480

THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN.

August 28 1914.

to such a ship should be entitled to make claim in the Prize
Court, and obtain payment of account as against the pro-
ceeds of the vessel when sold. He maintained that the
claims of British merchants should be recognised, the old
decision being no longer applicable now that prizes belonged
not to the captor but to the Crown.

A resolution was unanimously carried that all such claims
should be recognised, provided they had been incurred bond
fide before the declaration of war; and that non-recognition
would cause great harsh ip and injustice. This resolution
will be forwarded to the Government.

Collieries in the Swansea district very soon experienced
benefit from the restarting of the tin-plate works, among
the earliest to get at work being Ynisarwed, Cae Duke,
Loughor, and Glassbrooke’s.

Local iron and steel works must also quickly profit by the
material advance in prices, so that in this respect again the
collieries will benefit. Great quantities of German tin-plate
bar are usually imported for the South Wales works, and
also huge quantities for galvanised sheets; and as the supply
is now stopped—seeing also that the works in this district
are specially equipped for producing just this class of goods
—the withdrawal of competition cannot fail to have bene-
ficial effect. Full work at high prices is in sight, for large
markets are freely open to the finished' products, and no
prospect exists of early renewal of foreign imports from
either Belgium or Germany.

One result of the war is that the colliery areas among
Glamorgan’s hills and vales will get better roads, which
are badly needed. A deputation waited on the County
Council Committee from Glyncorrwg and Margam district
authorities, desiring help to construct a road nine miles long
between the upper reaches of the Avon Valley and Port
Talbot. The proposal was sympathetically received, in
view of the need to provide employment during war time,
and a recommendation was adopted whereby the local
councils would receive financial aid to the amount of 27 per
cent, of the cost, a sum having been allotted by the Road
Board to further local effort.

While collieries on the Admiralty list have worked nine
hours a day, several causes have united to put others on
short time—or even to set them idle; and this is one reason
why unwillingness to work the extra hour has been mani-
fested. The War Relief Committee of the Ogmore and Garw
Council, appointed to deal with distress in the district, has
passed a resolution asking that collieries turning out an
equal grade of coal should be added to the Admiraltv list.
Now, however, that the triple bond is not demanded, and
as the sea is open, work will certainly revive in the affected
areas.

One trouble for colliery managers is the unequal distribu-
tion of labour—and this notwithstanding the operation of
the Labour Exchanges. Whilst the miners’ executive dis-
cussed on Monday the idleness of nearly 10,000 federation
members, and considered the proposal to make a general
levy on their behalf, the collieries in Tredegar area are
reported to be short of men—to the extent of some hundreds,
who might be employed. Partly, of course, the housing
difficulty accounts for the insufficient mobility of labour;
and until this is resolutely tackled by local authorities, in
default of private enterprise, the men will not be available
where wanted.

There is a suspicion among the men that endeavour will
be made to introduce “ double shift,” and that suspicion is
operating against transfer of men in some quarters.

The chairman of Tredegar Company (Lord Aberconway)
will, it is stated, give a bounty of £5 for every recruit
enlisted within the next month from the neighbourhood of
his residence in the Vale of Conway, North Wales.

Northumberland and Durham.

Trade Unions and Relief—Unemployment at Collieries—
Generosity of Employers to Men on Active Service.

Messrs. Cochrane and Company have made generous pro-
vision for the dependants of those of their employees who
are on active service. New Brancepeth Colliery, owned by
the firm, has not been idle one day since the outbreak of
hostilities, and, though this may be difficult to maintain,
the company is to make strenuous efforts to keep the colliery
working as often as possible. Sherburn Hill Colliery and
Sherburn Colliery have each lost a few shifts owing to the
war. Sir B. Samuelson and Company have publicly denied
the rumour that the Sherburn Hill Colliery is to be closed
down. The Eppleton, Elemore, and Hetton Lyons collieries,
owned by the Hetton and Lambton Coal Company, only
worked two shifts last week, but it is thought that all these
collieries will work much better during the next few weeks.

