608

THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN.

March 20, 1913.

There was some reason for believing that lines of
equal gravity may have some connection with magnetic
“ ridge-lines.” It had been recently recommended that
the magnetic survey of 1891 should be repeated. It was
suggested that a gravity survey was equally desirable.
The British Isles, in virtue both of their geographical
position on the margin of the European Continent, and
in virtue of the form and structure of the palseozoic
platform, appear to constitute a region eminently suited
for such an investigation.

ROTES FROM SOUTH WALES.

[from our own correspondent.]

Anthracite Men Maintain Severance—Unifying
Cambrian Combine, a Great Enterprise—The
Trading Tax in France—How Coal Traffic is
Blocked on Railways and in Docks—Hew Seams
Struck—Stoppage Notices Inoperative, Workmen
Deciding to Continue—Coal Trimmers and Non-
unionists -Important Anthracite Developments in
Pembrokeshire—Conciliation Board and Banksmen
—Miners’ Garden City Inaugurated.

One most striking incident of the week—showing as
it does how strong is the feeling in reference to the
Miners’ Federation—is the vote of the anthracite area
upon the question of rejoining that organisation. It will
be remembered that upon the new centralisation
proposal, which would have made the executive
responsible for dealing with all local details, taking
away the independence of the different districts, the
anthracite miners determined to sever their connection;
and the result was that to the number of about 15,000
they withdrew from the South Wales Federation. When
the centralisation scheme was rejected on the second
ballot recently (which reversed the decision of last
September), the proposal was made that the Anthracite
Miners’ Association should rejoin the Federation, and
the result of the voting upon this proposal was
announced last Saturday. It shows that about 8,500
men voted out of the 15,000 which were represented in
Saturday’s meeting; and the result was that 6,840
approved of the rules of the independent constitution of
the Anthracite Miners’ Association, and there were
1,713 against, the majority being, therefore, no less than
5,127. Special consideration was given to letters from
Mr. Thomas Richards, M.P., secretary of the Federation,
who had been instructed by his executive to communi-
cate with the anthracite miners in respect of their
severance, but the result of the voting determined the
issue. The meeting decided that the anthracite miners
should contribute a full share to the expenses of the
Conciliation Board and the Statutory Minimum Wage
District Board. Another important matter dealt with
at the meeting was that it was decided to enter upon a
strenuous campaign in order to bring non-unionists into
the association, and it was agreed that notices should
be tendered at Brook Drift, Diamond, Park, Blaina,
Onllwyn, Pontyberem and Maes Marchog.

It is announced that the Cambrian Combine is to
be unified in its financial relations, and that, instead of
the four companies (Cambrian, Glamorgan, Naval and
Britannic-Merthyr), there will be one new undertaking
with a capital of £1,000,000 in 6 per cent, preference shares
and £900,000 in ordinary shares. At present the
authorised capital of the four companies is a million and
a-half sterling, the Cambrian being £500,000, Glamorgan
£420,000, Naval £320,000, and the Britannic-Merthyr
£335,000. At present the output of coal is a little over

3	million tons per annum, and the new company will,
therefore, be the second largest in the coalfield—the
premier place being held at present by the Powell-
Duffryn undertaking, with its output of 3j million tons.
It is expected that the opening out of the new seam at
Naval Colliery and also that at Gilfach Goch will,
within about 18 months, raise the total output to

4	million tons.

Something of the romance of the coalfield is involved
in this new organisation, particularly in reference
to the Glamorgan undertaking. Half of the shares in
this are held by the Cambrian Trust, which in its turn
is owned by the Cambrian Collieries Limited. In
former years the Glamorgan Company was not successful,
and even on the preference shares there was no dividend
for a number of years. But since it has come under
the Cambrian Combine, with Mr. D. A. Thomas at the
head, the progress has been distinct and marked. In
1906 14 per cent, in respect of preferences shares arrears
was paid off; in 1907, 42J per cent.; in 1908, 60 per
cent., with 2| per cent, on the ordinary; and since then
there has been 5 per cent, until the latest distribution*
which was at the rate of 20 per cent, on the ordinary,

The £1 shares to-day are quoted at 43s., and it is
estimated that the new arrangement will still further
enhance values.

