894 'SHE COLLIERY GUARDIAN. April 24, 1914. on the steam pressure or the position of the accumulator bell, the change from one class of steam to the other is not, accompanied by any change in the speed of the engine. 3. Running Under Live Steam Only.—If now the load undergoes any change, and the speed of the engine varies in consequence, the position of the slide c in relation to the now stationary bush i is modified, and the governing is effected in the same way as described in connection with running under exhaust steam. Altering the Engine Speed by Hand or from the Switchboard.—The bush f can be displaced longi- tudinally by means of the hand-wheel d, or from the switchboard by means of an electromotor acting on worm-gearing e, the rotation of the bush being pre- vented by a key feather. This movement of the bush/ operates the bush g and the two piston bushes h and i; that is to say, the two throttling orifices s and u are influenced in the same manner. When the bush / is moved so as to reduce the throttling orifices of both valve gears, an increased supply of steam is admited until the speed rises and equilibrium is restored, and vice versa. The slide z (fig. 10) in the exhaust steam valve gear is connected with the emergency valve, so that when the £ Fig. 10.—Regulating G-ear for Turbo 1. Rod to emergency stop valve. 2. Emergency stop valve. 4. To the nozzles. 5. Live steam intake. Fig 11.—Regulating Gear. emergency governor comes into operation the slide is forced up at once, thus cutting off the supply of oil to the slide q and opening the oil-discharge orifice under the latter, so that the exhaust-steam valve is closed by the pressure of the spring. For the high-pressure valve gear an emergency valve is provided, which acts as a main shut-off valve. (To be continued.) The condition in the American steel industry is reported to be rather depressed. The report of the Lackawanna Steel Company and its subsidiaries for the first quarter of 1914, just issued, shows a falling off of 431 998 gross tons unfilled orders and a deficit for the quarter of 445,207 dols., as compared with a surplus last year of 1,009,721 dols., a decrease of 1,454,928 dols. The total income was 236,046 dols., as compared with 1,603,544 dols., a decrease of 1,367,497 dols. The company is now operating only about 50 per cent, of normal capacity, and is employing some 3,000 less men than it usually does at this season of the year, while those employed are only working part time. Wage reduction, according to President Clarke, is also under consideration by the Lackawanna Company. The number of unemployed, however, is constantly increasing. It is said that the United States Steel Corporation has not yet seriously considered a reduction of wages, and that the corporation's future policy in this respect will depend upon developments. CO-PARTKERY AT FRENCH COLLIERIES. In a paper read recently before the Societe de 1’Industrie Minerale, M. Verney describes in some detail the co-partnership schemes in force at a number of French collieries, viz.:—Blanzy, Carmaux, Albi, Carvin and Epinac. At Blanzy, when the dividend exceeds 50 fr. per share, the surplus is distributed amongst the shareholders and the workmen on the basis of their wages. In 1907 the workmen received in this way 300,000 fr.; in 1908, 660,000 fr.; 1909 and 1910, 900,000 fr.; 1911,1,200,000 fr.; 1912, 1,500,000 fr.; 1913, 1,800,000 fr. These totals represent in 1907 about 3 per cent, of the total wages paid, and in 1913 nearly 14 per cent. At Albi, for each franc of dividend above 5 fr. dis- tributed amongst the shareholders, 20,000 fr. are allocated to the workmen. In 1911 the workmen received 360,000 fr., and in 1912, 480,000 fr., or 12 and 13| per cent, of wages respectively. At Carmaux the workmen receive, in addition to their wage, so much per cent, of certain wage types.” From -Generator. 3. Exhaust steam intake 6. Waste oil. 7 per cent, in 1901, this bonus has been raised to 20 per cent, in 1908, 23 per cent, in 1910, 25 per cent, in 1911, and 27 per cent, in 1912. At Epinac and Carvin, a rather different system prevails. The articles of association of the Carvin Company enable the board to take 5 per cent, of the net profits to form a reserve fund representing a tenth part of the capital—i.e., 197,250 fr. A certain portion is devoted to purchasing shares on behalf of the staff, and the interest on the fund, which is invested in trust securities, is distributed amongst the employees on a fixed basis. In order to participate, a service of at least 15 years is necessary. Points are allotted on the following basis :—(1) For each year of service, 2 points ; (2) each child or relation working for the company for not less than one year, 10 points ; (3) skill and aptitude, from 1 to 10 points ; (4) acts of courage, &c., from 1 to 15 points; (5) diligence and care, from 1 to 15 points. The distribution of shares (in fiftieths) is made amongst those of the employees with the highest list of points. The results generally have not answered expectations. Thus, of 280 fiftieth parts of shares, 222 have been converted into bearer bonds and the majority have been sold; in the total period 1900-12, 27 holders have died, 107 have been pensioned off, six have left the service of the company, 99 have parted with their shares whilst in