1410

TfflE COLLIERY GUARDIAN.

Jlne 19, 1914.

although there had been very large fluctuations in the con-
pany’s businesses, the record came out practically the same
as in the previous year, which was the best year in the
company’s history. Coal, coke, iron and other saleable
products showed an increase of £17,436. The profit and loss
account showed a profit for the year of £385,974, as compared
with £384,529 for the previous year. The prospects were
decidedly those of a lower value and less demand. He
warned the shareholders that the special expenditure on
renewals and improvements must in the future reach a high
level if they were to maintain the efficiency and economy of
their plant, for while trade had been booming they had been
too busy to attend to these matters. "While times were
prosperous and there was a fair margin of profit, the main
thing was to get the biggest output they could, and get the
biggest margin of profit. They were recommending them to
put £75,000 to general reserve. He hoped they would agree it
was prudent, having regard to the large amount they had to
expend at Thorne, much larger than they originally antici-
pated ; and also because it was possible that recent legisla-
tion would render some of the coal seams unworkable in
their old collieries, which were workable under the conditions
prevailing a few years ago. The output of coal for the year
ended April 30, 1914, was 2,173,641 tons, a decrease,
compared with 1913, of 36,171 tons ; ironstone 1,181,330 tons,
increase 28,859 tons; limestone 451,262 tons, decrease 8,460
tons; the total output being 3,806,223 tons, a decrease of
15,772 as compared with 1913. Their gross profit on mineral
trade, including coke as coal, was Is. l'57d. per ton, or, after
deducting appropriation and special expenditure, 10’75d.,
which was not much profit for a boom year. If prices of
coal were to be brought down to anything like their old level,
he did not see how many of their pits, and a great many
other pits in the county of Durham, could continue to exist.
The profit on coals per ton during 1913-14 had only been
37 per cent, of what it was in 1900-1, although the average
realised price for coals according to the county ascertainment
was for 1900-1 9s. 3’69d., and for 1913-14 it was 9s. 6’20d.
So that while the price was higher the profit was lower. He
had made a further comparison with regard to cost, and he
found that the costs for 1900-1 showed an increase over those
of 1888-9 of 63 per cent., while the cost in 1913-14 compared
with 1888-89 showed an increase of 130 per cent., and the
cost in 1913-14 compared with 1900-1 an increase of 41 per
cent. The wages for the county were in the first period 6’82
per cent, above the standard, in the second 46’55, and in the
third 25 per cent, above the standard. This increase in
cost had been brought about in spite of enormous expenditure
in improved appliances and labour-saving apparatus. He
would not allocate in any way the exact headings under
which this came, but some of the chief causes, of course, were
the reduction of hours brought about both by voluntary
arrangement with the men and by legislation, increase on the
basis rate of wages, increased cost of houses, in rates and
taxes, and in the number of officials required on account of
the new legislation as well as the more difficult physical con-
ditions they had to deal with. He wanted them to realise
that the absolute revolution in the cost of wages and every-
thing else made it quite impossible for the price of coal to
ever return to anything like the old level which they had it,
say, 10 years ago. Even if times were very bad, the collieries
would have to stop before they could go back to the old level
of prices. "Where they made the extra profits was in the
businesses they had added to the concern. At the last meet-
ing he set forth their estimate with regard to the time they
would take to develop the Thorne Colliery, and he was
advised there was no reason up to the present to vary the
dates he forecasted. The benzol plant at Banksfoot was
brought into operation at the beginning of November, and it
was working satisfactorily. The most unsatisfactory item had
been the manufacture of Cleveland iron. After charging iron
stone and limestone at cost price and the coke at the price
they had been selling it to other customers they had only
just about made ends meet on the Cleveland blast furnaces.
He could not see where the relief was coming from to enable
him to make Cleveland iron profitably on Teesside. As
regards the iron stone, they quality of the iron was gradually
becoming worse, and worse iron stone meant increase in
quantity of other materials and labour that had to be used.
One thing that had weighed with him was that the men had
met them in a businesslike way with regard to the reduction
in labour, and had accepted reductions in proportion to the
value of iron at a time when other miners were still keeping
their maximum rates. At the same time legislation had
affected the cost, though not to anything like the same extent
as in collieries.

Cumberland.

Further Extensions in Cumberland—Iron Mining Prospects.