The pits in Northumberland and Durham continue to
work very spasmodically. Around Ashington district, with
its large population of miners, it is extremely unlikely that
the pits will work at all regularly for some time, and the
owners of the collieries at the Delavals, Cowpen, Crofton,
Cambois, and North Seaton have intimated to the men that
some of the seams in these pits must perforce be closed
—but the owners will make every effort to find work for
.the men. At the Delaval collieries the owners have
generously decided to forego the usual offtakes. At New
Hartley the men applied to the management for the county
average for days worked under the changed conditions, but
the management, whilst willing to do all in their power to
assist the men, could not see their way to grant this request,
and the Minimum Wage Act will be adhered to as usual.
A number of the ponies was drawn from the Cramlington
group, and a new system has been introduced. The
men are to work only one shift instead of three per day.
A similar system has been adopted at Hazlerigg and Din-
nington collieries.

The care which should be taken in pits in which there
is the slightest suspicion of gas accumulations was strik-
ingly brought home at the inquest held at Amble on Thurs-
day of last week touching the death of Samuel Ainsley, a
chargeman at Newburgh Colliery, who was one of two
victims of a gas explosion in that mine on the previous
Sunday night. Ainsley, Stephen Hume, and Wm. Pringle
had gone into a part of the pit known as the “ narrow
bord.” Hume had a naked light; the two others had
safety lamps. An explosion occurred, from the effects of
which Hume and Ainsley were killed, and Pringle was
slightly injured. At the inquest Pringle expressed the
opinion that there was a strong current of air travelling in
the narrow bord and circulating round the face'prior to the
accident. It was elicited, also, that Ainsley’s lamp was
not locked. Mr. Morison, manager of the colliery, stated
that his company had ordered a supply of the improved

lamps introduced by the Home Office, and was getting
locks for the lamps now in use. A verdict of “ Death due to
an accidental explosion of gas ” was returned.

The officials and workmen of Messrs. Strakers and Love’s
Sunnybrow Colliery have presented a carriage clock and a
case of solid silver dessert forks and spoons to Mr. and Mrs.
R. A. Howe. Mr. Howe was manager of the Sunnybrow
Colliery for several years, but recently accepted the post of
manager of Brancepeth Colliery.

The military authorities have acquired that fine old
Elizabethan residence, Houghton Hall, as a hospital. The
hall is one of the most notable buildings in Houghton-le-
Spring. It is interesting to mining men as having been the
residence, for many years, of the late Sir George Elliot,
whose rise from pit lad to colliery proprietor is quite an
industrial romance.

Mr. Paul Schwartz, manager of the coke and by-products
works of Messrs. Pease and Partners, who, a little time ago,
was arrested as an alien, but released after only a few hours’
detention, has ‘‘ turned the other cheek ” by offering his
new house at Crook to the Government for use during the
war as a hospital. The house is splendidly situated, and
contains about 18 rooms. We understand that the offer
has been accepted.

Coal Cutting by Machinery ” was the title of a paper
read by Mr. W. Leebitter, of Usworth, president of the
Northern Under-Managers’ and Colliery Officials’ Mutual
Aid Association, at the meeting of members held at Birtley
on Saturday, August 15. Representatives of eight collieries
were present, and the paper evoked an interesting discussion.

The Northumberland Miners’ Association and the Durham
Miners’ Association are likely to be seriously crippled by
the war unless the export coal trade improves with great
rapidity. The executive of the Northumberland Associa-
tion and its trustees have issued a circular to the members,
explaining the financial position—and a precarious position
it is. They explain that, owing to strikes and lock-outs,
only one-quarter of the unemployed benefit stipulated in the
rules can be paid, and this only after increasing the bank
overdraft to <£20,000. This means that men who, by rule,
are entitled to 22s. per fortnight, will only receive 5s. 6d.
To pay full benefit is impossible, as £50,000 per fortnight
would be needed to pay the whole of the members, -and at
the present time about 80 per cent, of the members are
unemployed or working short time. A member working
three shifts in a fortnight does not become entitled to
unemployed benefit. The executive, in the circular, express
the hope that the small benefits will be supplemented by
relief from the county and national relief funds. •

The Durham Miners’ Association, like its Northumber-
land neighbour, has not yet recovered from the strike of
1912, and still has a large overdraft, which is being paid
off at the rate of £5,000 a month. The question of unem-
ployed benefit was discussed at a meeting of the council of
the association on Saturday, and it was decided to suspend
the rule as to the amount of contributions payable to the
labour department and the amount of benefits paid there-
from, and to refer the whole matter to the executive council.

