April 25, 1913. THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN. 861 with what they have obtained. The reason why only half the quantity has been arranged for is said in some quarters to be the high tenders which were sent in, but the writer of this report has good reason to believe that that was not the case, but that the French Admiralty were really unable to obtain quotations for best qualities except on a very small scale, for delivery before the end of June. The other 15,000 tons have yet to come on to the market. It is declared on goood authority that the French naval manoeuvres will take place in September, and as in the majority of cases the coal is not transhipped from the collieries to the battleships, it follows that in the first instance it will have to be stored in readiness for use, and consequently will have to leave the Bristol Channel during the months of July and the early part of August. The quantity required will be approxi- mately 50,000 tons. As a rule the British Naval manoeuvres take place somewhere about the same time. This again will lead to an extra demand. The Norwegian State Rail- ways are stated to have arranged for 56,000 tons of steam coals out of their total requirements of 80,000 tons. The coal is to be drawn mainly from the Yorkshire and Derby- shire collieries at 16s. to 16s. 6d. The only Welsh coal bought consists of 2,000 tons of Nixon’s navigation at 26s. delivered at Bergen. These prices are all free on trucks. Buyers on all sides have by this time fully made up their minds that big prices will have to be paid for whatever supplies they may need for a considerable time to come. They are paying 20s. per ton for delivery well over the Baltic season, and even at this figure collieries are by no means anxious to close. The only feature which may have a disturbing influence on the market is that of tonnage. Given an adequate supply, there is no question that excellent prices will be obtained for coals for the remainder of this year. At the present moment tonnage is somewhat ; scarce, although at the time of writing there were a sufficient number of vessels in the docks to provide for full work all round. So far as colliery prices are concerned, it is rather difficult to gauge the market, they being a matter of negotiation between buyer and seller. Very few complete cargoes are being bought direct from the collieries, the great bulk of current business being done with middlemen. Any- thing, however, between 21s. and 22s. would represent the price that would have to be paid for best Admiralties, although here again both collieries (which are short of stems), as well as middlemen, might sacrifice a little in price in order to secure shipment. The stoppage which, for four days, occurred at Nixon’s Navigation Collieries, tended to make business still more difficult to arrange. Second Admiralty steams are quoted at from 20s. 6d. to 21s., and other qualities about 20s. With regard to small coal, the . Belgian strike has not affected the market at all, although the general opinion is that later on prices will tend to rise. At present, in consequence of the comparative shortage of tonnage, and the inability of the Belgian market to deal with cargoes, prices are on the easy side, best bunkerings being obtainable at from 15s. 6d. to 15s. 9d., and cargo qualities at 14s. 3d. to 14s. 6d. per ton. For prompt shipment there is no doubt that 14s. would be accepted for cargo qualities. This represents a drop of fully 6d. per ton. The Portuguese State Railways have purchased from 25,000 to 30,000 tons of small coal from Messrs. A. Capelie and Co., of Paris, at 20s. 6d. c.i.f. Oporto and Lisbon. One-third of the coal has to be shipped in June and July, and the remainder in October, November and December. Hitherto, this business has been almost exclusively done by local merchants. Monmouthshire coals are practically unaltered and sellers are quoting firmly, not only for this month, but also for May. Black Veins are 19s. to 19a 3d., western- valleys 18s. 9d. f.o.b. Cardiff. The Custom House returns to hand show that the coal exported from the Bristol Channel ports to foreign countries in the month of March amounted to 2,447,110 tons. As compared with the corresponding month of last year, this is an increase of 1,747,872 tons, but it should not be forgotten that in March of last year we were in the midst of the national coal strike. From Cardiff alone last month the shipments amounted to 1,600,699 tons, an increase of 1,197,119 tons. From Newport the shipments were 405,757 tons, Swansea 274,909 tons, and Port Talbot 138,029 tons. House coals are unaltered, but in sympathy with the higher prices asked for best steams, and in view of the shortage expected to take place in May, sellers of No. 3 Rhondda large are now’ demanding 18s. 6d., and Prices f.o.b. Cardiff (except where otherwise stated). 