The prospects for iron ore mining in West Cumberland are
very encouraging at the present time, especially in the
Lamplugh and Egremont districts. In the former locality
boring operations are being vigorously prosecuted, and at
Egremont not only is boring for iron being carried on, but
sinking operations are proceeding, proving beyond doubt that
haematite iron ore has been* found. At Egremont, the
Ullcoats Mining Company are engaged in sinking a shaft
with the object of working the ore deposit in a somewhat
different area from that in which ore is now being raised by
the company. It is stated that the Millom and Askam
Company have also found ore in land adjacent to their present
mine at Egremont. The Wyndham Manufacturing Com-
pany are also boring in this district in search of iron ore.

The known deposits of ore in the Egremont district would
seem to warrant the erection of 76 new houses on the Bresco
site at Egremont by the Urban District Council, though
the bright prospects in the iron ore world have not always
been achieved. At the present time there is certainly great
need for houses at Egremont, as dwellings are most difficult
to get—indeed, they cannot be obtained at any price, and
many families have to get shelter under the roof of someone
else. These circumstances make it appear that the Urban
Council is quite justified in building workmen’s dwellings in
order to meet the demands which the present population at
Egremont is pressing upon them. Houses are needed to
reduce the overcrowding, and to cut down the miles which
many workmen have to travel to and from work every day.

Wednesday was the Town Tenants’ Day in connection
with the rent audit of the Whitehaven Castle estates, and
Col. Jackson, in replying to one of the toasts, said that his
name had been mentioned as the chairman of the new colliery
company. They were now in the position to go ahead, and
the bigger the output of the collieries, the better it would be
for Lord Lonsdale, and the better it would be for the trades-
men of the town. He did not think he would be breaking
the confidence of the company when he told them that in con-

junction with Lord Lonsdale they had rather an ambitious
building scheme on. Now that the new colliery company had
taken a new lease from Lord Lonsdale, they were going to
build, not what could be called a “ garden city,” but houses
which would compare very favourably with other places in
the kingdom, and no fewer than 110 houses ought to be
finished between now and the next 12 months. Thanks to
the generosity of Lord Lonsdale they were able to build 110
semi-detached houses, and give each man a garden if he
wanted it.

Important developments are about to take place in the
extreme north of Cumberland. Up to the present coal has
not been worked further north than Brayton Domain No. 4
Pit.

Yorkshire.

Gallantry of the Yorkshire Miner—Cottage Hospitals—■
Hygiene in the Doncaster District—Water Troubles at
Hatfield—Smoke Helmet Tests at Rotherham.

A splendid tribute to the gallantry of the Yorkshire miner
was paid by the new Bishop of Sheffield, Dr. Burrows, at
Doncaster recently. He was addressing a large congrega-
tion in the Parish Church, and had the Wharncliffe Silkstone
disaster fresh in his mind. He had, he said, spent the
previous day in visiting nearly all the families of the people
who had been bereaved by the terrible disaster. What
impressed him most wTas the courage of the men. He talked
to the head of the rescue party, who told him how they had
crawled along in a space of 2% ft. on their hands and knees,
and had come across a man who was burnt from the top of
his head to the soles of his feet. When they got to this man
the latter said, “ Go forward, friend; see if you can help my
mate.” This was courage of the finest kind, and no braver
thing than that ever earned the Victoria Cross.

There is a feeling among the newer collieries in the Don-
caster district that something in the nature of cottage
hospitals should be provided to relieve the congestion at the
Doncaster Boy al Infirmary, and to enable very serious
accidents to be treated on the spot. A scheme is being dis-
cussed for the provision of such a hospital for Brodsworth
Colliery, and it is thought probable that other of the sur-
rounding pits would join in. At a meeting, recently held, it
was reported that negotiations had been opened up with Bull-
croft on the matter. Certain statistics relating to the
Frickley and Denaby Main cottage hospitals were laid before
the meeting, and the outcome was the passing of a resolu-
tion that a deputation approach the Brodsworth Colliery
Company asking them what they were prepared to do in
support of a cottage hospital. Great interest is being taken
in the matter, which the men feel is one of supreme
importance to themselves.

Miners employed at the Brodsworth Colliery, and also at
the Yorkshire Main Colliery, will soon be provided with much
better facilities for getting in and out of Doncaster, as formal
sanction has been received to the Provisional Order enabling
the Doncaster Corporation to extend its tramways to
Woodlands in the first case, and to Warmsworth, for Edling-
ton, in the second. The construction of the lines is to be
proceeded with at once. The proposal has been before the
corporation for two years. At one time the question of
inaugurating a system of trackless trollies was under con-
sideration, but this did not meet with general approval, and
was abandoned in favour of the scheme stated. The two
new routes will link up large and increasingly important
colliery centres.

