124 THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN. January 15, 1915. and Newcastle-on-Tyne were disappointing; those of the other centres, mediocre.” Mr. Morgans reports in respect of the Birmingham centre—the smallest centre as regards the number of candidates—that the large majority of those who sit come from Warwickshire and Staffordshire. Very few candidates come from the Forest of Dean district or Kent. Mr. Morgans (whose main subject is machinery (No. 4) ) states that answers to questions were better done than previously, and explains this from the fact that the questions, both in respect of first and second class papers, were somewhat easier than on the occasion of the preceding examination. He says :—It is my practice to set one or more questions, the answering of which involves the making of simple engineering drawings. The average candidate is a very poor hand at this work, but to be able to make correct hand sketches is so useful an accomplishment that I think more attention should be paid to this part of the candidate’s training. On the average the candidates know very little indeed about electricity. Coming now to general remarks on the examinations, I find that candidates appear not to realise that a certain standard of general technical training is requisite, so that large numbers of them fail in ventilation, surveying, and machinery. It is, of course-, difficult, especially for second-class candidates, who work at the face to get the necessary knowledge and practice in these subjects, but still I think the standard set by the questions under the new order of things is not too high, and should be maintained. The viva voce examination presents difficulties. Its importance is reflected in the large number of marks allotted to it, but owing to the large number of examiners necessarily engaged in this part of the work it is difficult to secure uniformity of treat- ment, and this portion of the examination is somewhat uncertain and capricious.” The Board are of the opinion, after a careful consideration of the reports of the examiners, that the work of candidates shows a satisfactory advancement for the further period covered by their present report. The Chairman gives an analytical statement, in tabular form, showing, for the four examinations which have been held since the Board for Mining Examina- tions came into operation, the number of different classes of candidates—viz., apprentices, officials and workmen, who entered at different centres, and the numbers in each case who were successful or unsuccessful in securing (a) managers’, (6) under- managers’ certificates. The following table shows the total number of each class of candidates who attended the four examinations, and the numbers who were successful and unsuccessful in each class:— Centre. For first-clasi s certificates. For second-class certificates. Successful. Unsuccessful. Successful. Unsuccessful. Appren- tices. Officials. Work- men. Appren- tices. Officials. Work, men. Appren- tices. Officials. 1 W ork- men. Appren- tices. Officials. Wok- men. Edinburgh ) 1 15 5 65 1 20 — 49 I 29 — i 94 40 Newcastle 20 3 2 17 32 2 5 38 30 o 93 34 Sheffield 28 28 1 28 56 | — 2 64 1 12 7 161 | 56 Wigan 15 7 * 1 14 45 : 1 — 15 ; 17 — 34 1 36 Cardiff 9 7 7 6 39 ; 14 — 12 ; 31 2 ' 47 i 90 Birmingham 4 2 — 6 8 1 — 1 25 ' 8 — 43 j 12 Total 77 62 16 ! 71 245 1 37 8 203 i 127 11 J 472 I 268 Percentage of total 15’2 12’2 3T ! 14’0 48’2 : 7’3 0’7 18’6 I i 11’7 1’0 ; 43'4 . 24’6 Generally these results show that the highest percentage of successes in respect of first class certificates has been obtained by mining apprentices, the order of merit being (i) apprentices; (ii) workmen; (iii) officials. In respect of second class certificates, the order is the same. Thus, in respect of colliery managers’ certifi- cates :—52’03 per cent, of those entering as apprentices were successful; 30T9 workmen ; 20’20 officials ; and in respect of the under-managers’ certificates :—4211 per cent, of those entering as apprentices were successful ; 32T5 workmen; 30’07 officials. It is pleasing to note the large number of workmen who entered for the under-manager’s certificate, many of them, no doubt, in due turn to re-enter for the manager’s certificate. One of the principal difficulties standing in the way of a working miner qualifying for a colliery manager’s certificate is undoubtedly his inability, in many cases, to obtain practical experience in mine surveying owing to lack of opportunity of using surveying instruments and of surveying in the mine. The Board has given much