April 18, 1913. THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN 817 SURVEY MARKS. By ME. When a fast needle survey of underground workings terminates at a point from which it is impossible to begin at a subsequent survey with a clear setting of th e dial, it becomes necessary to leave survey marks, which, as a rule, are the terminations or stations at the ends of a line whose bearing has been determined. To continue the survey it would be necessary to set the vernier to the bearing of the line joining the survey marks, and, having plumbed the dial over or under one of them, slacken the axial screw and sight the other mark. Such a proceeding is indeed most simple, and may be carried out very accurately, yet error may creep into the survey by the shifting of the marks. Such movements of the roof or floor may occur as would produce considerable error at the outset of the extension of the survey, especially in the case in which the marks have been made very near to each other. A survey mark may be impressed on the roof or roof timbers, or it may sometimes be made on the floor of the seam, according to which position is likeliest to give permanency of position. Due to these movements the marks may move to one side or other, or they may move in the direction of the length of the line joining the marks. It is the lateral movement which matters in this case, and such steps must be taken in fixing the position of the marks as will reduce the error due to movements of the strata to a minimum. The figure is intended to illustrate the investigation. Suppose two marks O and A to have been put on at a distance r from each other and that A alters its position to A'. If the dial is set over one mark and directed to the other, it is evident there must be an error in the bearing equal to the small angle 0. If, however, we consider the marks O and B at a distance r' from each other (r' being much greater than r) O and the position of B is altered to B', the lateral displacement of B being the same as that of A, it will be evident that the angle at O subtended by the chord BB' will be much less than the angle at O subtended by the chord A A'. In fact, A A' = 2 sin. X r, and 2 BB' = 2 sin. X r'. 2 But AA'= BB', therefore 2 sin. x r — 2 sin. X r'. 2 j 2 In either case the angle is small as a rule and sin. ___ and sin. are approximately equal to _£ and respec- tively. The error introduced, it has been shown, is inversely proportional to the distance between the marks ; there- fore, to mitigate the influence of the movements of the strata, the distance between the marks should be as great as is conveniently possible. South Staffordshire and Warwickshire Institute of Mining Engineers.—The next general meeting will be held at the University, Edmund-street, Birmingham, on Monday afternoon, April 21, at three o'clock. The following paper, “ The Electrification of Cannock Chase Colliery," will be read by Mr. S. F. Sopwith. The paper, “ Suggestions on the Development of New Colliery Districts, with special reference to Support of Surface,” by Mr. Hubert Bradshaw, read at the last meeting, will be open for discussion. The Relighting of Safety Lamps.—At the Chester-le- Street Police-court, on the 9th inst., Robert Smith, 16, a driver, was summoned for an offence at the Handon Hold Busty Pit on March 7. Accused pleaded guilty. Mr. J. Turnbull said the apparatus for relighting was kept in a locked box down the mine, and only officials were supplied with keys, or were entitled to open the box or relight lamps. The defendant was found in possession of a contrivance by which he had been able to open the box. A driver said he saw the defendant open the relighting apparatus with a nail; he put in an electric lamp to have it relighted, but Mr. Grundy, the under- manager, arrived, and the operation was never completed. A fine of 10s. and costs was imposed. MOTES FROM SOUTH WALES. [from our own correspondent.] Optimistic Forecast of Trade Probabilities—Authori- tative Disclosure of Miners’ Darnings—Settlement at Fort Talbot—The General Notices, to Expire April 30—Men Re-joining the Federation—Fresh Policy of “ Systematic Control of Wages ”— Stoppage on Account of Doctors Question— Forcing Enginemen and Stokers into the Federa- tion—Mining Welsh Ore — Anthracite Men to Re-unite with the "Federation — Coal-trimmers’ Action against Non-unionists. With reference to the future prospects of the coal trade, Mr. D. A. Thomas, head of the Cambrian Combine, is strongly optimistic. In a speech at Tonypandy last week he pointed out that from 1908 to 1911 the number of houses in that area had increased by 12 per cent, and the population by 16 per cent., and had that rate of increase been maintained it would at the present time have been 25 per cent, more than it was five years ago. The four collieries (Cambrian, Glamorgan, Naval and Britannic Merthyr) now employed 1,100 men more than five years ago, and the wages bill in 1913 as compa.red with 1908 had increased by £3,320 a week. The wages now paid per week were approximately £25,000, or three-quarters of a million sterling a year. The average wage of the colliers was 50s. a week, and the average wage of all workers (men and boys) employed below ground in 1908 was £2 0s. 3d., and in 1912 £2 2s. 3d.