April 24, 1914. THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN. 903 demand is insufficient to employ anything like the pro- ductive capacity of the district, local makes having to meet keen competition from the Northern districts and Belgium. Common nut and bolt iron makes about .£6 5s., while good second-class bars can be bought at .£6 10s. to .£6 12s. 6d. Makers of marked bars are in receipt of sufficient orders to keep them going,and the .£810s. standard is retained. Strip is irregular at £6 10s. and upwards. There is a good deal of cutting in the galvanised sheet branch. Notwithstanding the well-sustained activity of the export trade the volume of business is hardly sufficient to give full employment, and prices are suffering. The official quotation is .£11 5s., but most of the business is being put through at lower rates, £11 2s. 6d., and even £11 f.o.b. Liverpool. Black sheets are in slow request at £7 15s. to £8 for doubles. Hard black sheets for galvanising make £7 12s. 6d. and upwards. There were few orders of any account in steel, but the considerable demand for constructive engineering work provides a con- siderable amount of employment. Copper sheets were reduced by £2 to £80 a ton. Forrat of Lydney. 00 AL. The house coal collieries in this district have been working up to four and five days since last writing, despite the summerlike weather of the past week. Orders from the railborne districts*are not so plentiful at the moment, but shipments have been good throughout the week. There are fair stocks at the Basin, and all vessels are given good despatch. Slacks are well placed. Steams, too, are in good request and the collieries for the most part are busy. Prices at pithead. Current L*st week*? Last year’s House coals:— prices. prices. prices. Block 17/6 17/6 16/6 Forest 16/6 16/6 15/6 Rubble 16/9 16/9 15/9 Nuts 15/ . 15/ 14/ Rough slack Steam coal:— 6/6 6/6 10/ Large.. 12/6-13/ 12/6-13/ 13/ -13/6 Small 8/ - 8/6 8/ - 9/ 10/ -10/6. Prices Is. 9d. extra f.o.b. Lydney or Sharpness. Devon, Cornwall, and South Coast, Plymouth. COAL. Messrs. W. Wade and Son state that owing to the summer-like weather which has prevailed during the past fortnight the retail demand for house coal has been very restricted, and this has reacted on the wholesale demand. Steam and gas coals have also a poor enquiry, and buyers generally are looking for lower prices than those which were quoted before the Yorkshire strike. Steam and sailing freights are easier. LABOUR AM MEO. South Wales and Monmouthshire. The Conciliation Board met on Monday, and once more the question of averaging came up. The workmen’s representatives suggested that one week should be the period for averaging the wages of pieceworkers under the minimum wage award, but the owners’ reply was that this would be unfair, except under safeguards, for it might result in a man being paid twice over for the same work, he having in the one week done preparatory work for the next. It was found impracticable to reach agreement, but the owners desired the men’s repre- sentatives to put their proposals into writing for con- sideration at the next meeting. Certain disputes were referred to joint representatives, and the only other matter of interest before the Board was the men’s application for the usual holiday, so that the district demonstrations might be held. Permission was given, subject to seven days’ notice. The Federation executive met on Monday and agreed to meet Lord St. Aldwyn, the independent chairman, in London, on Thursday, with reference to a dispute as to the classification of bottom cutters at Cwmbran Colliery, the difficulty have arisen out of the revised award. The executive will seek approval of the Miners’ Federation of Great Britain, so that the case of Smith v. D. Davis and Sons may be taken to the House of Lords. The question at issue arises in a compensation case—whether employers may insist upon an injured employee being examined by a medical man before written notification of the accident has been made, or may repudiate liability in the alternative. The stoppage at Cilely has come to an end. As a result of conference between the managers and repre- sentatives of the Federation, it was reported to a meeting on Tuesday that all could restart at once, each man receiving his old job. Eight hundred men stopped work at No. 2 South Griffin Colliery, Blaina, on Tuesday, the cause being a dispute with the hauliers. Over 1,300 men engaged in the Aberaman Colliery of the Powell Duffryn Company decided at a meeting on Sunday that they would cease work because there were seven non-unionists and 130 men were in arrears with their Federation contributions. t A one-day stoppage was the result, the number of non-unionists being reduced to one, while those in arrears had begun to pay up. Under the same company is the Abercwmboi Colliery, wherein are about half a dozen non-unionists among 500 men; and these latter appointed a deputation to wait upon the management, seeking assistance to bring the outsiders into the union fold. Meanwhile, they went on strike. North of England., The fear that Whitburn Colliery would be closed down has been dispelled. An announcement has been made to the effect that the negotiations which have been going on between the Harton Coal Company and the men have resulted in a working agreement satisfactory to both parties. A most important case bearing on the Minimum Wage Act was heard at a special sitting of the New- castle Moot Hall magistrates on Saturday. No fewer than 395«miners were summoned by the Burradon and Coxlodge Coal Company for absenting themselves from work and laying the Hazlerigg Colliery idle on March 17 and 18. It appeared that the manager, Mr. Bell, considered that the men working