March 26, 1915.

THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN

655

between the parties. Should such methods fail, the matter
in dispute shall be dealt with under any one of the three
following alternatives as may be mutually agreed, or in
default of agreement settled by the Board of Trade : (a) the
Committee on Production, (6) a single arbitrator agreed
upon by the parties or appointed by the Board of Trade
(c) a court of arbitration upon which labour is represented
equally with employers. It is further proposed that an
advisory committee representative of the organised workers
engaged in production for Government requirements shall
be appointed by the Government for the purpose of
facilitating the carrying out of these recommendations and
for consultation by the Government or by the workmen
concerned. The workmen’s representatives at the confer-
ence are of opinion that during the war period the relaxa-
tion of the present trade practices is imperative, and that
each union be recommended to take into favourable
consideration such changes in working conditions or trade
cust ms as may be necessary with a view to accelerating the
output of war munitions or equipments. This last recom-
mendation is conditional on the Government requiring all
contractors to give an undertaking that any departure from
the usual practices shall be for the war only; that no such
changes shall prejudice the position of the men or of the
trade unions in regard to the resumption after the war of
rules and customs existing prior to the war. Where the
custom of a shop is changed during the war by the intro-
duction of semi-skilled men to perform work hitherto per-
formed by a class of workmen of higher skill, the rates paid
shall be the usual rates of the district for that class of
work. The relaxation of existing demarcation restrictions
or admission of semi-skilled or female labour shall not
affect adversely the rates customarily paid for the job. In
cases where men who ordinarily do the work are adversely
affected thereby the necessary readjustments shall be made
so that they can maintain their previous earnings.

When at Liverpool last week-end, Lord Kitchener had a
conversation with Councillor James Sexton, general secre-
tary of the National Union of Dock Labourers, relative to
the strike of dockers at Liverpool and Birkenhead, and at
the close of the interview a letter, appealing to the men to
do their utmost to assist in carrying on the war to a
successful conclusion, was handed to Mr. Sexton. At the
end of the letter were the following significant words .- “ If
this appeal has no effect I shall have to consider the steps
that will have to be taken to insure what is required being
done?'

Reporting upon the supply of coal and coke for the year
1915-16, the Stores and Contracts Committee of the London
County Council states that it has had under consideration
the question of the arrangements to be made for the supply
of coal and coke required for the several services of the
Council (except for the Greenwich generating station)
during the year commencing July 1, 1915. In pursuance of
a decision of June 1914 contracts were entered into with
merchants for the supply during 1914-15 of the steam and
other coal required for the chief engineer’s department,
and the greater portion of the domestic and other supplies
of coal and coke required for offices, schools, tramway
depots, parks, fire stations, &c. The remainder of the coal
required was to be obtained direct from collieries and distri-
buted by the Council from depots in London. Most of the
coal for the chief engineer’s department is seaborne, while
the coal for the other services is mainly railborne. Since
the outbreak of war, serious difficulties have been
encountered in obtaining the requisite supplies of coal,
either under the ordinary contracts or from any other
source. At the same time it has been necessary to
maintain, as far as possible, adequate supplies, and special
measures have had to be taken to attain this object.
Owing, on the one hand, to navigation round the coast
being subject to various restrictions, and to there being a
shortage of steamers due to large numbers of them having
been requisitioned by the Government, and in consequence,
on the other hand, of the inability of the railway
companies to convey adequate supplies of coal to London,
on account of the pressure of other railway traffic owing
to the war, the merchants have not been able fully
to carry out their contracts, and emergency steps have been
taken by the committee to deal with the situation. Special
purchases out of contract have been made on the open
market in London as and when opportunity offered, and
special allowances have been made to contractors in respect
of the cost of war risk insurance, extra cost of freight, &c.,
but even by these means the requisite supplies, especially
in the case of railborne coal, could not be fully maintained.
It has accordingly been necessary to make special and
extended use of the arrangements U operation for
obtaining house coal, &c., direct from collieries, bringing it to
the Council’s depots in London, and then distributing it to
the various buildings of the Council. As far as possible,
special facilities have been given by the Railways Managing
Committee for conveying to London the coal purchased by
the Council direct from collieries. Extra purchases of coal
have been made at pit prices, and the reserve stocks in
hand at the depots have been utilised, all of which measures
have assisted in maintaining the domestic supplies at a
comparatively adequate level. If the Council had had to
rely entirely on obtaining house coal from merchants, the
supplies during the winter could not have been maintained ;
moreover, the possession of coal depots has undoubtedly
placed the Council in a better position than it would other-
wise have occupied for dealing with >the question arising
from the abnormal crisis due to the war. It is
now necessary to decide what steps shall be taken
for obtaining supplies during 1915-16, and the committee
says that at the present time the situation with regard to
domestic supplies is easier, owing to the weather having
become generally warmer, but the pressure will probably
recommence at the end of the summer. In the ordinary
course of events, tenders would soon be invited for
the supply of coal and coke required, but in the
existing state of affairs it would be impracticable
to enter into satisfactory contracts with merchants for the
whole of the ensuing year. In all the circumstances the
committee is of opinion that it should be vested with
special emergency and discretionary powers for dealing
with the situation as a whole and for obtaining all requisite
supplies during the coming year. Indeed, this appears to
the committee to be not only advisable but essential in the
best interests of the Council. The report adds that the
authority given in 1913 for obtaining a portion of the coal
direct from collieries will expire on June 30, 1915, but the
arrangements now proposed will involve the continuance
and extension or use of the coal depots. This, however,

