1312

THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN.

JuneA2, 1914.

LETTERS TO THE EDITORS.

The Editors are not responsible either for the statements
made, or the opinions expressed by correspondents.

All communications must be authenticated by the name and
address of the sender, whether for publication or not.
No notice can be taken of anonymous communications.

As replies to questions are only given by way of published
answers to correspondents, and not by letter, stamped
addressed envelopes are not required to be sent.

SOUTH HIENDLEY PIT FIRE.

Sir,—We understand that mining men who have lead
the account of the unfortunate fire at the above pit, and
the report in the paper of its having been caused by the
bursting of a lamp, that they have formed the impression
that the lamp referred to is a safety lamp.

We have made enquiries into the matter, and find the
lamp in question was an ordinary paraffin oil glass
chimney lamp hanging on the wall, somewhat like the
lamp used in stables at the surface. The oil vessel
was partly at the back of the lamp and partly at the
bottom, and it was not a miner’s safety lamp, nor
intended to take the place of the miner’s safety lamp.

We trust you will publish this explanation, as the
miner’s safety lamp has already suffered plenty of wrong
in the past from erroneous reports.

A. Hailwood, Manager and Secretary,

. Ackroyd and Best Limited.

Morley, near Leeds,

June 6, 1914.

LABOUR AMD WAGES.

South Wales and Monmouthshire.

A special conference of the South Wales miners is sum-
moned for July 13, when the banksmen’s question will be
dealt with, the question of the Parliamentary fund be dis-
cussed, and also the position of the Central Labour College.

Avon Volley miners held their district meeting on Satur-
day, and in reference to the Abergwynfi Colliery dispute, it
was stated that the men were determined to, abolish the
double shift entirely. At two of the smaller collieries, accord-
ing to a report submitted, all the employees are non-unionists,
and it was resolved that unless these men join the federation,
the whole of the miners in the valley should take steps to
make a general stop-day.

Because the banksmen threatened to take common action
upon their grievances, independent of the federation, their
desire to strike is condemned by federation leaders. The
Avon Valley agent declared on Saturday that they were not
justified in the course they had taken, but should conform
to the decision of the executive. They could secure better
conditions and wages only by getting the organisation behind
them, not by resorting to sectional action. This expression
of opinion seems to voice the mind of the whole coalfield, for
it is reported that upon appeal to the lodges generally no
decisive result was obtained. These were asked to consider
the advisability of tendering notice to enforce the claims of
the banksmen, but there is contrariety of opinion, notwith-
standing the assertion that some of the banksmen have to
work 80 hours a week. The executive of the federation has
been appealed to, and the matter will, as stated, come up
at the conference to be summoned on July 13. Meanwhile
the executive will make further appeal to the coal owners.

Allegations as to grievances formed the subject of dis-
cussion at a meeting of Naval Colliery employees, held at
Tonypandy. According to the report subsequently issued on
behalf of the men, they allege difficulty as to non-payment
of the minimum wage to boys; that men who asked for the
minimum had received notice before the matter came before
the committee ; and that examiners’ reports were not satis-
factory. It was resolved that unless arrears of federation
contributions were paid up by men in default, notices should
be tendered on June 20.

The strike of 2,500 employees at Bargoed Colliery has
come to an end, the men having resolved at a meeting held
on Monday to restart with the night shift on Wednesday. It
originated in dissatisfaction with the lamps, as stated in
last week’s issue, and the stoppage has lasted nearly a fort-
night.’

Merthyr district ballot shows a large majority in favour of
appointing full time workmen examiners; and this move-
ment is spreading throughout the whole coalfield. The
Caerphilly district has also arrived at this decision, and will
appoint as full time examiners two certificated men who
have had 10 years’ experience underground.

As the result of an interview between federation nominees
and the management, a dispute at Hill’s Plymouth Colliery
has been settled.

North of England.

The annual meeting of the Cumberland District Coal
. Minimum Wage Board was held on Monday afternoon at
the Coal Owners’ Association offices, Workington, Mr. L.
H. Pletcher presiding over a full attendance, with Mr. T. P.
Martin and Mr. A. Sharp, joint secretaries. Sir William
Job Collins, of London, was re-appointed neutral chairman,
and Canon Sutton neutral vice-chairman. The Board was
constituted as follows :—Men’s representatives : Messrs. J.
Vickers, B. Bigg, I. Temple, J. Hanlon, J. Bird, T. G-.
McKeating, J. Barker, A. Johnston, A. Sharp, and Thomas
Cape. Masters’ representatives : Messrs. W. Graham, L.
H. Pletcher, Lloyd Wilson, J. G. Scoular, A. C. Scoular, T.
Thompson, G. H. Askew, G. G. Glen, B. B. Blair, and T.
P. Martin. Pormal business was left over for another
meeting.