in the No. 5 staple were not doing sufficient work, so he gave notice that they would not be made up to the minimum. An appointment was afterwards arranged with the men’s representatives, but according to. the statement made to the under-manager by one of them, they forgot to turn up. All but the 22 men in the staple subsequently left work in “ sympathy ” because of the alterations made in the payment of the No. 5 staple. The company claimed £293 damages for the stoppage. It was pointed out that the management had made an offer to pay, without prejudice, three weeks’ minimum rate to the men in the staple pending negotiations. On the men’s side it was denied that they forgot to attend a meeting, and said they had received no intimation of such meeting. Mr. Cuthbertson, counsel for the men, contended that the men were justified in their action. In one set of three marrows the wages were £114s. 6d. less than the minimum rate. He contended that the mineowner was bound to pay the minimum rate until he had got a certi- ficate of exemption. If, however, it were a ques- tion about the “ reasonableness ” of paying the minimum and the mineowner chose to deduct the minimum wage, he did so at the risk of it turning out right or wrong when the tribunal appointed by the Act decided the issue. By admitting that the minimum contracted under Act of Parliament was not paid, they also admitted breach of contract, and there could be no cause for complaint if the workman said, “ I’m going to break my contract too.” After three- quarters of an hour’s absence, the chairman (Mr. Gerard Fenwick) said the Bench found that there had been a breach of contract by the test defendant, by which the colliery company had suffered damage to the extent of 5s. The damages, of course, applied to the rest of the 22. Mr. Cuthbertson did not carry the defence of the remainder of the cases any further. The company and the men will pay the costs between them. The damages will be paid by five instalments. The workmen of Greenside Colliery, Byton, have balloted on the question of remaining at work under present conditions of pay at alleged unfair places. By 456 votes to 126, they have voted in favour of giving 14 days’ notice to cease work unless they are paid county average for the places in dispute. A special meeting of the Whitehaven miners was held in the Market Hall, Whitehaven, on Sunday, to consider the Cumberland Conciliation Board’s award of a reduc- tion of 2-J per cent, from all underground wages, and If per cent, from all surface workmen’s wages. It was unanimously decided to enter a most emphatic protest against the reduction. The general secretary, Mr. Hanlon, was instructed to write to Mr. Sharp, the miners’ agent, and request him to give one month’s notice to /have the same abolished. The meeting also desired tb appeal to all full members throughout the county to rise up against the reduction, and more especially to those lodges whose delegates, it was stated, came to the Board meeting prepared to concede the said reduction, or even the full 5 per cent., if the employers had forced it. . z ' The Cumberland Winding Enginemen’s and Boiler Firemen’s Association have sent in a demand for time and a-half for all holidays and week-end labour. Federated Area. In accordance with the arrangement come to by the Joint Committee of the Coal Conciliation Board last Thursday, there was a general resumption of work at the Yorkshire pits during the week, though here and there slight hitches occurred. In the great majority of cases, however, the miners commenced with the Monday morning shifts, and the remainder had resumed by Thursday. Chief interest centred in the pits round Rotherham, where the dispute originally broke out, and where many of the men admittedly were hostile to the terms arranged. At these pits, however, there was a very full muster of men at the early morning shifts on Monday, and it was at one or two of the pits around Barnsley where trouble was experienced. There were five pits concerned in the Rotherham dispute—the Silverwood and Roundwood pits of the Dalton Main Colliery Company, and the Aldwarke, Rotherham Main, and Car House pits of Messrs. Brown and Co. With surface workers and boys it is estimated that they employ something like 15,000 persons. Some anxiety was occasioned last Friday by the news that there were some difficulties in face of the prospective resumption, but a joint deputation from the various branches of the Miners’ Association interviewed the managements, and whatever difficulties were anticipated were overcome. The miners’ officials then displayed a notice that all men and boys were to sign on on Saturday morning, every man and boy returning to his old place and position. These instruc- tions were loyally abided by, and preparations for the resumption of work were completed during the week-end. The Rotherham men had been on strike since February 16, when, it will be remembered, they left work without notice. At a few pits in the Barnsley district work was not resumed immediately, difficulties or misunderstandings standing in the way. Of the three Silkstone pits only two—the Stanhope Silkstone and the Silkstone Fall—started work, grievances on the part of the men preventing a resumption at the Old Silkstone or the Church Lane pit. A deputation from the men interviewed the management, and it was then arranged that signing on should take place on Tuesday, and that work should recommence Wednesday morning. Writing on the subject of. the Yorkshire strike, a correspondent says :—The question which the men may well ask themselves is this, What have we to show in the way of gain for the outlay on the county strike ? It must be admitted that not a single concession has been obtained as a result