directors appointed his brother, Mr. W. H. Hewlett, to succeed him as manager and director. It is stated that the output has been less owing principally to the strike of miners. During the latter half of the year the output has been normal, and during this period the demand has increased. Prices just prior to the strike advanced in anticipation of a stoppage, and during the cessation of output got to a high level. These soon fell when the pits got fully to work, but during the latter half of the year the increased demand was accompanied by somewhat higher prices. Costs of production by a general advance of 5 per cent, in wages, as well as by legislation, have been increased. The coke ovens have all been kept at work, but not quite to their full capacity during the miners’ strike. The plant for the extraction of benzol, which was completed in the closing months of 1911, has worked satisfactorily. Save during the miners’ strike, when the output was somewhat curtailed, the ironworks have been fully engaged, the demand having been good and prices having advanced. The steelworks have been kept at work at their full capacity over the year, save during the last week of the miners’ strike; and here, as at the iron- works, the demand has been good and prices have advanced. The passing of the Insurance Act has added an increased burden on the capital of the company. The accounts for the year show a profit of £108,561 on the whole operations of the company. From last year £47,029 was brought, making a total of £155,591. The directors recommend a dividend at the rate of 6 per cent, per annum, free of income tax, for the year. This requires £108,583. An instalment at the rate of 4 per cent, per annum was paid in August last for the six months ended June 30, 1912, which absorbed £36,194, and a further sum of £72,389 is now required to make the divi- dend 6 per cent, per annum, leaving £47,008 to be carried forward. PARLIAMENTARY INTELLIGENCE. HOUSE OF COMMONS.—February 11. The Railways Bill. In Committee on the Railways (No. 2) Bill, Mr. Wedgwood moved to insert words in Clause 1, limiting complaints to those made on or before August 19,1913, in order to restrict the Bill to the carrying out of the Government’s definite pledge. The amendment, however, was ruled out of order. Amendments intended to promote agricultural interests and to confer a minimum wage upon railway workers were negatived, after which progress was reported. February 12. On Clause 1, Mr. Bathurst moved an amendment to the effect that the Railway Commissioners, in deciding whether an increased rate or charge by a railway company was justifiable, should take into account“ any benefits derived by the company from any improvement or economy effected in the working of the railway or dealing with the traffic thereon,” but this was opposed by the Government and eventually withdrawn. Immediately afterwards, Mr. Buxton moved an amend- ment to insert after “railway” in paragraph (a), which requires proof “ that there has been a rise in the cost of working the railway ” resulting from improvements in conditions of employment, the words “ excluding the cost of carrying passengers.” This, he said, was one of several amendments of considerable advantage to the trader which he had placed on the paper after negotiation with the companies. Another amendment was intended to make it quite clear that the word “staff” meant members of the clerical staff. The third amendment provided for a reconsideration and revision of the increased rates, and enabled the Commissioners to take into account any altered circumstances and to modify or altogether reduce the rates. The amendment was agreed to, as was the second of the amendments already referred to, as was another to insert words at the end of the clause providing that the Com- missioners, while agreeing to an increased rate, might order that the rate might be reconsidered at the end of a fixed period. Clauses 1 and 2 were agreed to. ABSTRACTS OF PATENT SPECIFICATIONS RECENTLY ACCEPTED. 892 (1912). Improvements in and Connected with the Sinking of Pits and Shafts. C. Walker, of Bodwyn, Gresford, near Wrexham, North Wales.—This invention relates to improvements in and connected with the sinking of pits and shafts, and concerns those methods of pit sinking according to which a lining of tubbing is suspended from a support and is built in, as the sinking proceeds, by forming rings of tubbing in the pit and connecting each ring, when made up, to the lower end of the lining of tubbing so far built into the pit. Such a method was described, for example, in the specification of British Patent No. 22745 of 1905, and in that instance a ring was employed beneath the end of the tubular lining of tubbingas an erecting base, for upon this ring the segments, constituting each ring of tubbing, were set up and bolted together prior to the com- pleted ring of tubbing being raised and connected to the lower end of the lining of tubbing already built into the pit or shaft. The object of the present improvements is to provide additional support for the rings of tubbing or for the crib ring or other rings used in the sinking, and to afford greater security and efficiency in the performance of lining of pits and shafts with tubbing. According to the invention the tubbing or other rings are pinned to the wall of the pit or shaft after they have been secured in position, so that, supposing the tubular lining of tubbing to be suspended from a ring built up of strong segments, which ring is sometimes called a crib and is usually seated on a ledge formed in the wall of the pit, the pinning of some or all of the tubbing 'segments to the wall as aforesaid con- siderably relieves the crib or suspension ring and the upper rings of tubbing segments of the very great load to which they are usually subjected. The invention is not concerned with bolts or screws previously proposed by patentee for centring cement tubbing segments in the specification belonging to British Letters Patent No. 21850 of 1909. Fig. 1 is a central vertical section of a portion of a shaft illustrating the improved method of building in the lining of tubbing ; fig. 2 is a transverse section of fig. 1 ; fig. 3 is an elevation; fig. 4 is a central vertical section ; and fig. 5 is a plan of a segment of tubbing constructed according to these improvements. (Five claims.) 911 (1912). Improvements relating to Controlling Mechanisms for Preventing Overwinding or Running at Excessive Speeds in Winding Gears. G. J. F. Black, of 182, Newton-road, Burton-on-Trent, and R. Thorne will, of Craythorne, near Burton-on-Trent.—The invention consists in arranging one of the two principal members so as to be driven in such a way that, in addition to the relative motions between the two members previously described, it has a third movement relative to the other part. When the engagement between the two parts takes place, this third movement serves to give -Ml r to the other part the motion which brings the stopping gear into action by releasing a catch or otherwise. The third movement can be made as rapid as desired, since it is not limited by the scale of the other movements, so that the actuation of the stop'gear may be made to follow very closely after the relative movement of the parts towards each other, to produce engagement, has taken place. Fig. 1 is a longi- tudinal section of a controller and overwind preventer; fig. 2 is a transverse section on the line 2—2 looking in the