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THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN.

September 4, 1914.

upon a letter from Mr. T. Bolas upon this subject.
This letter, coming from a well-known practical
chemist who has been for a long course of years
intimately in touch with applied chemistry in many
of its forms, shows clearly the exact place where we
have failed to satisfy industrial requirements in
regard to the supply of alcohol. It is not from
ignorance of its importance, for the very fact that
the unrestricted sale of methylated spirit was
sanctioned by Statute in 1851 was a joint result of
the great Exhibition of 1851, and the subsequent
report of Profs. Graham, Hofmann and Redwood
upon the industrial uses of alcohol. For a time this
methylated absolute alcohol, containing not more
than 10 per cent, of wood spirit, was reasonably
adequate for such uses as then existed in the arts and
industries of this country, but about 1870, in the
early days of the coal tar industry, the Excise
Department restricted the use of methylated spirit
by means of conditions which excluded the ordinary
research chemist, who had to fall back upon a kind
of mineralised methylated spirit containing a propor-
tion of heavy petroleum sufficient to destroy its value
for refined work. Since then these restrictions have
been modified somewhat, and even pure alcohol can
be obtained for research work in universities and
colleges, but apparently the conditions are not
sufficiently elastic to enable ordinary experimental
work to be carried on in private laboratories.
Mr. Bolas advocates an Order in Council again
authorising the sale of methylated spirit in small
quantities, and we hope that the new advisory
committee recently appointed by the Board of Trade
will give serious consideration to the matter without
delay.

Even in these days of trouble, we
Lord Merthyr cannot let the death of Lord
Of Merthyr pass without a tribute.

Senghenydd. The venerable peer was undoubtedly
the most notable figure in the British
mining industry in our times. An inveterate
Welshman, he was yet one of those great men whose
outlook it is impossible to limit. Whether as Sir
William Thomas Lewis or as Lord Merthyr, his
name was a household word in industry.

Few perhaps realise that the Cardiff of to-day,
with its miles of docks and railway sidings, its noble
edifices, and its boundless credit, was little more than
a village 100 years ago. Steam coal has been the
wand that transformed it, but we may well look on
Lord Merthyr as the good fairy that wielded it.
The progress of Cardiff has been inseparably bound
up in the fortunes of the House of Bute, and Lord
Merthyr, for the greater part of his august life, was
the warden of those fortunes

But if Lord Merthyr was a builder of enterprise,
who builded well, he was not one of those iron-
hearted capitalists who grind the faces of the poor,
for he was a man of very human sympathies, and
his work as a mediator and as a fosterer of industrial
institutions stands as high as any. His knowledge
of men was very deep. Eight years before the railway
conciliation schemes had been adopted, Sir William
Thomas Lewis (as he then was) endeavoured
to persuade the South Wales companies to embrace a
similar mode of settling grievances, and it is a matter
of history that the present Chancellor of the
Exchequer owed much at the later date to his
disti nguished fellow - coun try m an.

Lord Merthyr also played a great part in the
promotion of peace in the South Wales coalfield.
In the ’60’s and ’70’s disputes between employers
and employed were prevalent in the coalfield, and
upon his lordship’s initiation an arrangement was
come to whereby the ironmasters and colliery owners
of South Wales and Monmouthshire co-operated in
the formation of the Monmouthshire and South
Wales Coalowners’ Association. At the termination
of the great strike of 1875 he induced this powerful
association to adopt the principle of a sliding-scale
of wages, which was the first practical attempt at
conciliation in the settlement of disputes in the
coalfield. For 20 years he acted as chairman of the
sliding-scale committee, which embraced the work-
men’s organisation. So highly were Lord Merthyr’s
services appreciated by the Coalowners’ Association

that they pressed upon him time after time to accept
the permanent chairmanship at a salary of £5,000
per annum, but he firmly declined the offer. When
the sliding scale went and the strike of 1898 broke
out, Lord Merthyr was greatly chagrined. Never
again, indeed, did he take the same active
interest in the work of the association, although his
advice and influence was frequently exerted with
good results.

