March 13, 1914.

THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN.

581

Notes from the Coalfields.

[Local Correspondence.]

South Wales and Monmouthshire.

Shipowners’ Protest against Allocation of Tips: The
Colliery Side of the Question—South American Dis-
charge Conditions—Air. D. A. Thomas’s American
Enterprise—Swansea’s Trade Position—Troublesome
''Foreigners” Underground— The Accident Clause
in Contracts — Coalowners’ Association Annual
Meeting—Tredegar Company as Hotel Proprietors.

The Cardiff and Bristol Channel Shipowners’ Associa-
tion met on Friday, and among the subjects of discussion
was the allocation of tips in Barry Dock, one owner
stating that although a vessel had been in dock for
10 days, another was given preference of loading.
The matter will be gone into fully at next meeting,
after full particulars of the incident has been obtained ;
and meanwhile it is not out of place to point out that
there are two sides to this question—the colliery pro-
prietor’s as well as the shipowner’s. Where great
colliery undertakings with outputs of thousands of tons
per day can guarantee full employment without cessa-
tion, it is not unreasonable that the dock company
should allocate to them certain tips, marshalling the
traffic so as to keep these constantly at work.

Another matter of interest dealt with at the ship-
owners’ meeting was a report that the Uruguayan
Government had agreed to act on similar lines to that
of Argentina in reference to coal cargoes—namely, to
grant clearance upon approximate quantities. A com-
mittee was appointed to meet representatives of the
coal shippers in order to bring this into practical
operation.

The journey of Mr. D. A. Thomas, head of the
Cambrian Combine, who is'visiting the United States,
continues to provoke speculation—all the more inter-
esting because he is admittedly making investigation
into.the coal and oil resources of West Virginia and of
Canada. Specially with reference to the Panama Canal
and its needful coal depots is interest aroused, and the
relative competition strength of Britain and America
for supplying those depots. Mr. Thomas is interested
in a scheme for opening up the Peace Bi ver territory,
and the construction of a railway thence to the coast-
line of British Columbia.

Swansea’s trade position is demonstrated by the
annual report of the Harbour Trust just issued. In
particular, the report manifests the foresight of the
Trustees in constructing the King’s Dock, and thus
adding enormously to the accommodation. But for the
existence of that dock it would have been impossible
for the traffic to be handled. This fact gives emphasis
to the demand which is being made at Cardiff for
greater dock facilities. Newport’s large dock will come
fully into operation in July ; but Cardiff (of which Port
Barry forms a part) still stands inactive, whilst the
traders through their different agencies are calling
urgently for better service. The Swansea increase of
trade was nearly 15 per cent., and totalled seven and a
half million tons; and among the increases were 632,000
tons of coal, and 193,000 tons of patent fuel. Additional
coal tips are to be put up, and amongst other improve-
ments is the letting of 20,000 square yards at the King’s
Dock for the new patent fuel works. The Great
Western Kailway Company are the chief carriers of
coal to the dock; and . they are making extensive
additions and improvements in respect of sidings and
facilities for sorting.

Colliery working is subject to many difficulties, but
among the strangest surely is that now reported from
one of the local pits, where huge blackbeetles, supposed
to have been imported with fodder from North Africa,
are swarming. Some of them are two inches in length,
and they move about in companies, stirring the dust on
their way. The food of the horses is infested, occasioning
much waste, and affecting the health and vigour of the
animals. An expert has been called in to advise as to the
extermination of the “ foreigners.”

The Colliery Investment Trust, of London, have
concluded negotiations to acquire the Brooke Drift
Colliery, Gwauncaegurwen, which has an output of
1,100 to 1,200 tons per week of anthracite. The same
Trust has already taken the Ilenllys and Ystradowen
properties in the Swansea Valley.

A point of considerable importance to colliery owners
came before the Glamorgan Assize Court on Friday.
Mr. T. Taylor, colliery proprietor, claimed payment of
£763 from the Cardiff Gas Company in respect of coal
supplied, and the defendant company counterclaimed
upon allegation of breach of contract. The facts were
simple. Plaintiff had undertaken to supply coal to the
gas company, but he was not able to fulfil the terms of
his contract because the colliery became flooded from
old workings. The contract had a clause providing that
in case of “accident, strike or lock-out ” the contractor
should not be deemed to be in default on account of
stoppage due to those causes, and the question which
the jury had to decide was whether the flooding of the
colliery from the old workings was really an accident.
For defendants it was urged that the flooding of the
mine did not constitute an accident within the meaning
of the clause, because water from the old workings was
expected, and it was negligence on the part of the
plaintiff not to have provided pumps sufficient to cope
with the flood.