Consett Iron Company Limited, employing thousands of
men, as it does, has, naturally, provided a good share of the
soldiers now-on active service. The company has announced
its intention of making generous provision for the wives and
other dependants of these men, together with an assurance
that all jobs will be kept open for them. Miners living in the
company’s houses who are laid idle by the slackness of colliery
work will be allowed to remain in the houses, and will
receive the usual coal allowance. All salaried and upstand-
ing wage men at the front will receive full wages, and the:
dependants of those employees not living in company houses,
will be paid 14s. a week. About 250 Territorials who left
Consett are drawn exclusively from the company’s iron
works and mines, and it is safe to say that every branch
of the Service, with the possible exception of the Flying
Corps, will have drawn Reservists from amongst the com-
pany’s employees. In the engineering departments there:
has been a considerable exodus of Naval Reserves.

Cumberland.

The Coal and Iron Trades.

Brices in the Cumberland haematite iron trade are still
rising. On Monday Bessemer mixed numbers were quoted’,
at 77s. per ton f.o.b., usual ports, an advance of 3s. 6d.
per ton since Friday, and an increase of over Ils. per ton
since 11 days ago. The present make is going into immo-
diate consumption, the chief users being Midland, Scottish,,
and South Wales steel manufacturers. What stocks, if
any, were in works yards are being rapidly exhausted. The-
number of furnaces in blast in West Cumberland is still
10, while in the Furness district Barrow have five in blast,.
North Lonsdale and Millom two each, and Carnforth one.

The Cumberland coal trade is brisk, and there has been
a big output this week. Shipping is busy at all the ports,
Irish merchants stocking heavily just now. Every ton of
the coke made at the by-product ovens is required, and all
except the Risehow ovens are in operation.

The Cumberland iron ore industry has benefited by the-
idleness in the Spanish trade, and more metal is now going
to Scotland and to the East Coast than has been sent for
over 12 months. Prices naturally have hardened. Local
requirements are considerable, and all the mines are working
full time, though some are banking.

Yorkshire.

Cage Accident at Lofthouse Colliery—Position of the Local'
Collieries—Timber Supplies.

Steps are being taken in all colliery centres for the-
alleviation of distress. At Bentley a committee has been
appointed, with Mr. R. Clive, the agent for Messrs. Barber,
Walker and Co., of the Bentley Colliery, as chairman. At
a meeting of this committee, mention was made by the
chairman that some collieries had adopted a weekly collec-
tion of subscriptions from the workmen. After discussion
it was finally resolved that the secretaries of the committee
should communicate with the authorities of the Yorkshire
Miners’ Association, asking them to give their views in
relation to the weekly subscription. Mr. Clive stated
Bentley Colliery would be agreeable to keep back any
subscriptions the men might wish to give out of their
wages, if it was desired by the workmen. The district was
divided into wards, and collectors chosen.

Mr. M. K. North, local Government inspector, who held
an enquiry at Rotherham, last week, into the application

of the Rural District Council to borrow £2,400 for street
improvements, was informed that the application was
necessitated by the development of the district owing to
the sinking of large collieries, and the consequent increase
of traffic on lanes and district roads. The districts referred
to were Aston, Swallownest, Bramley, Brampton, Maltby
and Treeton. What colliery developments have done for
these districts was shown by the statement that, whereas
the population of the rural district in 1911 was 27,6^8,
to-day it is 31,175. There was no opposition to the
proposals of the Council.

Many people are wondering how the German colliery at
Harworth, near Doncaster, will be affected as a result of the
war. It was reported, at a meeting of the Blyth and
Cuckney Rural Council last week, that as a result of the
calling up by the German Government of most of the
workers, progress at the colliery had been practically
stopped. In view of this, the council debated as to whether
it would be wise to proceed with several improvements
which they contemplated in the village. A resolution was
proposed that all work be stopped for the present, but even-
tually it was decided to go on with the improvement of the
roads at Harworth.