will not prevent the policy of the Council obtaining coal
direct from collieries in normal times being reconsidered in
due course. The report was duly presented to the Council
on Tuesday, but the recommendation to authorise the
committee to make arrangements as suggested was not
moved.

Owing to the increased cost of coal the London County
Council is finding it necessary to vote a supplementary
estimate amounting to <£6,600 in respect of the coal sup-
plied for main drainage stations, outfall works and sludge
vessels during the current financial year.

Reporting to the meeting of the Metropolitan Water
Board on the 19th inst., the Works and Stores Committee
stated that at this time of the year it was customary for the
Board to issue advertisements inviting tenders for the
supply of coal and coke for the twelve months beginning
June 1. The committee had given the matter serious
consideration and had arrived at the opinion that in view
of the present highly-inflated and fluctuating war prices,
and of the powers already delegated by the Board, it was
neither necessary nor desirable to advertise for tenders at
present. The report was adopted. It was also reported
that quantities of coal and coke had been purchased for.
use at various stations, and that in certain cases it had
been necessary to make special arrangement for its transit.

Mr. J. W. Fryar, general manager of the Eastwood
collieries, Notts, speaking at the annual dinner of the
Eastwood Associated Trades Guild on Thursday evening,
March 18, referred to the present condition of the coal
trade. The fact that prices were high was accounted for,
he said, by the greater demand for home industries, for war
purposes, and from neutral countries. He did not think the
highest rates had yet been reached. But there was every
reason to believe that the Government intended to take all
surplus profits from industries affected by the war, so that
whatever the price of coal was, the profits were not going
into the pockets of the owners. The benefit would be
obtained by the miner, and up to a certain point he thought
the miner ought to have good wages, short hours, and many
other considerations ; but it should be borne in mind that
high wages eventually came out of the public, and, unfor-
tunately, the very poor public. The time was not far distant,
he thought, when the country would step in on the point
of increased wages by silly legislation. The miners were
demanding entirely new terms through the Conciliation
Board, and were going to get them on the plea of increased
rate of living. They were also putting up their minimum
wage, which meant that when the next bad time arrived
coal would still remain at an advanced price. He did not
consider it a fair thing to take advantage of the war to
raise their minimum rate.

The directors of the South Metropolitan Gas Company
announce that the price of gas to ordinary consumers will
be raised to 2s. lOd. per 1,000 cu. ft. As the present price
is 2s. 4d. per 1,000 the advance announced is 6d., or 8d.
since the beginning of the war. A few days ago the Gas
Light and Coke Company increased the price to their
consumers by 4d., to 3s. In giving the reasons for their
decision the South Metropolitan Gas Company say :—“ The
causes of the increase are fourfold: The enormous price in
the cost of freightage or transport of coal from the north
to London; the increase in the price of coal at the pit’s
mouth ; the war allowance paid to employees ; the disloca-
tion of business brought about by the lighting regulations?'
The company point out that the increase in the cost of
carriage has risen from 3s. 6d. or 4s. per ton to 10s. per ton.
The circular added: “ The Prime Minister has stated that
coal may be considered the life-blood of the country. This
life-blood is being drained from England’s industries and
needs at the rate of 3,613,000 tons during the month of
January last and 3,630,000 tons during February?’ The
sentence in the circular referring to the life-blood being
drained from England's industries has reference to the
export of coal. The company has urged the Government
to prohibit the export of coal.

