1026

THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN.

May 16 1913.

MIHIHG AHO OTHER NOTES.

Mr. B. B. Dunwoody, secretary of the Associated
Chambers of Commerce, has received a letter from the
Foreign Office in which Sir Edward Grey recommends to
the favourable consideration of the Associated Chambers
proposals which have for their object the closer co-operation
between his Majesty’s Commercial Attaches and the
Chamber of Commerce. Sir Edward Grey is of opinion
that better results could be obtained if his Majesty’s
Commercial Attaches were to receive some guidance from
British manufacturers and merchants interested in foreign
markets. It has occurred to Sir Edward Grey that there
would be some advantage if, firstly, a standard classification
of the trades and industries of this country could be made
which could be uniformly adhered to in official reports, and,
secondly, if sets of leading questions could be drawn up by
experts in regard to all the principal industries in this
country, especially those affected by foreign competition.
The classification should be kept strictly within limits and
should not be allowed to extend to matters of detail.

Amongst the new J.P.’s for Cardiff are Messrs. W. T.
Bea van (W. T. Bea van and Co), D. L. Harries (a member
of the firm of Locovich Bros, and Harries, and a nephew
of Lord Merthyr), John Moore (coal exporters), James
Miles (secretary of the United National Collieries Limited),
and Lord Merthyr.

At New Tredegar Court last week no less than eleven
men were fined for taking matches, &c., below ground.

The demolition of the portion of the Science Museum,
South Kensington, which adjoins Exhibition-road, is about
to be begun in preparation for the erection of the new
museum buildings. The only entrance to the southern
gallery, in which the engineering collections are displayed,
will henceforth be from the Imperial Institute-road.

Mr. Stephen Walsh having asked the Secretary to the
Treasury whether he could state the amount of profits
assessable to income tax accruing from coalmines situate
within the counties of York, Lancaster, Cheshire, Derby-
shire, Notts, Stafford, Salop, Leicester, and Warwick, such
counties forming the district commonly styled the Federated
area, for the five financial years commencing 1908-9 and
ended March 31, 1912-13, has received a written reply
from Mr. Masterman to the following effect: The gross
assessments made in each year are as follow:—1908-09,
£5,418,372 ; 1909-10, £6,411,619 ; 1910-11, £6,748,576 ;
1911-12, £7,000,661. The figures for 1912-13 are not yet
available.

How unsatisfactory the sanitary arrangements are in at
least one of the colliery districts around Doncaster was
shown at last week’s meeting of the Adwick-le-Street
Parish Council. This place is about midway between the
Bentley and Brods worth collieries, and has grown enormously
since those pits developed. In regard to the east portion of
Adwick, one of the members spoke strongly of the sanitary
conditions, and declared he had seen colliers making holes
through the wall to let sewage out of the back yards; he
had seen women walking on bricks through it in order to
hang out clothes, and cellars, he found, were half full of
water and sewage. Another member stated that a special
committee of the Doncaster Bural District Council had been
appointed to go into the matter. It was expected the dis-
posal scheme would be in use in four or five weeks. A
suggestion was made that a vote of censure be passed upon
the Doncaster Bural District Council for allowing such a
state of affairs to exist, but when it was reported that a
County Council inspector had been in the district the matter
was allowed to drop. The Council decided to ask the Don-
caster Bural District Council for their reason in calling upon
their medical officer of health, Dr. Dunne, to resign.

Mr. Sidney Kitchin, youngest son of Mr. J. B. Kitchin,
Woodend House, Egremont, has secured an appointment
as engineer at the Mens de Sababona, Algeria, under his
brother, Mr. Isaac Kitchen, who has been there for about
seven years.

The reports of the engineers to be submitted ata meeting
of the Commissioners at Dudley, on Wednesday, stated
with regard to the work of the Tip ton district, that the
rainfall for the five weeks had been 5 04 in. The pumping
had been 13,129,000 gallons per twenty-four hours, an
increase of million gallons on the corresponding period
of last year. Beporting on the surface drainage works,
Mr. S. B. Priest stated that an electrically-driven pump
was being installed at Tibbington. Mr. W. B. Collis, in a
report on the Old Hill district, stated that the engines had
been heavily taxed to deal with the large volume of water
coming to them, but they successfully accomplished the
task. New and larger working barrels were being put in
the Buffery lifts, which it was hoped would give permanent
mastery of the water.

It is stated that during the last few weeks a valuable
seam of coal has been discovered at the Cakemore Colliery,
Black Heath, belonging to Messrs. H. S. Pitt and Co,, which
has resulted in the firm purchasing a large quantity of land
in that part of Cakemore. There is much speculation as to
what effect the finding of this seam of coal will have upon
the town planning scheme prepared by the Oldbury
Council for the laying out of that part of the district, and
which has already been approved by the Local Government
Board.