The question of the Trading Tax in France came
before the Associated Chambers of Commerce last week,
and Mr. W. T. Farr, of Swansea, pointed out that it had
been sprung upon the community without any general
knowledge, and came as a great surprise. He thought
it only fair that contracts entered into up to the date of
the payment of the tax should be excluded. They did
not claim exemption for the future, seeing that the tax
was applicable to all contractors, whether French or
foreign. The committee decided to ask representatives
of the Paris Chamber to visit the Foreign Office and lay
the matter before the Minister.

The delay occasioned not only by lack of dock
accommodation, but also by the practice of nursing
tips, as well as difficulty in transmission, are still
affecting shipowners and merchants, and, of course, to
a considerable extent, coalowners. There has been a
divergence of steamers from Cardiff to the other ports,
and also from Barry to Newport, and even from New-
port to Cardiff, the exigencies from day to day directing
these transfers, in order that a vessel might be loaded.
Some of the stories current as to demurrage which has
been incurred are striking. One vessel, it is said, had
to wait 16 days for a tip, although the cargo intended
was less than 4,000 tons. Meanwhile a large number of
other vessels arrived in dock, were loaded and sailed.
One vessel waited for nine days, and failing to get a
berth, was removed to another South Wales port.
More than a dozen firms have been loading heavily,
and, as in the case of a large vessel, the demurrage
amounts to £20 or £30 per day, the penalty is really a
serious one. Out of four vessels which one’firm had in
a particular dock, three had to be removed to other docks
in order to load. As regards railways, it is said that one
of the collieries had to stand idle through lack of empty
wagons, although 60 cars were standing Within a few
miles of the pit. Monmouthshire owners have still
greater complaint against return of empties from Cardiff
than those that are made by Glamorgan owners. In
view of the fact that colliery development will place on
the railways and into the docks a huge addition to the
present output, and will do so within 18 months or two
years, the outlook is regarded as very disquieting.

The Enginemen’and Stokers’'Association of South
Wales is in communication with the coalowners’ com-
mittee as to improved overtime rates of wages for the
stokers, and is also in communication with the executive
council of the Miners’ Federation with a view to
reaching some arrangement between the two orga-
nisations.

Principal Griffiths, of the University College,
Cardiff, has made his award under the Minimum Wage
Act in respect of the Coytrahen Colliery, Tondu. It is
in favour of the workmen. They claimed the minimum
wage, as they were unable to earn sufficient owing to
alleged shortage of trams. It was stated on behalf of
the employers that the men ought to have filled more
coal into the trams that were supplied, but evidence was
given showing that the loads were already above the
average for the whole colliery.

At Nantgarw, the sinking carried on by Mr. T.
Taylor has struck another seam of coal at a depth of
576 yards. This makes the fourth tfeam that has been
reached, the thicknesses varying from 2 ft. 6 in. to 3 ft.
The coal is of excellent quality.

In the Aberdare district the Powell-Duffryn work-
men met on Sunday to decide what should be done, seeing
that their month’s notice on the non-unionist question
expired on the previous day. A previous meeting of
joint committees had decided that the agents should
advise workmen not to act upon the notices, but to
continue working ; and in addressing the mass meeting
Mr. Stanton (the agent) said the time had come for a
new method for coping with the non-unionist Question.
Sectional action very often meant the penalising of
workmen engaged in one particular district; and that
was unfair. The remedy lay in the Federation council
deciding upon simultaneous movement, thereby making
it impossible for non-unionists to leave one district and
find work in another. The meeting decided to accept
the agent’s recommendation, and Mr. Stanton was
asked to bring forward his own suggestion before the
Federation executive.