11 12s. 6d. is still being accepted for 24-gauge corrugateds. A fair quantity of rails has been shipped during the week, nearly 3,000 tons being destined for Auckland and Wellington. Welsh pig iron remains steady at 84s. to 85s. f.o.t. Iron ore is easier, best rubio being 20 s. to 20s. 6d., and secondary qualities 19s. to 19s. 6d. per ton. New steel crop ends are 70s., ordinary heavy steel scrap 60s., and cast 60s. to 62s. 6d. per ton. Swansea. GOAL. The trade of the port last week was of a highly satisfac- tory nature; both the coal and patent fuel trades were brisk, the shipments amounting to 122,066 tons. There was a capital attendance on ’Change this morning, but there was no material alteration in the general conditions of the anthracite coal market, the undertone of which was still weak. Swansea Valley and Red Vein large were freely offered for prompt loading at reduced prices, but very little new business was transacted. Machine-made nuts and cobbles were moving off very slowly. Both rubbly culm and duff were in request at last figures. A very strong feeling prevailed in the steam coal market, and all classes were firm. The following were approximately the closing quotations:— Prices f.o.b. (cash in 30 days). Current Last week’s Anthracite:— prices. prices. ‘ Best malting large (hand picked) (net) 22/ to 24/ 22/ to 24/ Secondary do 19/ to 20/ 19/ to 20/ Big Vein large (less 2| per cent.) 16/ to 18/ 16/ to 18/ Red Vein large do 13/9 to 14/6 13/9 to 14/6 Machine - made cobbles (net) 22/ to 23/6 22/ to 23/6 yxxvvy Paris nuts (net) 23/ to 24/6 23/ to 24/6 French do. do 23/ to 24/ 23/ to 24/6 German do. do 23/ to 24/ 23/ to 24/6 Beans (net) 18/6 to 20/6 16/6 to 20/6 Machine-made large peas (net) 11/3 to 13/ 11/3 to 13/ Do. fine peas (net) — — Rubbly culm (less 2| p.c.) 9/9 to 10/3 9/3 to 10/ Duff (net) 6/3 to 7/ 6/ to 7/ Steam coals:— Best large (less 2| p.c.) ... 19/6 to 21/ 19/ to 20/ Seconds do. 16/3 to 17/ 16/3 to 17/ Bunkers do. 15/6 to 16/ 15/9 to 16/ Small do. 13/6 to 15/6 13/6 to 15/6 Bituminous coals:— No. 3 Rhondda— Large (less 2|p.c.) ...... 19/ to 20/ 18/ to 19/ Through - and - through (less 2| p.c.) 16/6 to 17/6 16/ to 17/ Small (less 2| per cent.) 14/9 to 16/ 14/9 to 16/ Patent fuel do 21/ to 22/6 20/ to 22/6 IRON. During the past week the iron and steel trades were, on the whole, very satisfactory. There was a good production of pig iron at the blast furnaces of Messrs. Baldwins Limited, Landore. The steel trade was in proportion with that of the preceding week. There was little variation in the tin-plate and corrugated sheet trade, and all the mills were kept fully operating. The engineering firms were actively engaged, overtime being worked at some of the shops, and the foundries had ample work on hand. The Mannesman Tube Works were also fully operating. The shipments of tin-plates last week were 90,266 boxes, receipts from works 113,721 boxes, and stocks in the dock ware- houses and vans 491,307 boxes. Llanelly. GOAL. There is nothing new to report in the coal market of this district, and the demand for all coals is very similar to last week. Unfortunately there is no improvement in the anthracite trade, and collieries are experiencing trying times. It is very annoying to the sellers to be continually making concessions to have wagons released when at the same time the steam and bituminous sellers are asking advances. Not for years has the market been in so wretched a condition. The only kinds going well are rubbly culm and duff, and the price of the former is higher than it has yet been. All the machine-made kinds are difficult to dispose of, and several of the collieries are making culm instead of screening. The steam and bituminous kinds are going very well, and orders are easy to get. Prices con- tinue to keep up for all kinds. This week’s quotations are:— Prices f.o.b. Current Last week’s Anthracite:— prices. prices. Best malting large 22/ to 23/ 19/ to 21/ 17/ to 18/ 13/9 to 14/6 21/ to 22/ 22/ to 23/ 19/ to 21/ 17/ to 19/ 13/9 to 14/6 19/ to 21/ Secondary do. Big Vein large O •••••••••••••• • Red Vein do Machine-made cobble s ... German nuts 23/ to 24/6 23/ to 24/6 23/ to 24/6 19/ to 21/ 22/ to 24/6 22/ to 24/6 24/ to 25/ 19/ to 21/ French do Paris do Machine-made beans Do peas 11/6 tt 12/6 9/ to 10/ 6/3 to 7/ 11/6 to 12/6 8/6 to 9/ 6/3 to 7/ Rubbly culm Duff Other sorts:— Large steam coal 18/ to 18/6 15/ to 16/ 18/ to 18/6 14/6 to 15/6 Through-and-through ... Small 11/6 to 12/6 14/6 to 15/ 11/6 to 12/6 14/6 to 15/ Bituminous small coal ... LAW INTELLIGENCE. HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE. KING’S BENCH DIVISION.