544

THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN.

March 14, 1913.

not less than 1’5 c.p. throughout a period of not
less than 10 hours.

(4.) That the lamp shall be used only for work of
rescue or exploration in the case of an accident
or other emergency or by officials.

(5.) That the lamp has been made at the works of
Messrs. Oldham and Son, at Denton, near Man-
chester.

(6.) That the lamp shall have marked upon it its name
and the name of the maker.

(&) Approved Glass.

Glass branded.

Height............... 67	m.m. ± 4 m.m.

External diameter... 56 m.m. ± 1 m.m.

Thickness ............ 4	m,m. ± 1 m.m.

Provided that the variation in thickness in any one glass is
not more than 1 m.m.

Glass branded.

Provided that the glass shall bear the brand given above.
Provided also that it shall have been made by the same
manufacturer and is of the same composition and quality as
the samples submitted by Messrs. Ackroyd and Best
Limited, of Morley, near Leeds, to the official tests on the
24th December, 1912.

NOTES FROM SOUTH WALES.

fPROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT."!

More than 50,000 Notices to Stop Work -Annual
Meeting* of Coalowners’ Association: Assurances
of 451 Million Tons Output for 1913-14—Result
of Ballot on the Five-day Week Proposal—Death of
a great Mineral Proprietor—Swansea Harbour
Trustees and the Coal Trade—Good Colliery Profits
Organising for Total Stoppage, but Coal Trimmers
Wary — Glyncorrwg Property changes Hands—
Patent Fuel Manufacture, Home Office Enquiry
Resumed—Important Judgment of the High Court
Affecting Period of Notices re Employment.

By the decision of the Rhymney Valleys miners’
executive, an addition of at least 12,000 is made to the
number of men who will give notice on April 1,
threatening to stop work unless the non-unionists join
their organisation. The total, with the Rhondda men,
will exceed 50,000. In most districts, however, the non-
unionists are now joining the Federation, so that stop-
pages are not anticipated, though there always remains
risk in isolated areas.

At the annual meeting of the Monmouthshire and
South Wales Coalowners’ Association, on Tuesday,
Mr. Evan Williams (Llangennech) was elected president
for the ensuing year, and Mr. Hugh Watts, vice-presi-
dent. A hearty vote of thanks was accorded Mr. W.
Stewart, the retiring president. Mr. W. Gascoyne
Dalziel, the secretary, submitted a statement showing
that the members proposed assurances of an output for
the year 1913-14 of a total of 45,750,000 tons which is
an increase of 1,383,215 tons on the previous year.
Cardiff district is responsible for 30,750,000, Newport
for just over 10,000,000, and Swansea for 4,900,000 tons
of this total. The chairmen and vice-chairmen of the
different district boards are as follow :—

Cardiff: Mr. Leonard Llewellyn (chairman), with
Mr. Robert Gill (vice).

Newport: Mr. F. H. Davies, with Mr. W. M.
Routledge.

Swansea: Mr. S. L. Gregor and Mr. Evan Bevan.

Three companies have been admitted to membership
of the association—namely, the Bedwas, the Windsor,
and the New Diamond.

The new chairman of the association (Mr. Evan
Williams) is the eldest son of the founder of the firm
of Thomas Williams and Sons, owners of Morlais Colliery,
Llangennech. He is one of six representatives of the
coalowners who have been appointed on the Board of
Examiners under the Mines Act.

The new vice-chairman (Mr. Hugh Watts) is a
partner in Watts, Watts and Co., of Cardiff, and is
managing director of the United National Collieries and
of Burnyeat-Brown. He is vice-president of Cardiff
Chamber of Commerce.

With regard to the Bedwas Colliery referred to, it
may be noted that this new undertaking has already an

output of 500 tons per day, and is rapidly advancing
towards the 2,500 tons per day anticipated within a
twelvemonth. No fewer than s’x seams have been won,
representing close on 30 ft. of first-class coal, the terri-
torial position of the property—between some of the
best-paying mines in the coalfield—assuring high
quality. It is not surprising that the shares (very few,
however, having changed hands) reach 50 per cent,
premium.

The figures of the South Wales miners’ ballot upon
the five-days working week proposal have now been
published, and they show that not much more than half
the men entitled to vote have taken the trouble to go to
the poll on the matter. The result has been a decisive
rejection, the figures being 38,000 against, and about
22,000 for.

The death of Lord Tredegar, which took place on
Tuesday morning, removes one of the largest royalty
owners in the kingdom, his lordship’s estates
extending very widely and covering a very large area of
the best colliery land in Monmouthshire. He was the
recipient of coal dues over the famous “ Golden Mile,”
near Newport, as to which it was stated in a Parlia-
mentary Committee Room two or three years ago that
the annual income was £12,300. The railway from the
Western Valleys runs through Tredegar Park, and in
respect of this a tonnage rate has to be paid to the
owner of the park, the distance being about a mile.

The export returns for February are not at all
satisfactory, showing shipments of coal to have been
very much less. In the case of the South Wales ports
the total of 2,571,940 tons is nearly 350,000 tons lower
than in the corresponding month of last year. Very
largely this is due to the stoppage of shipments occa-
sioned by several days of fog; but there is also the
other fact that in the corresponding period there were
heavy shipments because of the pressure occasioned by
fear of the coming coal strike. Notwithstanding these
returns, it is a fact that the position of the coal trade is
extremely satisfactory—a very bright outlook existing
for a long distance ahead.

Dealings in pitwood during February show an
exactly contrary record, for the imports amounted to
142,950 loads as against 120,660 in the corresponding
month last year. This increase, coupled with the
difficulty of securing wagons for transport, brought down
the price to a point lower than has been reached for
more than a year—namely, 18s. 3d. to 18s. 6d.