Dr. John Wilson, M.P., in his monthly circular to the
Durham Miners’ Association, deals at length with the ques-
tion of conciliation boards. After expressing the opinion
that the small and close settlements of wages achieved by
such boards were the truest indication of the real service of
the boards, he declares that to abolish the boards without
putting in their place a better method was only change and
retrogression. If they were to be led by a piece of vague
sentimentalism, he says, which glibly denounced without the
ability to suggest a better method, there w^s only retro-
gression open to them. Continuing, Dr. Wilson says :—“ It
is said the conciliation boards work entirely for the benefit
of the employers. In my opinion that is a long way from
the true facts of the case. Do the men who make those
statements ever consider the implied condemnation there is
in their words? . . . Those who assert that the board is so

biassed should at once say in what respect it is so. If the
defect is not in the machinery of the board, and there is a
disadvantage to the workmen, then it must come from the
inability of the advocates on their side to argue the ques-
tions ; and let me say here, to every member of every section
of the Federated Board, your interests are safe, so far as
men can guard them, in the hands of the members in whom
you have placed a trust which they unitedly consider
sacred.”

Bepresentatives of the three-shift collieries of the North-
umberland coalfield have held a mass meeting at Back-
worth, and passed the following resolution :—” That this
meeting do all in their power to help the three-shift collieries
to get the system done away with, and to give whatever
support they can to the Bill in the House of Lords.”

A circular, signed by eight miners of the Ashington dis-
trict, has been issued amongst the Northumberland miners
advising the men to vote for the transference of the Miners’
Association scholarships from Buskin College to the Central
Labour College, London. The recent session of the North-
umberland Miners’ Council voted, by 42 votes to 21, against
a similar proposal. Six of the signatories are ex-Buskin
College students, and they claim that the Central Labour
College gives a better working class education than does the
Oxford College. They base part of the opposition to the
Buskin College upon the fact that several wealthy men sup-
port it. The Central Labour College is directed by Mr.
Denis Hird, M.A., an ex-professor of the Buskin College.

The summonses against 141 miners employed at the
Dawdon Colliery were adjourned for the second time on
Saturday. On behalf of the Londonderry Collieries Limited,
Mr. J. B. Scott said that the company did not wish to place
anything in the way of a peaceful settlement of the question.
He expressed the opinion that some peaceful settlement of
the question would be arrived at, and already very hopeful
discussions had taken place. Meanwhile, the men have
handed in their notices to cease work as a protest against
the deduction of the damages awarded by the court in a
previous case. The men hold that deductions should not be
made from wages.

A dispute as to the timbering rule has occurred at Eppleton
Colliery, Hetton, Durham, owned by the Lambton and
Hetton Coal Company, and the men and boys have handed in
14 days’ notice to cease work.

Eramwellgate Moor miners, numbering 200, were sum-
moned at Durham County Police Court on Wednesday, on a
charge of having absented themselves from work on various
dates in April, damages to the extent of 10s. each being
claimed. A settlement, however, was arrived at on terms
satisfactory to both parties. The Bench was asked to
grant an adjournment for six weeks to allow of the terms
arrived at being carried out. Mr. Turnbull, for the company,
said the company was waiving their right to claim costs,
and the men would pay the damages claimed. An
adjournment was granted for six weeks.

Hazelrigg Colliery, of the Burradon and Coxlodge Coal
Company, was laid idle on Wednesday owing to a dispute
among the putters. The objection was one with regard to
the working of the ponies. There are nearly 1,000 men
and lads employed.

Federated Area.

At a meeting of the Old Hill and District Miners’
Association on Monday, the alleged practice of various
colliery owners in the district of dismissing miners from their
employment without notice was considered at length. The
agent (Mr. Samuel Edwards) reported that recently a large
number of complaints under this head had been investigated,
and he regretted the practice was growing amongst the
employers. Miners who had been on sick benefit under the
Insurance Act were frequently dismissed, on reporting them-
selves fit for work, without notice or any reason for their
discharge. The association passed a resolution expressing
the opinion that drastic steps should be taken to protect the
interests of the men, and instructions were given for the
men’s claim against the employers to be legally supported,
and that proceedings be instituted to recover the men’s wages
in future cases of this character.

