February 12, 1915.

THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN.

329

have been made at the Crown Mines to the centrifugal
pumping plant, and two 1.000 galls, per minute pumps
have been ordered for the 13th level concentration
scheme, and four 400 galls, per minute pumps for the
19th level. When the specifications for these new
plants were drawn up, one or two rather important
features were embodied.

(1) Lubrication.—The ordinary lubrication system
used for high-speed motors for driving pumps is not
satisfactory, as there is no proper method provided for
preventing oil getting into the windings of the motors.
In the new plants recently ordered, complete oil slinging
and catching arrangements are to be provided, using
the same system as has been found efficient for pre-
venting oil getting into the windings of high-speed
electrical machinery driven by steam turbines.

It is also advisable to have the motor bearings carried
on separate pedestals, and not carried on the end shields
of the motor. It is then easy to allow a clear space
between the bearing housing and the motor-end shield,
and this, combined with efficient oil slinging and
catching device, will completely prevent any oil getting
into the machine.

' 1 I ~ ~

an,, ............

Fig. 9.—Centrifugal Pump at

the Durban Roodepoort Mine.

(2) It will considerably facilitate handling of the
plant if the motor with its bearings is mounted on a
separate bedplate, arranged to slide out sideways on
the main bedplate carrying the pumps. This particular
feature in design applies only to two-cylinder pumps
with the motor between the cylinders.

Grimsby Coal Exports. — Goal exports from Grimsby
to foreign countries during the week ended Friday,
February 5, were:—To Dieppe, 727 tons; Gothenburg,
1.766; Randers, 462; and Rotterdam, 1,119 tons—total,
4,074 tons foreign; as against 12,233 foreign and 888 tons
coastwise for the corresponding period of last year.

The Pooling of Wagons. — Referring to the suggested
pooling of railway wagons, the Railway Gazette recalls
that the pooling of wagons was one of ithe proposals brought
before the Royal Commission on Railways on April 30 last
by Mr. Thorne, the solicitor to the Mersey Dock and
Harbour Board, who said : “It is the opinion of the port
authorities for whom I speak that there ought to be a better
and more economical use of the railway companies’ rolling
stock.” Mr. Thome’s point was that when unloading a
vessel time was often lost by having to obtain a wagon
belonging to a certain company for whom there was a
consignment, but that if there were free trade in wagons,
and the first one available, no matter to whom it belonged,
could be used, this delay would be entirely removed. At
the time this evidence was given the objection named
existed, but under the present Government control the
railway-owned wagon may be used indiscriminately, and
the present proposal as to the pooling of wagons is actually
in practice. Private owners’ wagons are not, however,
under Government control, but that does not affect this
question, as practicality in docks and harbours they are only
used for coal for shipment. The Railway Gazette adds :—
" But while the private owners’ wagons may not play an
important part in the difficulties experienced by the shipping
interests, they are more of a bugbear than ever to the
railway companies. It is true that whether railway or
privately-owned they must be worked empty from the dock
or depot to which they have been sent full. But one of the
evils is that private owners’ wagons must be sent back to
the pit whence they came, but company wagons need only
go to the centre that serves given districts. For instance,
Colliery A may’ be in Lancashire, Colliery B in Warwick-
shire, and Colliery C in Leicestershire. These pits, let us
suppose, send coal to London in their own wagons by the
London and North-Western route. When empty these
wagons must find .their way back to their respective
collieries, but were they company-owned the North-Western
would take some, but not necessarily the same, to possibly
Wigan for Lancashire, and to one centre possibly for
Warwickshire and Leicestershire. Private owners’ wagons
have to be shunted at the empty wagon sidings outside
Landon or the docks into district order, and then sorted
again into station order, and on their homeward journey,
and possibly en route also, they are shunted to and fro at
every station. What siding accommodation and what
shunting, involving engine power, men’s time, wear of
Wagons, rails, etc., could be saved could all the wagons be
commonly treated ! The purchase by the companies of the
private owners’ wagons has often been discussed, but the
problem has been so difficult—one important point being
that the private owner has statutory rights—that nothing
has hitherto come of the suggestion. It is, however, open
to the State under the Act of 1871 to take possession of
these wagons, and thus treat them as belonging to the
State, paying compensation to the owners; and this is a
course that should certainty be taken as one of the remedies
for the present congestion on the railways.”