Sir Griffith Thomas, in his address at the annual
meeting of the Swansea Harbour Trust on Monday (he
having been for the fifteenth time elected chairman),
referred to the very satisfactory trade of the preceding
year, which—although the strike had occasioned a loss
in tonnage of 545,146 tons—had exceeded the total of
the preceding year by nearly 200,000 tons. One week
in November created a record. The coal worked in the
Swansea district was, he said, peculiarly adaptable for
patent fuel manufacture, and he looked forward to
seeing continued development. The Trustees were
making further extensions so as to give more ware-
housing accommodation for tinplates and galvanised
sheets, and they are well served in respect of South
America by steamship lines direct from the port. The
size of steamers had increased, as everyone knew, and
the Trustees had anticipated this in their construction
of new and improved docks.

Passing on to prediction of the future, he indicated
how long it had taken to reach each million tons of
trade. They took 20 years to get from the first million
to the second; 13 years from 2 to 3 millions; seven
years from 3 to 4 millions; four years from 4 to 5
millions; five years from 5 to 6 millions; and he
ventured to predict that it would take only 3 years to
get beyond the 7 million tons. Whoever occupied the
chair next year would have the gratification of
announcing that the 7 million figure had been more
than reached.

At the docks there were now 27 tips, capable of
dealing with a thousand tons each per day. That was
at least double the quantity of coal at present shipped.
The comparative smallness in the quantity of coal per
tip now shipped he attributed to the railway companies’
difficulty in getting trucks to and from the tips; but
this difficulty would soon be largely met by the provision
which the companies were making. The Great Western
people were spending £100,000 on providing new siding
accommodation, and in three months’ time the con-
tractors promised that there should be room for 2,000

trucks. The new line of the Midland Railway to the
King’s Dock would soon be in hand, and the new line
from Llangennech to Swansea would be opened in the
current month, this providing increased facilities for
bringing up coal from the West and for dealing with
empties.

The United National Collieries show in their report
the satisfactory result of last year’s trading. This
undertaking is conspicuous for its good dividends, and
its very strong financial position, assets amounting to
nearly £700,000, as against a share capital of £331,000,
and debts of about £50,000. The dividends, which
were 30 per cent, in 1908, sank to 10 per cent, in 1909,
and have been 20 per cent, at each distribution since
that year. The company are constructing a coal
washery, and coke and by-product plant at their
collieries near Risca. The new vice-chairman of the
Coalowners’ Association (Mr. Hugh Watts) is, as pre-
viously mentioned, managing director of these collieries.

In view of its financial strength, there is no wonder
in the fact that the £10 shares are quoted at nearly
three times their nominal value. Even in the figures
stated, a heavy under-estimate is probable; for if the
holding of the company in Burnyeat-Brown has been
taken at purchase price only, there is a huge apprecia-
tion of value undisclosed.

Reference was made recently to the Glyncorrwg
Colliery Company having struck a new seam, and it is
evident that considerable developments are intended.
The company is now stated to have disposed of its
interest to Mr. W. H. Mewton, of the Locketts’ Merthyr
Company, and Mr. John Cory, of the firm of Cory and
Sons, shipowners (not to be confounded with the great
coal firm of Cory Brothers and Co. Limited). Already
about 2,000 men are employed, and the output reaches
nearly half-a-million tons per annum, there being good
access to Cardiff on the east and Port Talbot on the
west, with Barry intermediate, for shipment. This is
the property which at one time was worked by
Mr. Perch, there having, however, been considerable
extensions since his time.

Among the improvements at Ebbw Vale is a scheme
for laying out an estate of several acres on something
like garden city lines, with a view to providing accom-
modation for the workmen imported to carry on the
new sheet mills which were opened last week. The
Ebbw Vale Company, as owners of the freehold, has
given special terms in respect of ground rent, and a
building club will put up from 100 to 150 houses of
greatly superior [type to those commonly erected in
colliery areas.

A case of considerable importance to colliers
generally has been heard in the Neath County Court.
It arose in the Ynysarwedd Colliery, where, according
to evidence, at least half the working places are wet,
and several of them are abnormal. For the collier
claimant it was stated that the price-list provided for
6d. per ton extra being paid to workmen employed in
abnormal and wet places; and, inasmuch as his stall
was both wet and abnormal, he claimed an extra 6d.
per ton. On the other side, it was stated that workmen
who were in receipt of the full abnormal places price of
5s. per day, plus percentages, were not entitled to be
paid the extra 6d. The judge held that the claimant
was entitled to the additional 6d. whether the abnor-
mality was due to thinness of coal or to wetness. If the
place were both wet and abnormal, the collier was
(because of the inconvenience) entitled to the same
allowance for working in a wet place as a collier
similarly situated in a place which was normal. Notice
of appeal was given.

The Monmouthshire Education Committee, in
respect of its mining schools scheme, is proceeding
very quietly, and, in answei* to a question by Mr. James
Win stone, miners’ agent, the chairman stated that they
were waiting for a conference with the coalowners and
others interested. They hoped that the Monmouth-
shire coalowners would do as much for their county as
those over the border had done for Glamorgan.

Mr. J. H. Vickery, the newly-appointed manager of
theAlexandra Docks and Railways, Newport, has entered
upon his duties, and been formally welcomed by the
Mayor, the chairman of the Shipowners’ Association,
the president of the Chamber of Commerce, and other
leading citizens. Mr. Vickery said his endeavour would
be to preserve good relations with the local authorities,
and to encourage the provision of those facilities which
would contribute to the success of the port.