Once again Dr. A. B. Dunne, medical officer to the Don-
caster Bural District Council, has issued his annual report,
which is of a peculiarly interesting character, as it comprises
most of the district associated with the new Doncaster
coalfield. The rural district includes 42 parishes, 84,878
acres, and the population, which in 1911 was 37,571, has
to-day leaped to 42,000, entirely owing to the colliery boom.
Dealing with the needs of colliery districts, the doctor refers
to the arrangements made wuth the Brodsworth Colliery
Company for supplying water to Adwick-le-Street, and to
the steps taken with regard to Askern, Armthorpe, Bawtry,
Skellow, Owston and Bossington. The report states that the
great demand for supplies which will be required by the new
colliery villages will make the problem a pressing one. Fail-
ing the expected supply from the Leeds Corporation, the
alternative cources are the underground waters lying in the
limestone strata. As to housing, the doctor states the cir-
cumstances which at present exist make it exceedingly
difficult, if not impossible, to state the number of cottages
needed. This is due to the great influx of the mining
population. Parishes which are rural in character, and may
be situated at some distance from a colliery, have miners
living in them, so that where the accommodation may be
sufficient for the ordinary wants of the population living and
employed in that parish, the present accommodation is insuf-
ficient when there are additions from without. The rent
which the colliers could afford to pay enabled them to take
any new cottages which might be erected within several miles
radius of the colliery at which they were employed. Over-
crowding was general in the new colliery districts, the
demand for labour being so great that it was inevitable under
the present conditions. The problem of housing the industrial
population, which had sprung up so suddenly, was an urgent
one.

The Local Government Board having written to the Wath
Urban District Council asking what was being done in regard
to the housing and town planning scheme, it was decided that
a reply be sent that the council are building 100 houses.
Town planning schemes are being prepared for the Maltby
district.

It appears to be not generally known that big water
troubles have had to be surmounted at the new Hatfield
colliery sinkings—indeed, the water dealt with has been
described as a subterranean river. The work has been
slow and tedious, but now the progress of the undertaking
will be accelerated as the long looked for accomplishment of
penetrating the water bearing strata has been brought about.
The cementation process has been adopted. Now that the
difficulties are over it is expected the village of Stainforth
will rapidly increase, and as there is a site for a church and
school provided by the colliery company, and land for a
colliery village has been acquired, everything seems ready
except the drainage, gas and public supply of water. The
latter, however, will almost immediately be forthcoming from
the Thorne Company.

The action of the Mayor, &c., of Wakefield v. the Loft-
house Colliery Company was mentioned by Mr. Micklem,
K.C., in the Chancery Division on Friday, before Mr. Justice
Astbury upon notice of motion to restrain the defendants
from working their mines under one of the corporation’s

reservoirs. Counsel stated that, with the consent of the
other side, he proposed asking his lordship to allow the notice
of motion to stand over for three weeks, the defendants giving
an undertaking not to carry on their operations so as to
infringe upon a 66 yds. area referred to in the affidavits. His
lordship made the order desired.

At Wath-on-Dearne on Saturday, a presentation of a
suitably-inscribed marble timepiece, a pair of bronze figures,
and a purse of gold was made to Councillor T. Lomas, the
new manager of the Maltby Main Colliery, who for many
years had been under-manager of the Manvers Main No. 3
Pit. Mrs. Lomas was presented with a gold watch and
chain. The gifts had been subscribed to by the officials and
workmen of the colliery.

At Calder Grove recently, a good number of officials and
workmen connected with the Crigglestone Collieries Limited
assembled to witness a very pleasing ceremony. Mr. A. H.
Hobson presided, and stated that all were sorry to lose the
services of Mr. T. W. Dobinson, who had acted for about
eight months as manager of the collieries. The present
consisted of a beautiful silver server (supplied by Messrs.
Dyson and Sons, Wakefield).