SOME REMARKS ON MINING
EDUCATION.*

By Noah T. Williams, B.Sc.

In recent years the attention of members has' been
drawn occasionally to the subject of mining education,
■especially with regard to the needs of the mining engi-
neer, and it is with considerable diffidence that the
writer ventures to offer these remarks to the society.
But he does so particularly in the hope that they may
perhaps lead to a frank discussion and general interest
in the matter.

In considering the subject, it may be found interest-
ing to review briefly the provisions made by the State
which have had a direct bearing on education in the
mining industry. In the year 1845 a Commission was
appointed to enquire into the safety of mines, and the
dismal conditions which prevailed at that time were
afterwards described in a Government report as
follows :—

“ The ignorance and inefficiency of many of the mine
officials with whom the Commissioners came in contact in

the course of their enquiry emphasised the need for stricter
inspection, and also the necessity, which the yearly reports
of Mr. Tremenheere never ceased to enforce, of a better
system of general and technical education for miners.”!

The report of the 1845 Commissioners prepared the
way for legislation, and the Act of 1850 made the pro-
vision for Government inspectors invested with powers
of entry into mines. The Act of 1860 imposed restric-
tions on boy labour, namely, that no boy under 10 years
of age should be employed underground, or under. 12
years of age should be employed on the surface at any
mine. During the following 12 years a series of colliery-
disasters occurred which deeply impressed the public,
and led to a controversy between the employers and the
workmen on the question of the competency of mine
officials. This resulted in the passing of the Goal Mines
Act of 1872, which demanded that for the future
managers should hold a certificate of competency. The
Act of 1887 extended the system of certificates of com-
petency to that of under-managers. The Elementary
Education Acte have made the education of boys under
13 years of age compulsory, while for underground
employment the minimum age is 14 years. The Act of
1903 extended the qualifications for managers’ certifi-
cates by recognising two years’ training at approved
institutions and three years’ experience in the mine as
an alternative to the five years’ practical training
required by the Act of 1887.

The Act of 1911 has aroused criticism and discussion,
but contains important clauses relating to education.
This Act provided for the establishment of a Central
Board of Examinations for managers and under-
managers, the object of the Board being to secure a
greater uniformity and higher standard of qualifications.
Firemen also have to obtain certificates. In the course
of 60 years the development in mining and the diminu-
tion in the death rate are shown in Tables I.. and II.

Table I.—Development in Coalmining.

Persons employed.

Year (---------------------------' Output.

Under Above	.

ground. ground. K ' Tons.

1851 ... 171,893 ... 44,314 ... 216,217 ... 53,000,000
1911 ... 863,512 ... 203 791 ... 1,067,213 ... 271,891,899

Table II.—Death-bate from Accidents in Mines feb
1,000 Persons Employed.

All causes.

1851-1855 ... 1’28 ... 2'016
1907-1911 ... 0'226 ... 0'74

"■»>•■	Below

«"“■>■ .Sid.

... 1'296 ... 5'149 ... 4'55

... 0T08 ... 1'546 ... 1'39

During the period under review it will be observed
that there has been a remarkably steady decline in the
accident death-rate. Improvement is more pronounced
in respect of explosions than that of falls. Accidents
from the latter cause are more under the direct control
of workers than the management. Despite the distinct
improvement made, there still remains much to be
accomplished in order to reduce the lamentable loss of
lives.

In the progress made mining institutions have been

* A paper read before the Manchester Geological and
Mining Society.

f Second Report of the Rovai Commission on Mines, 1909
[Cd. 4820], p. 6.

and are formidable means for diffusing knowledge in
the science and art of mining amongst managers and
teachers alike. In this connection it is highly gratify-
ing to note that this society has been a pioneer in the
movement, having been established as far back as the
year 1838 “ to collect and diffuse practical and
theoretical knowledge respecting geology and mining.”