consideration to the matter, and is of the opinion that the difficulty could be sur- mounted were the educational committees of County Councils, and other educational bodies in mining districts, to take the matter up and provide the necessary surveying equipment for the use of their mining classes, and secure access to a mine or mines in the several districts for the students to practise surveying. The Board is sure that were the local associations of coal owners approached by the educational bodies, both owners and managers would endeavour to afford the necessary facilities. A committee of the Board was appointed to consider the question of reciprocity with the colonies and foreign countries in respect of the certificates of competency, and the value to be put upon foreign experience gained abroad. The committee, after obtaining full particulars from the mining departments of all the colonies in which coal mining was carried on, and from several foreign countries, reported to the Board in respect of these colonies and foreign countries from which infor- mation had been obtained, and the Board, in due course, reported to the Home Secretary. The standing committee, consisting of the chairman, vice-chairman, and Sir Francis Brain (with alternates, W. N. Atkinson, I.S.O., LL.D,, and Messrs. R. Smillie and S. Hare) for reporting on the candidates for the mines inspectorate, considered 25 applications for the post of junior inspector of mines, in respect of which there was one vacancy to fill. Of these 15 were from persons who had not had the requisite experience or were not qualified in other respects to sit for examination. One candidate, who had been unsuccessful at the previous examination, would have been over age before the date of the next examination Nine candidates—two of whom had sat at previous examinations, and wThom it was not deemed necessary to interview a second time, seeing that they had been nominated on a previous occasion— remained; of these two withdrew, five were seen and interrogated by the committee, and three of these, together with the two who had been previously nominated, were recommended for the Home Secretary’s nomination to sit for the examination. ELECTRICITY IN MINES. Part II. of the General Report on Mines and Quarries for 1913 contains a report by Mr. Robert Nelson, H.M. electrical inspector of mines, From this we take the following:— Growth of the Use of Electricity in Mines. The Coal Mines Act requires a return to be made on January 21 of each year of the aggregate horse-power of electric motors in use above and below ground at each coal mine. A summary of the returns received on January 21, 1913, is given below :— Division. Surface. H.P. Underground. H.P. Total. H.P. Scotland 2d,278i ... 93,361{ ... 119,6391 Northern 64,837 ... 79,422 ... 144,259 York and North Midland... Lan.ashire, North Wales, 55,954f ... 51,2451 ... 107,200 and Ireland 9,884 ... 20,862;? ... 30,746i South Wales 90,581{ ... 91,2364 ... 181,817f Midland and Southern 9,1404 ... 35,294 ... 44,4344 Total 256,675g ... 371,4211 ... 628,097? It will be seen from the following table that the figures for 1913 show a remarkable increase over the corresponding figures for 1912 :— Surface. Underground. Total. (--------A-----------------A--------v--------A--------- tt p Per cent, p p Per cent, p- p Per cent. 11 ’ ‘ increase. * ’ increase. ' ’ increase. 1912 .. 194,0881... — ... 316,6671... — ... 510,756 ... — 1913 ... 256,675g... 32’24... 371,421|-.f. 17’29... 628,0971.. 22’97 An estimate of the growth of the use of electricity in the different divisions may be made by comparing the number of tons of mineral raided per electrical horse- power employed in all mines under the Coal Mines Act in 1913 with the corresponding figure for 1912. The following table has been compiled accordingly :— Tons of mineral per electrical horst- power employed. < Division. A Above and Corre- On surface. Below ground. below spon ing ground figure together, for Scotland 1,805 . 508 1913. ... 396 ... 1912. 4’9 Northern 1,007 . 822 ... 452 ... 532 York and N. Midland 1,314 . .. 1,434 ... 686 ... 744 Lancashire and North Wales 2,881 .. . 1,365 ... 926 ... 1,028 South Wales 629 ., 625 ... 314 ... 336 Midland & Southern 3,274 . 848 ... 673 ... 718 United Kingdom 1,175 . 812 ... 480 ... 