Mr. James Elce, who has been manager of the Silverwood
Pit of the Dalton Main Collieries Limited, Botherham,
during the last seven years, is relinquishing his position to
take over the control of a large colliery undertaking in
Bussia. The period of service Mr. Elce has seen at Silver-
wood embraces important developments in connection with
the concern, which is now regarded as one of the chief
and most up-to-date in South Yorkshire. He has held a
leading position amongst the mining managers of the
country. To ambulance work he devoted much attention.
He has acted as president of the Yorkshire branch of the
National Association of Colliery Managers, and on the West
Biding Education Sub-committee serving the district the
duties of chairman have devolved upon him.

At a recent meeting of the Ulverston Board of Guardians
the clerk read the annual report of the assessment com-
mittee, which showed that there had been 13 meetings
during the year. The ratable value of the union was
41309,597, against .£315,450 last year, a decrease of .£5,593 ;
assessable value was .£273,016, against .£278,498 last year, a
decrease of £5,482. The ratable value of the iron ore mines
had been reduced from £45,412 to £38,981, a difference of
£6,431. The chairman (Mr. John Cowan, J P.) moved the
adoption of the repoit. The decrease in the assessable and
ratable values was accounted for by the decrease of the
mines, and that was accounted for by the coal strike early
last year. He hoped that the decrease was only a temporary
one, and that next year’s report would find them back again
in their old position.

In response to an application from Mr. T. Sanderson, the
teacher of a coalmining class at Flimby, the technical
committee have agreed to allow a grant of 5s. to about ten
students who propose visiting Earnock and Hamilton Palace
Collieries, near Glasgow. This sum is in addition to what
may be allowed by the county committee. Messrs. T.
Thompson, T. Coulthard, H. Johnson and J. Hodgson were
appointed to superintend the examination in May next.

Mr. James Curley, manager of Craigend Colliery, Polmont,
belonging to the Carron Coal Company has been appointed
manager of the Fenton Collieries Limited, Stoke-on-Trent.
On the occasion of his departure from Polmont, Mr. Curley
was presented with a purse of soverigns and a handsome
bedroom suite.

For some time past boring operations have been con-
ducted for the Oakley Collieries to the south-west of their
present pits at Kinneddar, Fifeshire. These operations are
now practically completed. So far as can be ascertained,
the results have been completely satisfactory, some valuable
seams of good coal having been pierced. It is believed that
preparations will be made in the near future for the sinking
of shafts to work the coal. The field is a fairly extensive
one. Diamond boring is also being prosecuted on the estate
of Inzievar, which belongs to Mr. A. D. V. Smith Sligo. The
field there is contiguous to the minerals being brought to
Blairhall by the Coltness Iron and Coal Company, for whom
the boring is being undertaken. Should the bores prove
successful, the Coltness Company will be in a position to
work the field from the two large new pits recently sunk at
Blairhall.

Comment upon the prevalence of cruelty to pit ponies
was made at Chesterfield County Police Court on Saturday,
when Harold Berresford, Oxcroft-lane, Bolsover, was
summoned for cruelty to a pony at Bolsover Colliery. The
particulars, which were not contested, were that defendant,
in a fit of temper, struck a pooy on the head with a stick, and
accidentally poked its eye out. The Bench fined him
40s. and costs, and ordered him to pay £5 towards the
depreciated value of the pony.

The Tyne Improvement Commissioners propose to visit
Immingham and Antwerp for the purpose of inspecting the
harbours, works, and facilities for the shipment of coal.

A correspondent of the Yorkshire Post says:—There
seems to be something more than mere rumour as a basis
for talk that has been taking place with regard to the
existence of a coalfield at Gainsborough, and it is said that
options have been signed with regard to certain lands on
the hills to the east of the town in the Corringham and
Heapham districts. Leading questions have been put to
certain persons who might be expected to know what has
transpired, and, although no definite statements have been
elicited, there has been no absolute denial. Meetings have
been held at Harpswell and Lincoln, at which the price of
land was discussed, and it is understood that boring opera-
tions will take place at Heapham, Gainsborough, during the
summer.

The Carriden Coal Company, Crown lessees of the minerals
under the Firth of Forth, are making satisfactory headway
with the sinking of their main shaft on the foreshore to the
rear of Bo’ness Dock. They have just cut a seam of main
coal 4 ft. thick and of excellent quality, and are proceeding
with their sinking operations till a depth of 80 fathoms is
reached. Preparations are now being made for putting
down another shaft a little to the west of the present one.

The foundation- stones in connection with 12 aged
miners* homes, erected at Brandon Colliery, were
formally laid on the 3rd inst. It is estimated that
the homes will cost £1,500, and towards this sum
£500 has already been received, including a donation
of £200 from Messrs. Strakers and Love, and a similar
amount from the workmen.