Owing to high prices, due to exorbitant freights and the
restrictions on exports from England, the coal question, it
is said, is becoming acute in Norway. The price of coal in
Christiania now ranges from <£2 10s. to £2 12s.. a ton,
whilst in Northern Norway <£2 16s. is being charged. In
this connection the Verdensgang directs the attention of
merchants to the possibility of imports of coal from Spitz-
bergen, which in normal times has been obtainable in
Norway at about 31s. a ton, including the freight of 12s. 6d.
a ton. • It is urged by the Verdensgang that Norwegian
capitalists should develop the coal areas in Spitzbergen, in
which they already have an interest, thus competing with
a prosperous American enterprise in that island.

OBITUARY.

The death of Dr. John Wilson, M.P. for Mid-Durham
and for many years general secretary of the Durham
Miners' Association, removes from the arena one of the
most sagacious and tenacious fighters for the well-being of
the miners that this country has produced. Belonging to
the “ old school " of miners’ leaders, Dr. Wilson did not
see eye to eye politically and economically with many of
his younger associates, and was accordingly subjected to no
little vilification and misunderstanding in consequence.
He held resolutely on the course he had mapped out for
himself, however, and had the satisfaction of knowing that,
even although his views differed from those of the coal-
owners of the county and were strongly combatted at times
in consequence, he had, by his great mentality and
pertinacity, earned the respect of those with whom he
contested questions of wages and working conditions on
behalf of the underground workers in the coalfield. No
one who has ever heard Dr. Wilson put the men's case
before the Conciliation Board could doubt his grip of his
subject, his ability to state their case or his keenness in
securing for his mining constituents the maximum of
benefit possible. With all due respect to his colleagues in
the association, Dr. Wilson was “the daddy of them all"—
to use an old north-country phrase—when it came to
putting the men’s claims forward. Always courteous,

always even-tempered, with a first-hand knowledge of
mining conditions of work and life, even those who disputed
his wisdom in remaining attached to one of the great
orthodox political parties “ could scarce forbear to cheer "
him on as an advocate “across the table?’ In more recent
years a kindlier feeling towards the veteran secretary
appears to. have been manifested by the ‘'advanced"
Labour men in the county, and, indeed, throughout the
kingdom, and it is well that that has been so, for now that
Dr. Wilson is gone they will find it well-nigh impossible to
discover his equal as a champion of working-class needs
and wants in the mining industry. Dr. Wilson, who died
last Wednesday after an illness extending over three
months, was born at Greatham, near Hartlepool, in June
1837. After casual employment earlier, he secured work at
Ludworth Colliery at the age of 13, moving a year later to
Sherburn Hill, where he led his first strike. He worked at
one or other of the Lambton pits until 1856, after which he
went seafaring for seven years. The years 1864 to 1867 he
spent working in the mines of Pennsylvania and Illinois,
U.S.A. In 1867 he returned to Haswell. The Durham Miners’
Association was founded two years later, very largely as
the result of his efforts, and he was elected to the executive
in 1875. In the same year, he was appointed secretary of
the Miners’ Political Reform Association, a position he
held until 1885 when, the franchise having been extended,
he was elected to Parliament as representative for Houghton-
le-Spring. Next year, however, he lost his seat to the late
Mr. Nicholas Wood, coal owner, and remained out until
1890, when he secured election—for the term of his lifetime,
as it proved—for Mid-Durham. An advocate of international
arbitration, he was one of the trade union peace deputation
which visited America in 1887. In later years, he was
chairman of the Durham County Council; the degree of
D.C.L. was conferred upon him by Durham University in
1910 ; and he was a member of the Advisory Committee of
the Board of Trade Labour Exchanges for the northern
district. Appointed treasurer of the Durham Miners’
Association in 1882, he succeeded the late Mr. Crawford as
secretary in 1890. The high esteem in which he was held
by most sections of the community was evident some years
ago when a testimonial to him realised <£854. Of all the
activities which engaged Mr. Wilson's attention, probably
none was nearer to his heart than the movement for the
provision of homes for the aged miners of the county, and
it was a proud day, indeed, for him when he conducted the
present Queen over the UshawMoor, Tudhoe and Shincliffe
homes. His last public appearance was at the opening of
the Thornley homes. An active supporter of the Northum-
berland and Durham Miners' Permanent Relief Fund,
Mr. Wilson was, also, one of the first to render practical aid
in times of colliery disasters, and the white-haired and
bowed secretary of the Durham miners was frequently one
of the first to descend the shaft after such casualties.
Always jealous for the weal of his organisation, with its
200 lodges and 120,000 members, he never allowed county
interests to be overruled by external dictation, even from
the Miners' Federation, for, although the association was
federated with the main body, he did not regard that
relationship as implying fusion.