His lordship won almost every honour within
his reach. He served as a member of no fewer
than eight important Royal Commissions, and had
acted as president of the Mining Association of
Great Britain, of the Institution of Mining
Engineers, of the South Wales Institute of
Engineers; he was vice-president of the Iron and
Steel Institute, a member of the Council of
the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, and of
the Council of the Institution of Civil Engineers,
whilst he occupied the position of juror at
the Inventions Exhibition and a similar position
at two of the Paris Exhibitions, for which his
services were recognised by the presentation of gold
medals. At the time of his death he was president
of the University College of South Wales and
Monmouthshire.

A work of which he was especially proud was the
foundation of the South Wales and Monmouthshire
Miners’ Permanent Provident Society, an organisation
which has served to lessen suffering to an enormous
degree in the colliers’ families. Of late years,
owing to the Compensation Act, its operations have
been, of course, restricted; but up to a very few
years ago it had dealt with the claims of a , quarter
of a million injured workmen, hundreds of old age
pensioners, and thousands of widows and fatherless
children, not far short of a million of money having
been distributed. At the present time there remain
nearly 700 widows, hundreds of children and
pensioners, with other dependants upon its funds.
Lord Merthyr took a close personal interest in this
organisation, and his contact with the workmen’s
representatives won for him the regard in which he
was held, adding, also, enormously to his influence
when controversial matters had to be dealt with in
another sphere.

The last year of Lord Merthyr’s life was darkened
by the great catastrophe at Senghenydd, a colliery
owned by a company in which he held a predominant
interest; but it was brightened by another event, the
opening of the School of Mines at Treforest. This
witnessed the fulfilment of ambitions that had been
cherished by his lordship for many years. When
we saw him at Treforest in the early days of this
year, he was visibly an older man, upon whom the
shadow of Senghenydd had fallen, but he vibrated
with pride as he looked upon the great educational
work that had been achieved, a work that might
prevent a score of Senghenydds in the days to come.

GERMAN AND AUSTRIAN PATENTS.

The Patents, Designs, and Trade Marks (Temporary
Rules) Amendment Act, 1914, amends the Patents,
Designs, and Trade Marks (Temporary Rules) Act, 1914,
in the following respects :—

(a)	In section one for the words “ any patent or
licence granted to, and the registration of any trade
mark the proprietor whereof is, a subject of any State at
war with his Majesty, and any proceedings on any appli-
cation made by such person under either of the said
Acts,” there shall be substituted the following words :—
‘ ‘ Any patent or licence the person entitled to the benefit
of which is the subject of any State at war with his
Majesty; for avoiding or suspending the registration,
and all or any rights conferred by the registration, of
any design or trade mark the proprietor whereof is a
subject as aforesaid; for avoiding or suspending any
application made by such person under either of the
said Acts; for enabling the Board to grant in favour of
persons other than such persons as aforesaid on such
terms and conditions, and either for the whole term of
the patent or registration, or for such less period as the
Board may think fit, of licences to make, use, exercise,
or vend, patented inventions and registered designs so
liable to avoidance or suspension as aforesaid.”

(b)	At the end of the same section the following sub-
section shall be added :—

“ (4) This Act shall apply to any person resident and
carrying on business in the territory of a State at war
with his Majesty as if he was a subject of that State;
and the expression ‘ subject of any State at war with
his Majesty ’ shall, with reference to a company,
include any company the business whereof is managed
or controlled by such subjects, or is carried on wholly

or mainly for the benefit or on behalf of such subjects,
notwithstanding that the company may be registered
within his Majesty’s dominions, and where a patent
has been granted to any person in respect of an inven-
tion declared in the application of any specification to
have been communicated to him by some other person,
that other person shall for the purposes of this Act be
deemed to be the person entitled to the benefit of the
patent unless the contrary is proved.”

THE LONDON COAL TRADE.

Thursday, September 3.