The following is the scale of wages which the Warwick-
shire owners have agreed to, when wages stand at 65 per
cent, over basis rates 14 to 14J years of age, Is. 8d. per
shift; 14| to 15, Is. 9d.; 15 to 15£, Is. 10|d.; 154 to 16,
2s.; 16 to 16J, 2s. 3d.; 16| to 17, 2s. 6d.; 17 to 17J, 2s. 9d.;
1’7| to 18, 3s.; 18 to 18j, 3s. 2d.; 18J to 19, 3s. 4d.; 19 to
191, 3S< 6d.. 19i to 20, 3s. 8d.; 20 to 20J, 3s. lOd.; 20J to
21, 4s.; over 21, 4s. Id. This list is to apply to able-bodied
and thoroughly competent men,, but not to infirm or incap-
able men, compensation cases, and men over 65.

A serious difficulty has risen at the Walsall Wood Colliery,
near Walsall, where nearly 1,200 men and boys are employed,
and the following notice has been posted up :—“ The man-
agement regret they are compelled to give notice to the men
employed here owing to their being unable to come to terms
for a renewal of the lease with their principal lessor. If
any arrangement is come to before June 20 a notice will be
posted on the pit head to that effect. The pit will be open
for work on the 22nd, 23rd and 24th inst. on day to day
contracts. ”

The meeting of the council of the Yorkshire Miners’
Association was concluded at Barnsley on Tuesday. The
Council expressed regret that after the dispute with
regard to the minimum wage, certain coal owners were not
carrying out the agreement arrived at with regard to the
payment of the minimum wage, and that at some collieries
arrears were still owing; also that at other collieries attempts
were being made to force the indirect reductions or were
seeking to pay less to the collier and trammer than what
was thoroughly understood they should receive. The council
also received reports that deductions were taking place from
by-workmen’s wages and boys’ wages. They were pre-
pared to take action if this was persisted in, and such coa]
owners must be prepared to take the consequences. In regard
to disputes at the Brierley, Thurcroft and Garforth colliery,
the requests of the men to give in their notices were adjourned
pending a further effort being made to obtain an amicable
settlement of the matters. Similar action was taken in
regard to the non-union trouble at Elsecar Main, and hope
was expressed that the management would avoid the neces-
sity for further action being taken.

Scotland.

The Scottish Coal Trade Conciliation Board met for
several hours in Glasgow on Monday for the purpose of con-
sidering the claim by the coal owners for a reduction of
miners’, wages to the extent of 25 per cent, on the 1888 basis,
which is equivalent to Is. per day. Miners’ wages at the
present time in most districts amount to about 7s. 2d. per
day. At the close of the proceedings it was announced that
the parties had failed to come to any agreement, and it was

decided to submit the matter to the arbitration of Lord
Balfour of Burleigh. About 100,000 men are affected.

In pursuance of an agitatioL for the abolition of non-
union labour at the Glencraig pit of the Wilsons and Clyde
Coal Company, a ballot of the men has been taken at the
instance of the executive board of the Fife and Kinross
Miners’ Association. The result of the ballot was as
follows :—In favour of lodging notices against the employ-
ment of ncn-unionists, 715; against, 42.

A conference of the Scottish Miners’ Federation was held
in Glasgow on Wednesday, when it was decided to contest
two divisions instead of five divisions, as formerly, at the
next General Election. The constituencies selected are Mid-
lothian and North-East Lanark. Those dropped are South
Ayrshire, Mid-Lanark, and South Lanark. The conference
regretted that the financial situation made it necessary for
them to drop these three constituencies meanwhile, but in
the event of the difficulty being remedied at an early date,
it was stated, an opportunity would be given to contest them.

Miners’ Federation of Great Britain.

The conference of the Miners’ Federation of Great Britain
which had been called chiefly to consider the question of
Parliamentary candidates, was concluded in London on the
5th inst. under the chairmanship of Mr. Bobt. Smillie. At
the conclusion of a two-hours’ sitting the following resolu-
tion was agreed to :—“ That, in addition to the sitting
Members of Parliament, the federation confine itself to 10
new candidates, to be apportioned among the districts as
follows : Yorkshire 2, Lancashire and Cheshire 1, North-
umberland 1, Durham 2, Scotland 2, South Wales 2; and
that the secretary intimate to the districts that the federation
can take no responsibility for any other candidature; also,
that a letter be sent to the same effect to the Labour party,
but that any miners’ candidates contesting a seat, with the
consent of the district to which he belongs, shall, without
any financial responsibility to the federation, receive the
approval of the executive committee of this federation, pro-
viding that he has already been adopted as such by the
Labour party.” The chairman, drawing attention to the
position of North-East Derbyshire, said he wished to explain
that North-East Derbyshire was included in the 11 seats
which were held as Labour seats, and were in the schedule
of the 21 seats contemplated by the executive committee.
Therefore, North-East Derbyshire would be one of the seats
to be contested officially. With reference to the Scottish
wages question, the following resolution was adopted :—
“ That this conference, having heard the report of the
Scottish delegation as to their coal owners’ demands of 25
per cent, reduction of their wages, which would, if persisted
in, bring them substantially below the 7s. minimum rate,
as confirmed in the Scarborough resolution, the conference
remits the whole of this question to the executive committee,
with power to take any action they deem desirable, and, if
necessary, to call a special conference at an early date, with
a view to taking national action upon the matter.” The
conference then concluded.