Many of those associated with the South Yorkshire
colliery industry who are acquainted with M. Albert
Francois, the contractor for the sinking of the Hatfield
Main Colliery, at Doncaster, will be interested to learn he
is at the seat of war. M. Francois is a Belgian, and the
firm of which he is head, has its headquarters at the now
famous town of Liege. Its principal is well known at
Hatfield, Stainforth and Doncaster, and has been more or
less continuously resident at the first-named place for the
past two years in supervising the sinking of the colliery
shafts. When war threatened he dashed back to Belgium—
i.e., to Flemalle, 10 miles from Liege on the road to Namur,
his residence being only half a-mile from one of the ring of
forts. In addition to this country, M. Francois has business
interests in Germany, France, and Belgium, and in regard
to these the war has had a great effect. His works at
Liege are, he states, closed for the time being, all the
workmen having been called to the colours.

The Mexboro Council last week instructed their surveyor
to prepare plans and estimates for a housing scheme.
Simultaneously with this, reports were received of two
flagrant cases of overcrowding in the town. In one case a
man, wife, and four children slept in one bedroom, in
another there were man and wife, a girl of 12, two boys
14 and 16, and another man, wife, and two children, lodging
in the same house, making nine persons in one bedroom.
Such is the overcrowding in this town that the Council are
determined to do something, and at the next meeting a
member has given notice that he will move that a census
of the town be taken with a view to discovering and dealing
with all cases of overcrowding.

The fine colliery institute at Dinnington was destroyed
by fire last week. Happily the furniture, stock, fittings,
billiard tables and library were, for the most part, saved,
but the building was gutted despite the efforts of several
fire brigades and the colliery officials. Mr. Thompson
(agent), Mr. H. M. Holliday (manager), Mr. J. Barton,
Mr. S. Anderson, and many other officials did all in their
power to save the building.

A sad fatality occurred at Dinnington Colliery last week,
resulting in the death of a miner named Henry Holden, aged
30. He was found by a man with whom he worked, lying
under a fall of about 1 cwt. The place where the mishap
occurred had shortly before been examined by the deputy,
Horace Bunfield, who found the roof quite sound. The
affair was shown to be a pure accident, and the jury returned
a verdict of “ Accidental death.”

The silver medal of the Royal Society for the Prevention
of Cruelty to Animals has been awarded to Ewart Neville
Richards, a boy aged 15, employed as a door opener in the
Freehold Colliery, near Opengate, Salop, for an act of
conspicuous promptitude and courage in saving the life of
a pit pony on June 4. But for Richards’s action the pony
must inevitably have been crushed to death between a door
and some moving tubs, but the poor boy himself, unable to
reach shelter in time, had one leg broken besides receiving
severe flesh wounds, and he is still under the care of the
doctor.

The coal owners of Yorkshire, like those of other parts
of the country, are showing much concern with regard to
the future supply of timber for use in the mines. An
endeavour is being made to resist what is regarded as an
unjust demand on the part of contractors for an increase of
25 per cent, to 40 per cent, on contract rates. Of course,
it is recognised there are difficulties owing to the war, the
bulk of the timber being brought from Finland, but the
•contracts were only made for July last, and considering the
fact that about four months’ supply will have been landed
in England, this at all events has not entailed any added
costs. The effects of the war will no doubt be subsequently
materially felt by importers, but coal owners feel justified
in refusing to pay the demand on current supplies under
contract. In the open market, of course, buyers would have
to meet the position of affairs, which will be materially felt
in the present quiet state of the coal trade. The coal
owners are taking action through their association, and the
majority have declined to pay the impost, though others with
low stocks and extended workings have had no alternative
but to pay the advance. The question of alternative sup-
plies is now engaging very serious consideration, and the
question of using substitutes is being investigated very
keenly, such as ferro-concrete, steel props, etc. A sugges-
tion is also made that the coal owners might join together
in an association to import their own supplies of timber;
and it is also suggested that the Government authorities
might very properly intervene, as the question is bound to
affect the probability of the working of the pits in the
present state of affairs.

Nine miners were injured in a cage accident at Lofthouse
Colliery, near Wakefield, on Wednesday. About half-past
five in the morning a cage was descending the shaft with
32 men (16 on each deck), when the valve of the engine
refused to close, and the cage was precipitated to the bottom.
Fortunately there was then only a drop of 6 ft., and none
of the men sustained very serious injuries.

Lancashire and Cheshire.

It was reported last week-end that Lord Ellesmere has
undertaken to make a weekly grant to each of the men
connected with his collieries, or the official staff, who offers
.his services to his country, and is accepted, during the