The London coal trade is still suffering from the disturb-
ances and restriction occasioned by the war. The prevail-
ing hot weather has greatly lessened the demand for house?
coal, and the limited output is viewed as a satisfactory
feature just now. The scarcity of wagons has become a
very general and a very serious matter, and numbers of
collieries are complaining that scarcely any full day can
be completed for want of the necessary empty wagons. In
many cases also, loaded wagons are still standing in the
colliery sidings, waiting to be sent forward. The export
trade is reported as gradually increasing, and the risk to
vessels is subsiding; but the cargoes leaving for foreign
ports are still very limited. It is certain now that the
output for the current year will be considerably lower than
any of the preceding years, for not only is the pit timber
question an important one, but from 8 to 10 per cent, of
the men have, in one way or another, joined the forces, so
that the average weekly output can never be fully main-
tained, how’ever strong the demand may be. Only one large
firm in London have taken advantage of the moratorium,
but these have paid a considerable amount in advance for
August deliveries, although leaving the July account
unpaid. Since then, however, the July account has been
paid in full. The “ cash with order ” principle adopted
by the shipping trade towards exporters on this side has
naturally limited the quantity bought, but various proposals
with the local banks, etc., have been adopted, and will
tend for awhile to relieve the tension; and it is hoped that
a way out of the present difficulty may shortly be found.
The railway lines are still held up to a very large extent by
the Government, and traffic is coming through very slowly.
The sudden inrush of orders at the commencement of the
war has largely helped to fill up all the cellars with the
general public, so that very little new business is to be
done whilst the weather remains so hot; and, with the
present conditions prevailing, it is very questionable
whether the usual quantity of stocking orders is likely to
be felt again for some considerable time, as the cellars are
full, and the actual consumption small. There is a very
heavy tonnage on the way to London, but the serious
delays in the journey by rail keeps the London depots com-
paratively short of coal, and just now every effort is being
put forward to execute the summer orders before any pres-
sure sets in from the coming winter trade. The extra
quantity available for the Metropolitan market from York-
shire and Durham districts, whilst the export trade is so
restricted, keeps the price very low. Nothing in the shape
of inflated prices are traceable, and in fact the open market
is quoting within 6d. of the contract level, and in some
cases less. What this may mean, however, when colder
weather intervenes, and the lessened output begins to make
itself felt, no one can foresee. Collieries are certainly not
pressing sales even now, and many of them decline to
make quotations for certain of their best qualities, as they
have none for sale, so that the forward trade is in a very
uncertain position. On the other hand, it is well known
that unusually heavy sales wrere made in the summer, and
the major portion of this has yet to be delivered, so that
collieries generally are straining every effort to clear off
these old sales, and to keep the monthly contract quantities
right before attempting to negotiate any further sales. The
number of cargoes entered in the River Thames for Mon-
day’s market was 22, and for Wednesday’s six, all sold.
Manufacturing qualities are still very uncertain. The
better qualities of hards have a fair demand, but second
qualities are neglected. Small nuts, however, have
improved slightly; but the demand is not yet normal,
and the supplies are increasingly accumulating. Some
special lots have been sold at very low prices, but since
these are cleared a slightly firmer tone has been noticeable.
The Humber ports are reported to be doing better, and the
week’s return shows a distinct improvement in point of
tonnage. Hard steam coal for shipping requirements has
been a marked feature of the increase. The depot trade
in London is exceedingly slow, and in all quarters trade is
very much restricted. Stocks, however, are reported to be
low, and the delay in the arrival of loaded wagons is causing
a good deal of irritation and disappointment. The exten-
sion of the moratorium to October 4 does not affect the
London market, as all the monthly payments are now being
sent on regularly. The Metal Exchange continues closed.

From Messrs. Dinham, Faweus and Co.’s Report.

Friday, August 28.—The seaborne house coal market
remained quiet to-day, with only a small quantity of
Yorkshire changing hands. Cargoes 19.

Monday, August 31.—There was no alteration in the
seaborne house coal market to-day, which remained steady
with little enquiry. Cargoes 22.

Wednesday, September 2.—The seaborne house coal
market was very quiet to-day, with no business reported in
either Durham or Yorkshire sorts. Cargoes 6.

We are informed by Messrs. The “Ceag” Electric Safety
Lamp Company Limited that they have just received a
cable order from Canada for 1,000 “Ceag” miners* electric
lamps of the cap lamp type. We understand that the
company have introduced this new type of lamp with great
success in Canada, as well as the United States of America,
and we are further informed that this type of lamp is being
manufactured in Great Britain, as is the well-known
“ Ceag *’ hand lamp for which there is a continuous large
demand in this country.