The demands made by legislation gave rise to the
formation of mining classes in the different coalfields.
These classes served the purpose for those who had a
desire to extend their knowledge and improve their
social position, but unfortunately they were not
arranged in such a manner as to be of the greatest
service to the rank and file. Tn recent years public
bodies such as the county councils have organised
group courses, with the object of giving the necessary-
opportunity for miners and others to improve their
knowledge, especially in subjects .bearing bn their daily-
work. If such classes were more thoroughly patronised
it may be assumed that they would yield valuable
results in reducing the number of accidents in mines.
The miner in the dark recesses of the mine cannot be
constantly supervised by the official. His work is of a
perilous nature, and he is surrounded by dangers; his
own life and that of others often depend upon his skill,
intelligence, and knowledge. There is no worker in
any of the industries where a knowledge of his craft is
of such importance as it is to the miner. Yet how little
is being done by the miner to be the possessor of know-
ledge which would be of great service to himself, his
employer, and the nation in eliminating unnecessary
waste, both human and material.

The success of mining classes can be largely
measured by the amount of interest taken in them by
employers and workmen. In Lancashire, the County
Council and other bodies spend a considerable amount
of money on this form of education, and as the
employers and miners contribute towards the expenses
in rates, it would appear to be to their interest to get
proper value for the money spent. The writer ventures
to suggest that matters might be improved if a com-
mittee of mining interest® and educational authorities
would arrange a series of popular lectures during the
winter months throughout the coalfield. These lectures
should be in simple language, dealing with matters per-
taining to the daily dangers and work of the miners,
and in every. possible instance experiment or model
should be employed to further interest the audience.
These lectures would be of particular value to men who,
owing to age, are beyond the reach of a systematic
course of instruction. If interest were thus aroused, the
men working in conjunction with colliery officials would
encourage boys and young men to attend the voluntary
evening classes, and it would redound greatly to the
advantage and honour of the whole mining community.

There are thousands of boys between the ages of 13
and 16 employed in Lancashire mines, who have, unless
they are encouraged, done with proper education for
ever; and these will be the miners and officials of
to-morrow'. The employer can exercise a powerful
influence in controlling the education of the youthful
workers, who would appreciate in later years the interest
shown to them. It is recognised that a great deal of
strain and trouble is placed on a youth -who attends an
evening school after performing a hard day’s work in
the mine, unless he possesses qualities that incite him
to look after his own education. In this connection it
is interesting to note how we in this country appear to
outsiders. Dr. Cooley, Director of Education in the
city of Chicago, recently spent 12 months examining
trade schools in Europe.* He stated that—

“ For the young man who can work, all day and study at
night, England makes ample provision. What strikes the
observer who has seen the day instruction provided in Ger-
many is the excessive demand made by the English system
upon the physical endurance and will power of the rising
generation. My observation leads me to believe that the
demand is too great, and is sapping the vitality of the
English youth. In my opinion, the Germans are wiser in
preserving the elementary school up to 14 years of age for
general culture, including hand training, and then com-
pelling supplementary vocational training in the daytime
up to the age of 18, for those obliged to go to work.”

Although much has been said against evening classes,
encouraging results, however, have been obtained
through them, and until public opinion decides on a
change, young men are expected, and should be
encouraged, to sacrifice a part of their spare time for
intellectual exercise in the principles and theory of
mining and the dangers incidental to the work.

During the period. the writer has had under review,
collieries have developed from a simple concern with
an output of a few hundred tons per day to that of a
complex undertaking having a daily output of many
thousand tons. The modern colliery is deep and
extensive, and involves the use of most of the modern
forms of mechanical power. Such an undertaking,
requiring a large capital outlay and employing many
thousands of men, is under'the control of a manager,
who is responsible for the protection of life and pro-
perty, and has to devise ways and means of working
the colliery at a profit and place the coal on the market
at 'a reasonable price to the consumer. In the.other
engineering industries of this country it' has been recog-
nised for some time past that a systematic training is
necessary both in the practice and theory of the pro-
fession, while the feeling about the education of a
colliery manager has been “ As it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be.” This prevailing idea in the,
oldest. and now second coal producing country in the
world has not had a beneficial effect; for it must be
admitted that Continental methods have had to be
adopted.in deep boring, sinking in difficult cases, wash-
ing, coking, and in the recovery of the by-produ’ets of
coal.

* “ The Problem of the Continuation School,” Best and
Ogden, p. 58.