—a rise of 2s. per week. These were the actual figures from the books. He said it was often asked why other industries were not started in the Rhondda side by side with the coal. It was partly because of the costliness of the coal. Half the output was exported, and the cost was too high to allow of its being used locally. In by- product development it was their desire to be as up-to- date as possible, and with regard to the future of the coal trade (which was very strong and buoyant just now) he would venture to predict that, apart from . labour troubles and stoppages, they were in for very good times indeed. In their own pits they hoped to ; increase the output during the next two or three years by from one to one and a-half million tons per annum, which would mean that at least 4,000 to 5,000 more men would be employed. The bright prospects outlined by Mr. D. A. Thomas are only a reflection of the condition of the market, where prices have advanced materially since Easter. What is more noteworthy is that all qualities of large show material advance in price, whilst smalls still continue dear, as much as 16s. per ton having been paid. Contract prices are good, and in every direction the demand is most gratifying. After considerable difficulty (which during Thursday seemed to threaten serious extension) the dispute between the old and new trade unions at Port Talbot came to a settlement on Thurday evening. To the federation executive, which met in Cardiff on Tuesday, it was reported that in one Rhondda area, over 10,000 men were now “in compliance,” whereas only a fourth of the number were paying contributions at the beginning of the month. Owing to irregularities in the periods of notice, and in some cases no notice at all, the executive resolved that 24 hours’ notice should be everywhere tendered at the end of the month, so that action should be uniform throughout the coalfield. The circular issued by Mr. T. Richards, M.P., general secretary of the South Wales Miners’ Federa- tion, states that Thursday, May 1 (Labour Day), is to be observed as a general holiday by all colliery workmen throughout the coalfield. It is said, further, that prior to that date all workmen are expected to become members of the Federation. Meanwhile simultaneous “ show cards ” are to be organised during the present month at all collieries where non-union men are employed. The general result is to be considered at mass meetings on May 1, and the decision of the con- ference held a fortnight ago is that “the workmen employed at collieries reported to be free from non- Because they cannot agree upon the doctors question, about 2,000 men gave 24 hours’ notice on Tuesday to cease working at Nixon’s Colliery, Mountain Ash. The company collect at the office the “ poundage ” for the old doctors, but decline to collect for new doctors who have been chosen by a section of the men, and it is this section who gave notice. Similar difficulties exist in the Rhondda, though not between the employers and the men. There it is a doctors question, with the Insurance Committee and the Commissioners involved, as to approval of new schemes. Addressing the Rhondda district miners on Monday, their agent (Mr. D. Watts Morgan) referred to the relations of the Federation with the Enginemen and Stokers’ Association, and declared that whilst the members of the latter body were very anxious that their organisation should not Jose its identity, they had been plainly told by the miners’ representatives that nothing short of merging the whole of the members of that association into one lodge at each colliery would satisfy the Federation. Every colliery workman—from the winding engineman to the furthermost man at the coal- face—must belong to one organisation. There could be only one union, with one committee to deal with all the men employed. Another speaker said that a better feeling seemed to prevail between the representatives of the two organisations, and that it would be far better to get the engine men and stokers to throw in their lot voluntarily rather than that the Federation should have recourse to any form of coercion. Upon the subject of non-unionism, it was stated that since the beginning of this month the membership of the Federation in the Rhondda area had gone up from 18,000 to 35,000. Another speaker, at a meeting of Garw miners, referred to the question of enginemen and stokers, and said that craft unions must cease in colliery life, there being room only for one union in and about the collieries. At the same meeting the agent introduced the question of practical knowledge of underground work on the part of umpires under the Minimum Wage Act, union men shall return to work on Friday, May 2.” Amongst other statements in the circular is one that in consequence of non-payment of the Parliamentary levy there had been no funds available to pay salaries of registration agents, and that the executive had, therefore, been compelled to dispense with their services. Upon the question of non-unionism, Mr. Vernon Hartshorn has made a defence of the union policy, and in so doing refers to the fact that the annual conference instructed the executive committee to draft a schedule of rates which would be applicable to future colliery developments throughout the coalfield. This he describes as the initiation of a movement “ which ought to result in a centralised and systematic control of wage arrangements,” the object being to wipe out ultimately what he terms “ the objectionable inequalities between districts, and to remove some of those anomalies which have hitherto been a source of discontent, bickering, and personal quarrels within the Federation.” He regards this form of centralisation as the only way by which uniform progress can be made, and whilst it will leave a certain measure of autonomy in the districts, it will restrict the personal latitude of miners’ agents in fixing the wage rates in the different areas. His argument in support is that glaring differences exist in the payment for precisely the same work in different areas—perhaps only a few miles apart. He argues that these differences are really unjust to the employers, asking “ Why should colliery companies in one district pay decent rates while their oftentimes richer competitors in neighbouring districts get off with rates which are very much lower ? ” The new policy will apply only to new develop- ments, not to established working conditions; and the executive council will draw up a schedule of rates to be submitted to a later conference for approval. Mr. Hartshorn anticipates that these rates will be better than the independent chairman’s award, and hereafter “ no capitalist will be allowed to work any new seam in any old pit in South Wales, or the seams in any new mines, except on the Federation’s authorised terms.”