In the Ogmore Valley the men whose notices
expired have resolved to suspend their operation for

a fortnight, there being only 45 non-unionists in the
district, and part of the trouble being that some of
these men had joined the local branch of the General
Labourers’ Union.

Speaking at the Western Miners’ Association
meeting on Saturday, Mr. John Williams, M.P., stated
he did not believe in centralisation, but he thought the
salvation of the constitution would be to divide the
coalfield into three parts—Monmouth to form one
district, and East and West Glamorgan being separated.

The Dowlais district men have resolved to tender
notices on the non-unionist question, work to cease on
March 31.

With regard to the coal-trimmers, a meeting of the
Barry men was held on Sunday, where the resolution
adopted a week previously in Cardiff was confirmed.
This resolution is to the effect that one month’s notice
be given to terminate work where non-unionists are
engaged; and also to enforce the necessary “ check ” to
ascertain whether the men at work are unionists or not.

Mr. Jonathan Jones, who has retired from a position
as mechanical engineer under the Ocean Company, was
the recipient of a presentation on Saturday evening
from the workmen of the Maindy Colliery. He has
worked under the company for over 30 years, and had
occupied his position for 20 years. He retires owing to
ill-health ; and the presentation took the form of an oil
portrait of himself.

In the course of a Local Government Board enquiry
at Haverfordwest into the circumstances of the applica-
tion for a Light Railway Order by the Milford Docks
Company, reference was made to the development of
the anthracite coalfield of Pembrokeshire. On behalf
of the promoters, it was stated that the demand for
anthracite was increasing to such an extent that the
coalfield in the neighbourhood to be dealt with must
speedily be considered opened out. Shipment of coal
at Milford Haven will, therefore, be of great advantage
to the Milford Docks Company. There had been some
delay in holding the enquiry ; but that was due to delay
in negotiations for the development of the coalfield.
Having regard to the traffic which was anticipated, the
promoters did not ask any local authority or the
Treasury for a grant, because they did not anticipate
any difficulty in raising the capital. The manager of
Milford Docks, in his evidence, said that the Lancashire
firm which had the matter in hand anticipated sending
1,000 tons a day for shipment. Mr. Rogers, of Wigan,
stated that there were three workable coalseams in one
area in the district. One of these contained 20 million
tons, and would keep a colliery going for 20 years. The
anthracite was the best in the country.

During the enquiry at Swansea in connection with
the light railway through Gower—the peninsula to the
west of Swansea—it was stated that the railway would
be 12 miles long, running from a junction at Killay
(with the London and North-Western Railway) to Port
Eynon, and would develop a coal area. The coalfield
extends from Killay for about five miles; and there are
three collieries with an output of about 500 tons per day
on the line of the proposed railway.

The Conciliation Board met in Cardiff on Monday,
Mr. Evan Williams, the newly-appointed chairman of the
Coalowners’ Association, presiding over the owners^ and
Mr. Wm. Brace, M.P., over the workmen. Reference was
made at the workmen’s meeting to the secession of the
anthracite district, and it was stated that so long as this
district remained outside the Federation, the disputes
which occurred there could not be brought before the
Conciliation Board, but the anthracite workmen would
be in the same relation to the Federation as the owners
of non-associated collieries are to the Coalowners’
Association. The workmen’s secretary has been
instructed to write to the anthracite district asking
whether their decision to sever connection from the
Federation was final. They state that several lodges in
the anthracite district desired to retain union with the
Federation, but that the executive council had refrained
from permitting this to be done, in the hope that the
anthracite district as a whole would still continue
membership.

With regard to the wages of banksmen, whilst the
owners will not agree to a discussion of the general
question of the conditions of employment of this class,
it was stated that they are prepared to agree to
appointing a joint sub-committee for considering any
specific cases of hardship which the workmen’s repre-
sentatives may bring forward.