—April 16. Before Mr. Justice Channell and Mr. Justice Coleridge. Coal Mines Act, 1911: “Net Cost” of Explosives. Evans v. Gwendraeth Anthracite Colliery Company.— This was an appeal by the plaintiff from the decision of the judge of the Llanelly County Court, raising a question under the Coal Mines Act, 1911. Section 61, subsection 2, of that statute provides that no explosives shall be taken into or used in any mine except explosives provided by the owner, and the price, if any, charged by the owner to the workman for any explosives so provided shall not exceed the actual net cost to the owner.” The question raised by the case was as to the meaning of the words “ actual net cost ” in the section. The action was brought by the plaintiff to recover the sum of 3s. Id., which, he alleged, had been deducted from his wages in respect of explosives supplied in excess of the amount which could properly be so deducted. It was proved at the trial that a workman in the defendants* employment was engaged to go to his work half-an-hour earlier daily for the purpose of distributing explosives to the workmen requiring them, and that he was paid 4s. 7d. a week for this service. The county court judge held that the owners were entitled to take this sum of 4s. 7d. a week into consideration in arriving at the actual net cost to them of the powder supplied. The plaintiff appealed. Mr. Justice Channell, in giving judgment, said that he had been considerably puzzled as to the meaning to be placed upon the words of the section which they had to construe. He had not the slightest doubt as to what was the meaning of the section as a whole, because its object, beyond all question, was to provide that the mineowner should make no profit out of the explosives supplied. What they had to do, however, was to assign some meaning to the words “ actual net cost to the owner.” He thought it was extremely probable that the words might have meant to distinguish between costs and expenses, because the provision contained in the section, taking it as a whole, was for the benefit of the mineowner. What was the meaning of cost as distinct from expenses ? It was what the owner paid for the article in question. But the cost to the owner was to be the net cost, and the question was whether that meant the cost to the owner at the time when he got possession of the goods, or the cost to him down to the time when he delivered them to the workmen. Having regard to the fact that it was desirable, if possible, to lay down some workmanlike rule, he had, with great hesitation, come to the conclusion that the j udge was wrong in saying that the owners were entitled to take the 4s. 7d. into account. In his opinion the actual net cost must not exceed the sum which the owners had paid for the explosives at the time when they came into their possession. The appeal must therefore be allowed. Mr. Justice Coleridge said it seemed to him, though he thought the matter was not free from difficulty, that the meaning of the words “ actual net cost ” was the actual net cost at the time of the receipt of the explosives at the owners’ premises. Any further expenses in regard to them must be in respect of establishment charges which were not deducted, or handling and distribution expenses. He thought, on the whole, that the actual net cost to the owner must be fixed by the standard of the time at which the goods were acquired by the owner and not of the time when the goods were delivered to the workmen. In these circumstances, the appeal must be allowed. South Wales Institute of Engineers.—A special general meeting will be held at the Royal Institution of South Wales, Swansea, on Tuesday, April 29,1913, at 5 o’clock p.m. Owing to the death of the president, Professor Elliott, the chair will be taken by Mr. Henry T. Wales, vice-president. The paper on lt The Tin-plate Trade: Recent Developments,” .by Mr. H. Spence Thomas, will be open for discussion, and Mr. Sidney B. Haslam, M.I.E.E., M.I.Mech.E., will give a short summary of his paper, “ Instruments for the Scientific Control of Iron, Steel and Tin-plate Works,” illustrating the various instruments with lantern views. A council meeting will also be held the same day and place at 4.15 p.m.