A series of interesting experiments and tests were carried
out on Thursday last at the Miners’ Bescue Station, Bother-
ham, in the presence of members of the Botherham District
Bescue Station Board, colliery managers, mining engineers,
and others. The tests and experiments were confined
mainly to the smoke helmets. The firms were represented as
follows :—Simonis and Company, by Mr. Henry Simonis;
Siebe, Gorman and Company, by Mr. A. C. Oake; Draeger
and Company, by Mr. B. Jacobson and Mr. H. C. Chambers,
Sheffield; and the Mining Engineering Company, by Mr. W.
J. Hoskin. Messrs. Simonis and Company submitted their
air pump smoke helmets, and Messrs. Draeger and Company
had three apparatus with smoke helmets and bellows con-
nection using the ordinary atmosphere, which was pumped
into the helmet. They had also the well-known Durham
smoke helmet adopted by the Northumberland and Durham
Coalowners’ Association for their collieries. The apparatus
also embraced a speaking tube connection. Messrs. Siebe,
Gorman and Company had four different sets of smoke
helmets, one fitted with telephone and another had a speaking
arrangement. The Mining, Engineering Company exhibited
a small helmet, which could be worked by bellows, fan, and
a fresh air pump, and was capable of keeping two men
working at the same time a distance of 100 ft. The tests of
the respective apparatus were somewhat severe. A chamber
was filled with noxious and poisonous gases, generated by
setting fire to combustibles, and when the smoke was suf-
ficiently strong the helmet was fitted upon an individual,
who entered the chamber and remained there for a period of
about or under half-an-hour. The tests were regarded as
generally satisfactory.

There has been another victim of the Wharncliffe Colliery
explosion. John Thomas Fisher (41), who was one of two
men injured in the explosion at the colliery on May 30, when
11 men were killed, died at his home, on the 10th inst., from
blood poisoning following burns. Fisher and a man named
Patrick Mayock, were the only two of 13 men who escaped
instant death. He was so badly injured that he was in a
state of collapse, but managed to struggle towards the pit
bottom. He was met by the rescuers, two of whom assisted
him out of the pit.

Lancashire and Cheshire.

Housing Scheme at Astley—Finance Act Case : Filling up
Form IV.

It is stated that the Pilkington Colliery Company are
shortly to make a start with their bousing scheme at Astley,
under which they intend to erect something like 400 houses,
at the rate of 100 a year, on garden city lines. The houses
will probably be lighted by electricity.

The office staff and the engineering staff of Messrs. Pear-
son and Knowles Coal and Iron Company Limited have
made presentations to Mr. Bobert G. S. Finney, of Latch-
ford, upon the occasion of his marriage last week to Miss
Bessie E. Whitlow, of Broomfields, Cheshire.

The famous Form IV. came into the appeal of “ Executors
of W. H. Nicholson v. the Commissioners of Inland
Bevenue,” which was heard in London on Wednesday by
Mr. Thos. Jones, C.E., an official referee under the Finance
Act, 1910, being an appeal against an assessment to
undeveloped land duty on the mines and minerals under-
lying property situated at Greenroads Farm, Wardle, near
Bochdale, Lancashire. The property in question came into
the hands of the appellants 40 years ago, and was then let
at £40 per annum. Attempts were made by the tenants to
prove the existence of coal, and the owners gave financial
assistance, but there was no substantial result. In
September 1910 the owners gave certain answers to the
mineral questions in Form IV., but omitted to fill in a
space referred to in a note. Mr. G. Buckley, who appeared
for the appellants, contended that having called attention
to the existence of minerals, the appellants naturally
assumed it was the business of the Government valuer to
put a value on them, and that they then could either object
or accept the value in the time allotted. It was agreed that
the value of the surface land was £600, but that did not
include the minerals. On October 23, 1911, the property
was sold for £1,100, and he claimed that this sum should
be treated as the value on the “ occasion,” and not £600, as
estimated by the Commisfeioners. His grounds of appeal
were that no increase or profit had been revealed, because
the property was held by the owners for a very long period,
and had steadily declined in value; and that he was refused
leave to amend Form IV., upon which the value of the
mines and minerals were inadvertently omitted. For the
Commissioners, it was explained by Mr. Shaw that the
claim was for increment duty on £500, as the value of the
minerals. No answer was given in Form IV. to the ques-
tion as to the value of the minerals and their nature. In
such a case they had to be treated as of no value, in accord-
ance with the last portion of section 23 (2) : “ Where the
minerals are not comprised in a mining lease or being
worked, they shall be treated as having no value as minerals,
unless the proprietor of the minerals, in his return furnished
to the Commissioners, specifies the nature of the minerals
and his estimate of their capital value.” It was not the
district valuer’s duty to put a value on the minerals where
no return had been made. The form and the accompanying
instructions clearly warned the owner that he must give an
estimate, and if he failed to do so, the statutory consequence
of “ no value ” must follow. Consequently the capital value
of the minerals on the occasion of the sale was £500,
original capital value nil, increase £500, on which one-fifth
gave an increment duty of £100. The referee reserved his
decision.