The judge, in summing up, said it was difficult to
define the word “ accident,” but for the purposes of this
action the jury might regard it as applying to something
which could not be guarded against by ordinary prudence
and foresight, and 'could not be avoided by reasonable
expenditure of money. It would be absurd to lay down

that the plaintiff ought to spend tens of thousands of
pounds in pumping water out, for then the question
would arise whether it would be worth while to go on.
There was a barrier of 66 yards between this colliery
and the adjoining workings, whereas in ordinary mining
operations a barrier of 40 yards was considered safe.
Other questions arose which were submitted to the jury,
and finally their verdict was that the working of coal
had been stopped by “accident ” within the meaning of
the contract. Judgment was, therefore, given for plain-
tiff on both issues. Stay of execution was granted in
view of appeal. In the event of a point of law being
upset on appeal, damages sustained by the gas company
were assessed by the jury at Is. per ton on the difference
of the amount of coal delivered and 60 per cent, of the
contract, less the quantity over 60 per cent, delivered
during October.

In the course of a speech at Pontypool on Saturday,
Mr. James Winstone, one of the agents, stated that
since its formation the total receipts from all sources
into the Central Fund of the Miners’ Federation up to
December 1913 was £823,137, out of which the workmen
had received back in strike pay and lock-out grants the
sum of £640,013, whilst thousands of pounds had been
spent in law costs to protect the workmen.

For more than a year there has been trouble concern-
ing the doctors’ service in the Brynmawr and Blaina
districts ; but terms have now been arranged, and
poundage will be deducted at the colliery offices at L>d.
for medical service, and ^d. for drugs. About five
thousand men have agreed to these terms.

The Coalowners’ Association held their annual meeting
on Tuesday, when Mr. E. M. Hann (Powell Duffryn)
was elected chairman for the coming year, with Mr.
Hugh Bramwell (Great Western) as vice-chairman.

Mr. Hann hails from Durham, having come to South
Wales in 1879 to manage the New Tredegar Colliery of
the Powell Duffryn Company, and in 1883 having been
appointed general manager of the company’s under-
takings. During this period, the output has increased
from one to four millions of tons, and the whole condi-
tion of the properties radically improved. The £1 shares
are now quoted at 50s.

Mr. Hugh Bramwell came to South Wales from
Broughton Moor, Cumberland, and has been for over
20 years connected with the Great Western Collieries,
which at the present time are undergoing immense
development by new sinkings at Llantwit Vardre. He
is chairman of the Treforest Electrical Consumers’
Company.

At Cardiff Council, on Monday, Mr. T. Thomas,
mechanical engineer, of Gilfach Goch, was presented
by the Lord Mayor with the framed certificate of the
Carnegie Trust and a cheque for £10, in recognition of
his heroic conduct at the Britannia pit. The particulars
of Mr. Thomas’s brave deed have been more than once
recited here; and it will be remembered that he has
been presented by the King with the Albert Medal and
the medallion of St. John of Jerusalem.

The Tredegar Iron and Coal Company have made a
new departure in seeking to be hotel proprietors—though
it may be remarked, incidentally, that the Khymney
Iron Company have made large profits out of a brewery.
The Tredegar Company applied at the licensing sessions
on Monday for a full licence in respect of an hotel
costing £4,000 at Oakdale, it being the desire of the
company to curb and control the drink trade. All
profits above four or five per cent, would be devoted to
philanthropic purposes; and the licence of an existing
house will be extinguished. It was stated that two
thousand men were now employed at Oakdale, but in
three years the company hoped to more than double
the present output ; and they wished to promote
temperance, and limit the inducements to establish
clubs or for development of the flagon trade.—The
Bench granted the application, and fixed the monopoly
value at £4,500.

North Wales.

Rescue Station at Wrexham.

There was a representative gathering of North Wales
colliery owners and officials at Wrexham last week to
witness a demonstration at the new miners’ rescue
station, which has just been erected. The station has
been provided by the colliery owners of the North Wales
coalfield. at a cost of £5,GOO. Nearly 200 practical
colliers have been or will be trained for the work. Two
teams, one from Wrexham and Acton Colliery and the
other from Wynnstay, gave interesting demonstrations
at the station under Sergt.-Maj. Herbert, B.E., who is
in charge of the station. Mr. James Darlington, chair-
man of the North Wales Coalowners’ Association, said
he hoped the whole district of North Wales would be
able to see its way to join that station and so avoid the
necessity of putting another costly building in some
other part of the district.

Northumberland and Durham.

Electric Power Distribution—Treatment of Coaldust:
Air. Relger’s Experiments—Infirmary Collections and
the Truck Acts Amendment Dill—Housing Questions.

Dr. J. Theodore Merz presided over the 26th annual
meeting of the Newcastle Electric Supply Company, held
on Friday. In moving the adoption of the report, the
chairman referred to an item of £79,000 which had been
spent in acquiring the assets of the Durham Collieries
Electric Power Company Limited. The latter company
was started to supply electricity by private wayleaves in
the centre of congested coalfields in the county of
Durham at a time when the opinion as to the low cost at
which electricity could be produced was exaggerated.
To induce custom, the prices quoted were considered
ridiculously low, but they had the effect of bringing

down the price for power considerably. The consequence
was that damage was done to the electric power business
on the whole, and the company did damage to itself,
because it found it could not make the business pay.
The business of the Durham Collieries Limited, of which
they were owners in full, cost them £148,000, and it
brought in a revenue of £46,500. As the profit in
general could be assumed to be 30 per cent, of the
revenue, it meant something like £15,000 profit on an
investment of £150,000. The cost of producing electricity,
Dr. Merz remarked, notwithstanding the high price of
coal, was going down, and at the present time it was
lower than ever it had been. The meeting confirmed
the proposals for acquiring the shares of the County of
Durham Collieries Electrical Power Distribution
Company.