of forcing the county strike. The important concession of the addition of the percentages of advance given by the Conciliation Board to the minima fixed by the District Chairman had already been obtained when the decision of the Yorkshire Miners’ Council not to suspend the strike notices was made. The final terms of settlement practically provide for the surrender of the advance of 6d. per day given by Sir Edward Clarke at those pits where the conditions of economic production are unfavourable. Thus we have the recognition of a principle which is outside the scope of the Minimum Wage Act—the economic position of individual pits as a factor governing wages. In the broader sense the factor is already recognised in the widely-different wage paid in districts like Somerset, Bristol, and the Forest of Dean, as compared with Yorkshire, Lancashire, Nottinghamshire and Derby- shire. The economic conditions compelled the recogni- tion of that factor in the Minimum Wage Act in reference to districts. In the Yorkshire settlement the economic factor is now definitely recognised as between individual collieries in the same district, and it is admitted as a principle that the same wage is not possible in old pits, approaching the stage of exhaustion, in South Yorkshire, as can be paid in the new pits of the Doncaster district. Thus the strike has brought into full force economic conditions which are more powerful even than legislation. From the men’s point of view, the barren results of a strike, which has cost them one million sterling, form an object lesson against the “ sympathetic ” strike. Our Doncaster correspondent says :—Apropos of the recent Yorkshire coal strike much interest centres in the definition of the class of mines which are to be allowed to pay the lower minimum. It is stated the demand will be put forward in a number of mines at an early date. In all these cases the owners have under- taken to place before the representatives of the men the full detailed working of the particular collieries, that they may be able to examine books and figures to see if the difficulties of proceeding under the new minimum are really hampering them and making the mines unremunerative. The existence of such mines is reported to be admitted by the men’s leaders, and if any controversy arises, it is understood it will be over the number of them. At Wakefield on Friday, 111 surface workers employed at Lofthouse Colliery were summoned for a breach of contract for leaving work without notice, and a sum of 5s. damages per day in respect of two days, March 23 and 24, was claimed from each man. It was stated that on March 9 last an agreement was arrived at in regard to the West Yorkshire surfacemen’s wages.and conditions of service, and this was signed by representatives of the West Yorkshire Coalowners’ Association, the Yorkshire Miners’ Association, and the National Federation of Colliery Surface Workers. Clause 4 of that agreement provided that thirty minutes should be the acknowledged time for meals during the nine or ten hours’ shift arranged for banksmen and screeners. The surface workers previously had been allowed at this pit a full hour for what was known as “ snap time.” The management eventually offered to allow forty minutes for “ snap time” without prejudice and until the men had had an opportunity of further considering the matter. On March 23, however, the surface workers kept away from work, with the result that the pit had to be closed, and some 1,200 men and boys thrown out of employment. Work had not since been resumed. The defendants maintained that they had a bond fide grievance, inasmuch as at some other collieries arrange- ments existing as to “ snap time ” prior to the agree- ment had not been interfered with. The defendants were each ordered to pay the amount claimed, with 6s. 6d. costs. The Midland coalowners and delegates of the Notts Miners’ Association met in conference at Nottingham, on Wednesday, regarding the surfacemen’s wages. It is stated that there are serious differences as to rates of pay to be allowed. The proceedings were adjourned in order to allow the proprietors time to further consider the matter. Happily the dispute between the coalowners and men in North Wales with respect to the wages of fillers has been settled, and as a result of the conference which was held at Wrexham, on Saturday last, the notices have been withdrawn, which had been handed in at ten collieries in Denbighshire. The settlement has given great satisfaction throughout the district. The terms, upon which the men have been persuaded to withdraw their notices are as follow:—That the appeal of the men to the House of Lords with respect to the Wrexham and Acton fillers test case, shall be withdrawn. t (2) That each side shall agree to pay its own costs in connection with the hearings of the said case in the various courts it has gone through. (3) That, as far as possible, the rates which were paid to the fillers in 1912, before the Minimum Wage Act came into force, shall be agreed to be paid by the collieries in question, but same shall be subject to anv fluctuations caused by agreement of the Conciliation Board of the Federated area. (4) That no arrears in respect of wages shall be claimed by the men, but (5) that the new arrangement, which is an advantage to the men in regard to wages, shall come into force immediately. Scotland. A meeting of the Scottish Coal Trade Conciliation Board was held in Glasgow on Friday, to consider the claim by the coalmasters for a reduction of 25 per cent, on the miners’ wages on the 1888 basis, equivalent to one shilling per day. Lord Balfour of Burleigh presided as neutral chairman, and after hearing both parties he said he would take the matter to avizandum.