The annual meeting of the Northumberland Aged Mine
Workers’ Homes Association was held in the Burt HaU,
Newastle, on the 3rd inst. Mr. J Cairns, president, said
they had just gone through a very difficult year, notwith-
standing that the workmen’s and other contributions had
increased. The 178 homes of which they were possessed had
cost altogether .£24,208, or an average of .£136 each. He was
disappointed to find that men who had made fortunes in the
coalmining industry set nothing aside in their wills to help
such a noble institution as theirs. A resolution suggesting
that in future aged miners should get the cottages in turn
was defeated.

The Lancashire Branch of the British Foundrymen’s
Association held its annual meeting for the election of
officers on the 3rd inst. Mr. Joseph Simkiss was elected
president for the ensuing year, and Mr. Oliver Stubbs, of
the firm of Joseph Stubbs Limited, of Openshaw, was elected
vice-president. The secretary (Mr. Alfred Harrison, of
Castleton, Lancashire) was re-elected as secretary. After
the election a discussion was taken on the vexed question of
grading pig iron, opened by Mr. Andrew. Three methods of
grading were discussed, viz., by fracture, by analysis, and
by microscopical examination. The council of the Associa_
tion is making arrangements for visits by the members to
various centres of interest in connection with pig iron and
coke to be undertaken during the summer.

Chasetown’s new technical and mining institute is nearing
completion. It will be a creditable rival to the similar
building at Hednesford, which was opened several months
ago by Sir Oliver Lodge. The institute is situated in
Queen-street, Chasetown, on a site having an area of 150 ft.
by 90 ft. It is built in modern style with Leicestershire red
bricks, with White Hollington stone dressings, the angles
of the buildings having projecting quoins. On the ground
floor there is a mining laboratory, 38 ft. by 21 ft. Lecture
room No. 1 measures 25 ft. by 21ft. In the basement is a
wind velocity chamber 21 ft. by 4 ft. 6 in., equipped with a
motor and fan for testing purposes. There is an accumulator
room, 5 ft. by 8 ft., and a boiler house, 21 ft. by 10 ft. The
mechanical drawing room measures 25 ft. by 21 ft. Lecture
room No. 2, of similar dimensions, has a three-tier gallery
and the usual equipment. There is a teachers’ room, 13 ft.
by 17 ft., and also a store room fitted up with numerous
shelves. The cost of the institute is estimated at about
.£3,000. Its provision by the Staffordshire County Council
will be greatly appreciated by the mining students of the
Chasetown district.

The Select Committee of the House of Commons has
approved the preamble of the Hull and Barnsley Bailway
Bill. The final portion of the Bill dealt with the proposed
construction by the Hull and Barnsley Bail way Company,
jointly with the North-Eastern Bailway Company, of a line
of railway from the Salt End Jetty, Hull, via the joint
docks, to a point east of Alexandra Dock, where it will
connect with the North-Eastern Bail way. The Lancashire
and Yorkshire Bailway Company asked for running powers
over the new line, but this was refused.

Mr. Thos. Burt, M.P.,“ father ” of the House of Commons,
was entertained last week at a complimentary dinner in the
Grangers’ Dining Boom at St. Stephen’s by the Joint
Board of the three labour bodies in recognition of his long
services to the cause of labour. Mr. Burt said no one
could more profoundly dislike the existing social and
industrial system than he did. He wanted it changed, but
it could not be done in a day. Trade unionism had greatly
mitigated many evils, and he looked forward, although he
did not think it would come immediately, to the time when
labour, at any rate, would be much better remunerated and
better treated than at the present time.

At Ferryhill recently, Mr. Blunden, under-manager,
Mainsforth Colliery, received a travelling bag and
barometer, the gifts of the officials and deputies at the
colliery, in recognition of his kindness in coaching the
deputies for the examination rendered necessary by the
operation of the new Mines Act.

An inquest was held at the Clayton Hospital, Wakefield,
on the 15th inst. on the body of James Webster (24), who
died at the hospital on Saturday night. On the previous
Wednesday he had been operated upon for appendicitis.
It was stated that on July 23 Webster was injured in an
explosion during shot-firing at Park Hill Colliery, and he
lost the sight of both eyes. He had been unable to work
since. The house surgeon at the hospital said that the
cause of death was shock following appendicitis and
intestinal obstruction. He did not think that the explosion
was in any way connected with the man’s death, although
the altered conditions of the man’s mode of living might
have had a tendency to cause him to be more liable to
appendicitis. The jury returned a verdict that the man
died from appendicitis set up by being accidentally injured
in the pit.

The Public Health and Housing Committee of the
Northumberland County Council have just considered a
report on the sanitary condition of housing in the Cram-
lington district. It was stated that the housing accom-
modation in the district was taxed to the utmost, and a
number of houses admittedly unfit for human habitation
continued to be occupied for that reason. Further, the
sewerage and drainage system was stated to be most
unsatisfactory. The report was adopted without comment.