Lieut. Douglas R. Morison, son of Mr. John Morison,
mining engineer at Newcastle, has been killed whilst
leading the Wiltshire regiment in an attack against a
German trench.

The death has taken place at his residence, Belmont,
Helensburgh, of Mr. W. H. Luther, managing director of
the Scottish department of the firm of Messrs. F. Braby
and Company, galvanised iron manufacturers, whose
Scottish works are situated at Springburn, Glasgow.

The death has occurred of Mr. Thomas Young, president
of the North Staffordshire Miners’ Federation, which office
he had held since January 6,1913. The death of Mr. Enoch
Edwards, M.P., in 1912, occasioned the appointment of a
new secretary and agent, and Mr. S. Finney, who had been
president from 1889, succeeded to the secretaryship on a
ballot of the members. This created another vacancy, and
the Federation, who had benefited by the services of
Mr. Young as financial secretary for more than 20 years,
honoured him and themselves by making him presi-
dent. The deceased gentleman was also a trustee of the
Federation. It is interesting to recall that his father was
manager of the Harecastle collieries carried on by Messrs.
Bidder and Elliott, which ceased to be worked many years
ago. Mr. Thomas Young was for a considerable period
employed as fireman at the Talk-o’-th'-Hill collieries, and
subsequently, such was his popularity, he was appointed by
the men engaged there as checkweighman. He occupied
that position up to the time of his appointment to the
presidency of the Federation.

The death has taken place, at Shipcote House, Gateshead;
of Mr. James Fairley, formerly of Craghead, at the age of
76 years. Deceased was one of the best-known mining
officials in the North of England. When only 10 years old
he started work in the mines as a driver boy at the Black
Boy Colliery, now known as Auckland Park Colliery. After
this, he became compass boy, and in 1850, when barely
12 years old, he removed with his parents to Burnopfield
Colliery, and later to Marley Hill, both pits being owned
by Messrs. John Bowes and Partners. Subsequently, he
proceeded to Ryton Colliery, where he rose to the position
of manager. He remained at Ryton for over nine years,
and then undertook the management of the Sheriff Hill
Colliery, which he left to go to Craghead, as agent, under
Messrs. Thos. Hedley and Brothers. For the first 12 years,
Mr. Fairley was employed chiefly at Craghead, but he also
held the position of consulting manager for the South
Moor Coal Company Limited, and eventually he became
agent to both firms. Mr. Fairley had witnessed enormous
developments in the Durham coal trade between that date
and his eventual retirement in August 1913. When he
was first installed at Craghead, the daily output at the
solitary pit was only 50 tons, whereas, when he retired, the
output was over 2,000 tons per day. At South Moor range
of collieries, the output was increased from 250 tons daily
to over 5,000 tons. The wages at the combined collieries
then exceeded <£17,000 per fortnight. It was largely due
to the enterprise of the owners of these collieries that
Craghead, South Moor, and New Kyo villages have developed
into good-sized towns. Mr. Greener, of Crook, succeeded
Mr. Fairley upon his retirement into private life. The
deceased gentleman was an ardent social reformer. Work-
men’s dwellings of the most modern type rose mushroom-like
at Craghead, South Moor, and Kyo.