534 The number of electrically driven coal-cutting machines in use at the end of 1913 was 1,307, an increase of 173 over the number in use at the end of 1912. Fatal Accidents in 1913. During the year 1913 there were in all 15 fatal acci- dents definitely due to electricity investigated by H. M. inspectors of mines, causing in all 16 deaths. In addition, a fire at at the Big pit of the Blaenavon Iron and Steel Company, at Blaenavon, Monmouth, on April 7, which resulted ultimately in the loss of three lives, was held by most investigators to have been due to the failure of an electric cable, and the disaster at Senghenydd Colliery of October 14 was held by the Commissioner appointed to investigate the cause to have been possibly, but not certainly, due to sparks from electric signalling wires. Apart from the two latter, the figures for 1912 comparable with those given above for 1913 were 12 accidents causing 14 deaths. The whole of the 15 accidents which occurred in 1913 were electric shock accidents. Of the 15 electric shock accidents above referred to, three took place on the surface and 12 below ground. The figure for electric shock accidents below ground, which had begun to show a downward tendency, has risen again, as will be seen below:— 1907. 1908. 1909. 1910. 1911. 1912. 1913. Number of persons killed by electric shock below ground in coal mines .......... 10 ... 12 ... 13 ... 15 ... 9 ... 7 ... 13 The figure for 1913 is disappointing by comparison with 1912, although the horse-power of electric plant in use below ground increased by 17 per cent, during the year. For the first time it is possible, from the data available, to determine the rate of increase of the horse- power of electric plant in use below ground. On the assumption that that rate of increase is normal and not exceptional (and there is no reason to think that it is other than normal), the horse-p' -wer of electric plant in use below ground has increased by 85 per cent, since the end of the year 1909, whereas the number of persons killed by electric shock, as will be seen, was the same in 1909 as in 1913. It is also of interest to note that of the 79 persons killed by electric shock below ground in seven years between January 1, 1907, and January 1, 1914, 45 were killed in the first half of that period and 34 in the second half; figures which, taken in con- junction with the increase of electrical horse-power in the second half-period over the first half-period, seem to show that the risk of fatal electric shock below ground is decidedly a diminishing risk. It is, on the other hand, unsatisfactory to note that of the 12 fatal electric shock accidents that occurred below ground in 1913 (one of the accidents was responsible for the deaths of two persons), at least nine might have been avoided by greater care in the maintenance of apparatus and stricter regard to the regulations. Surface Accidents. — Of the three surface electric shock accidents, one occurred on a high-pressure alternating current system, one on a medium-pressure alternating current system, and one on a low-pressure alternating curt ent system. In the case first mentioned the victim of the accident touched some part of the winding of a three-phase motor supplied with a current at 3;000 volts. Though the insulation appeared externally to be perfect, it was, in fact, insufficient and a fatal electricshock followed. The accident on a medium-pressure system was of an unusual character. A derrick pole was being erected by means of steel wire guy ropes when one of the latter made contact with an unprotected fuse in the neigh- bourhood belonging to a 5-horse power motor supplied with three-phase current at 400 vobs. The ground ^as v*et, and the man who had hold of the guy ropes that made contact with the fuse was killed. The fuse which caused the accident should clearly have been protected. TLie accident on a low-pressure system was the result of an act by the victim himself (a boy of 13), and his death may fairly be classed as a misadventure. The evidence given at the inquest showed that the boy who was killed challenged one of his mates to climb a railing and from this position to touch some electric wires which would then be within his reach. His mate refused, so the victim himself climbed the railing and t uched the wires. He was killed instantly, though the pressure was not high (220 volts alternating). Underground Accidents.—Of the 12 underground electric-shock accidents, nine occupied on medium pressure three-phase alternating current systems, two on medium pressure continuous current systems, and one on a low pressure two-phase alternating current system. The circumstances of each of these accidents have been considered, following table:— Due to:— with the result given by the dtnts. Deaths‘ 1. Faults as regards the earthing of metallic outer coverings of apparatus:— .(