Further interesting experiments in coaldust laying
in mines were carried out at the “ F.” Pit of the Wash-
ington Coal Company, on Saturday last. The trials
were undertaken by Mr. Hermann Belger, of the
Armstrong College, Newcastle, and Mr. J. Fenwick, of
the Belger Colloid Dust Treatment Company.

An examination was made as to the condition of the
colloid sprayed in the main way some three months ago.
This was found to be fairly moist, and it constituted an
excellent testimonial to the efficacy of the treatment.
Afterwards the spraying machine was brought into
play. This is a kind of zinc tank resting on a cradle on
a trolley. From a small nozzle the preparation,
propelled by compressed air, was projected on to the
roof, sides, and ground, and lay awaiting the next dust
storm. Almost immediately there was a clearance of
dust.

With regard to the cost it is stated that a mile of way
can be kept sprayed for £200 per annum. About 55 or
60 yards can be treated in twenty minutes. No
technical skill is required in putting on the pre-
parations.

An accident of a very unusual nature was investigated
at Gateshead recently. It appeared that a brakes-
man named Hemsley was working in the Main coal
seam, and had charge of the winding-drum which
lowered the full tubs down the staple. The drum was
partly self-acting, and at the top there was a winch,
w'hich was only employed to move the cage in the event
of its sticking in the staple. The winch was operated by a
handle attached when required. New ropes were
fitted to the cage, which subsequently were found
to work very stiffly. Two days afterwards the rope
splicer entered the cage to be lowered. In order that
there should be sufficient weight to make the cage
descend he was accompanied by a man named Butler
and a hanger-on named William Holt, 14 years of age.
The cage had only moved about two yards down the
staple when it stuck fast. Hemsley endeavoured to
release it by pulling the ropes, but was unable to do so.
He accordingly fitted the handle on the winch and told
a youth named Grafton to work it. The cage got away
too fast and Grafton released his hold of the handle,
which fell down the staple, crashed through the roof of
the cage, struck Holt on the head and knocked him out
to the bottom of the staple. He was dead when picked
up. The men’s inspectors recommended that weights
should be used as ballast for the cage under similar
circumstances in the future.

At the annual meeting of the governors of the
Newcastle Infirmary, recently, it was mentioned that
1,000 patients were awaiting admission for operations,
and that an extension fund of £100,000 was requisite.
Sir Riley Lord said that whilst workmen’s contribu-
tions had risen in nine years from £5,600 to £20,000, a
larger personal subscription list was needed now. Some
time ago, a well-known coalowner, sending him a
subscription for a special purpose, pleaded the extra
expense to which he was put by helping subscriptions
and by accidents. Sir Riley Lord replied that, were it
not for the infirmary, the coalowners would be put to a
much greater expense. He contended the coalowners
did not realise the value of the institution, and he noticed
that many employers on the Tyne and in the large area
served did not subscribe . . . “ The workmen all do,”
he added. A resolution disapproving of the first clause of
the Truck Acts Amendment Bill, which makes it illegal
for any subscription to a hospital to be deducted from
workmen’s wages by employers, was moved. It was
stated that almost the whole of the £20,000 obtained
from the workmen was so deducted, and the fear was
expressed that, should the Bill be passed, not 50 per
cent, of that sum would be obtained.—Mr. John Cairns,
financial secretary of the Northumberland Miners’
Association, who made the motion, stated that the
money for the infirmary, for the permanent relief fund
and the aged miners’ homes, was all deducted at the
colliery office. He felt that the Labour supporters of
the Bill could not realise the position in the north, and
while they might think they were hastening the day of
nationalisation, they did not think how the hospital
was to be maintained in the meantime.

Mr. 'William Straker, corresponding secretary of the
Northumberland Miners’ Association, devotes much
of his monthly circular to a recital of and commentary
on the article by Dr. Walter Smith, Northumberland
County health inspector, on housing conditions in the
county. He points out that whilst the average number
of persons to each room in tenanted houses is 0 95 in
England, it is 1’29 in Northumberland and 1*34 in
Durham. The number of overcrowded houses in the
county is 14,877, containing 104,306 persons, or 287 out
of every thousand inhabitants. At Alnmouth, Amble,
Ashington, Bly th, Earsden, Morpeth and Wallsend,
over 300 in each thousand are overcrowded ; at New7burn,
342; Bedlingtonshire, 356; Weetslade, 385; Prudhoe,
433; and Seghill, 461. Mr. Straker adds: “Well may
‘ the powers that be,’ interested in keeping things as
they are, use all their influence, through the Press and
otherwise, to persuade trade union members that they