the service of the company, and only 41 have retained their interest. In other words, the miners who receive shares regard them solely in the light of merchantable commodities. The points obtained for years of service and for professional skill have varied but slightly in the period, but the points obtained by virtue of the number of children and diligence have declined materially in recent years. The reason in the one case is th'at there is a growing tendency on the part of the children to break the tie of family and mine, numbers obtaining work at other collieries. As to diligence (exactitude), M. Verney thinks that this always varies inversely with the rate of wages. An attempt has more recently been made to amalga- mate the holdings amongst several workers, the usufruct being devoted to the individual beneficiary in the first instance, and to his widow on his death ; but difficulties have arisen to defeat this scheme, which can claim some features of originality. Profit-sharing at Epinac dates from 1902. It was instituted after a series of disastrous strikes in the Sadne-et-Loire, when the Epinac miners remained loyal, and the scheme was set on foot as a mark of gratitude on the part of the directors. In the first place it was provided that after 10 per cent, had been paid on the capital (the shareholders had received no dividend for 16 years) the balance should be distributed in equal proportions between the shareholders and the workmen. This scheme, however, was abandoned, and a reserve fund was created by taking 20 per cent, on the dividends distributed annually. This arrangement, it is said, has given keen satisfaction amongst the workmen, who regard themselves actually in the light of shareholders. The sums distributed each year have ranged from 42,500 to 50,000 francs, or from 5’78 to 3’05 per cent, of the wages. In 1905 the Academie des Sciences conferred the Andeoud medal upon the Epinac Company. M. Verney thinks that the principle of co-partnery in the case of the mines cited has been successful in that the companies have all obtained an accession of prosperity, and the schemes themselves have subsisted now for over 10 years in each case—this notwithstanding the fact that the mining industry does not appear to provide the happiest medium for co-partnery, owing to smallness and fluctuating character of the profits, the large numbers of men employed, and their instability. STONEDUSTINC IN COLLIERIES. The use of stonedust in underground workings and roadways has recently excited a considerable amount of attention amongst colliery owners, and we do not think any apology is needed on our part for drawing our readers’ attention to a special machine which, is being put on the market by Messrs. Scholefield, of Burley Vale Foundry, Leeds, for grinding shale, bind, or similar materials, where the content of free silica is not too high, to a suitable powder for use in spreading on underground roads and workings. The machine, which is a type of ball mill, is illustrated in Messrs. Scholefield’s advertisement appearing on p. 880 of the current issue. The advantages claimed are that the machine is self-contained, and no auxiliary plant beyond the mill is required for carrying out the necessary operations of grinding and screening. The grinding is effected by steel balls, and after the material passes through the permanent grinding plates, it is dealt with by a very ingenious arrangement of screens combined with the mill, and this absolutely ensures all material being reduced to the required fineness before passing out of the machine. All coarse material is automatically returned to the interior of the mill for further reduction. The machine is provided with a steel plate dust casing, and there is therefore no nuisance from a dust-laden atmosphere in the vicinity of the mill when working. The parts subject to wear and tear are few, and the power necessary for driving very moderate compared with the output. We are informed that the mill will deliver a finished product of which 30 per cent, will pass a 200-mesh test screen, and 70 per cent, go through a 100-mesh screen. Every particle of material discharged by the mill is capable of passing a 30-mesh (900 holes) per square inch. A special type of feed hopper enables the machine to be fed with com- paratively large pieces. We understand that Messrs. Scholefield have designed various sizes of machines, having outputs varying from 10 cwt. and upwards per day, to meet all reasonable requirements. In order to obtain the maximum life from the grinding plates, these are made of a special chilled iron, which it is claimed is superior to steel for this particular purpose. Those of our readers who are either stonedusting at present, or considering the question, and require a suitable machine for preparing the dust at a reasonable cost, can obtain full particulars and all information regarding outputs, prices, &c., from the makers. Hull Coal Export®.—The official return of the exports of coal from Hull for the week ending Tuesday, April 14, 1914, is as follows:—Amsterdam, 509 tons; Antwerp, 189; Barcelona, 1,816; Bremen, 612; Hamburg, 606 ; Harlingen, 103 ; Libau, 6,278; Novorossisk, 1,298; Riga, 2,254 ; .Rotter- dam, 2,019; Stettin, 149; Savona, 886; total, 16,719 tons. Corresponding period April 1913 total 84,169 tons.