Iron, Steel and Engineering Trades.

The Iron Trade Conciliation Board met in Glasgow on the
3rd inst. for the purpose of considering an application by
pig iron workers in Glasgow district for a minimum rate of
wages of 4s. per shift. About 1,000 men were interested in
the application. The average rate at the present time is
about 3s. 6d. per shift. After hearing statements on behalf
of the workers and the employers, it was stated that the
decision of the Board would be intimated before the end of
the present month.

THE IRISH COAL TRADE.

Thursday, June 11.

Dublin.

There has been a fairly good demand for house coal
during the past week, owing to unseasonable weather, but
the country trade continues to be slow, as consumers are
holding back their orders in anticipation of a further fall
in prices. Merchants hold very large stocks of nearly all
qualities at present, and there is no change in quotations,
viz:—Best Orrell, 26s. to 27s. per ton; Abram, 25s. to
26s.; best Wigan, 24s.; best Whitehaven, 24s.; Pemberton
Wigan, 22s.; kitchen nuts, 21s.; Orrell slack, 20s.; steam
coals, from about 22s. per ton; best coke, 20s. per ton
delivered. Irish coals at Wolfhill, Queen’s County, are :—
Large coal, 20s. per ton ; small coal, 18s. 4d.; nuts, 16s. 8d.;
beans, 15s.; peas, 12s. 6d.; culm (coarse), 10s.; culm (in
pond), 3s. 4d.; culm (fine), 5s. ; prices, retail, from 5d. to
Is. per hundredweight—all at the pit mouth. The collier
vessels arriving in this port during the past week amounted
to 55, as compared with 52 the week previously, chiefly from
Garston, Partington, Ayr, Liverpool, Preston, Glasgow,
Newport, Maryport, Workington, Troon, Ellesmere Port,
Newcastle-on-Tyne, Girvan and Widnes. The total quantity
of coal discharged upon the quays was 26,795 tons.

Belfast.

Business with the inland districts has improved somewhat,
and prices of inferior classes are a little easier for this
branch of the trade. Matters are extremely quiet in the
local market, but prices nevertheless remain unchanged as
follow:—Best Arley house coal, 27s. 6d. per ton ; Hartley,
26s. 6d.; Wigan, 25s. 6d.; Orrell nuts, 26s. 6d.; Scotch
house, 23s. 6d.; Orrell slack, 23s. 6d.; Scotch steam coal,
15s. 6d. to 16s. 6d. per ton; Scotch slack, Ils. 6d. to 12s. 6d.
per ton; navigation steam, 17s. to 18s.; Welsh steam coal,
17s. to 18s. per ton delivered. Coal-laden vessels arriving
during the week were chiefly from Workington, Ayr,
Glasgow, Ardrossan, Girvan, Garston, Partington, Silloth,
Troon, Maryport, Campbeltown, Preston, Point of Aire and
Llanelly. Between May 17 and 30 the total number of
colliers entering the harbour was 106. Supplies are
plentiful and freights rather lower.

Mining Institute of Scotland.—A general meeting will be
held in the Heriot-Watt College, Chambers-street, Edin-
burgh, to-morrow (Saturday), at 3 p.m. The following
papers will be discussed :—Prof. D. Burns’s paper on
“ Apparatus for the Determination of Carbon Dioxide and
Oxygen in Mine Air ” ; Mr. Archibald M. Bussell’s paper
on “ Sinking and Equipment of Blairhall Colliery, Fife
Mr. John Gibson’s paper on “ Mining Economics : Some
Notes and a Suggestion.” A paper on “ Phosphate Mining
in Tunisia, North Africa,” by Mr. Peter King, will be read.
The second annual joint excursion will be held on Saturday,
June 27. A special steamer has been reserved, which will
leave Princes Pier, and will sail down the Firth of Clyde and
round Ailsa Craig. If the weather is unfavourable, the
steamer will be taken for a cruise up Loch Fyne.