March 26, 1915.

THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN.

667

The company employed from 2,000 to 3,000 people, and the
nuisance was so acute that the plaintiff and his men work-
ing on the farm had to go about in goggles. Mr. Justice
Bailhache said it was only a guess, but he assessed plain-
tiff’s damages at £54 and costs.

The Easter holiday question is just now engaging the
serious attention of pit proprietors and their employees.
Enquiries made in the large colliery centre round Doncaster
seem to indicate there will be little difficulty in persuading
the miners to restrict their leisure somewhat in view of the
obnormal circumstances. It is more than likely, therefore,
that the Easter vacation will be restricted to Monday and
Tuesday, though it is said to be probable that Saturday,
representing as it does only a half-holiday, may’be included.
The men are so far exhibiting quite a reasonable spirit of
compliance with the War Office request. It is quite pos-
sible the matter 'will be left to each colliery to make its own
arrangements.- Yorkshire has hitherto had no fixed arrange-
ment or hard and fast rule in regard to Eastertide leisure;
some of the pits in the county work on Good Friday, some
do not; in the majority of cases there is a cessation of
labour for the best part of a week, which, of course, makes
a very appreciable difference in the output. Mining officials
and others, with whom our correspondent discussed the
matter, pointed out there are various points of view, not
forgetting that of the owners, from which it has to be
regarded, but all conveyed the opinion that the War Office
request will certainly not be ignored, and that the danger
of any shortage in coal supplies is at any rate fully appre-
ciated in this district. They emphasised the fact that
Eastertide affords the first real opportunity of closing down
the collieries after the Christmas period of play, and that
advantage is invariably taken of the somewhat lengthy
holiday usually associated with the period to effect repairs
which have necessarily accumulated in the meantime.

It may be doubted whether the public realise the magni-
ficent manner in which the miners have responded to the
call of the country. In this connection a statement, made
in the West Biding Police Court at Doncaster as recently
as Saturday last, should serve to bring the matter right
home. The Denaby and Cadeby Main Colliery Company
were prosecuting a miner, named Willets, for refusing to
work, and in proof of the inconvenience caused, the shortage
of labour w’as cited. In corroboration, Mr. H. W. Smith,
the manager of the first-named colliery, told the court that
the effect of the war had been to deprive the Denaby and
Cadeby collieries of the services of close upon 1,000 men.
It appeared that in the case in question there had been an
accident in the stall in which the defendant worked. Instead
of going to work in another stall, as directed, he left the
pit, and the company claimed 15s. The prosecuting
solicitor asked the Bench to make it clear there must be no
“ slacking ” at a time when so many men had been with-
drawn from the ordinary work of the mine to serve their
country in another way, because if the coal supply of the
country was not maintained at the normal the industries
could not continue. Such refusals to work without reason
were having a very bad effect. It appeared the defendant
had worked at the pit for 33 years, and his objection to
work in the stall he was sent to was that he could not make
the minimum wage. The magistrates ordered the man to
pay 10s. damages, and also the court costs.

Last week reference was made to the granting of urban
powers to the mining district of Adwick-le-Street, which
includes the model mining village of Woodlands, and also
the colliery centre of Carcroft. Since then the nominations
have been’handed in for the first election to the new Urban
District Council, which promises to be a memorable one.
There are only 13 seats, but no fewer than 40 candidates
have come forward. That the colliery employees mean to
be represented in strength on the new governing authority is
shown by the fact that those nominated in the Carcroft Ward
(four required) include two colliery managers, two check-
weighmen, and one deputy; in the Adwick Ward (three
required) a colliery secretary and a checkweighman; in the
Woodland Ward (six required) a colliery manager, colliery
official, colliery estate agent, colliery doctor, colliery engi-
neer, winding engineman, checkweighman, and seven
miners.

The Local Government Board has written to the Bentley
Urban District Council, sanctioning a further loan of
£2,640 in connection with the Council’s housing scheme,
described in these columns last wTeek. This is extra money
necessitated by the increase in the tenders for building, the
price of everything having increased in consequence of the
war.

The report for the year 1914 of the West of Yorkshire
Miners’ Permanent Belief Fund states that the ordinary
revenue of the society for the year amounted to
Til,174 15s. 5d., and the disbursements were £12,339 6s. 4d.
The available balances at the close of the year were
£44,880 12s. Id. The society paid in benefits during the
year £10,533 4s. lid., compared with £13,416 9s. 6d. in
1913. The number of deaths from accidents was 20, as
compared with 26 in 1913. Non-fatal accidents during the
year numbered 2,738, as compared with 3,389 in 1913.

Lancashire and Cheshire.

Principal Rankin Resigns.

Mr. T. T. Bankin, C.E., B.Sc., Principal of the Wigan
Mining and Technical College, has resigned his appoint-
ment. The resignation was tendered by the principal and
accepted by the management.

Notts and Derbyshire.

Mr. E. E. Beadsmoore (chairman), of Pinxton, presided
at the meeting of the Notts and Derbyshire branch of the
Association of Mining Electrical Engineers at the Univer-
sity College, Nottingham, on Saturday afternoon, March 20.
Two papers were discussed, one on “ Turbine Pumps for
Colliery Pumping,” by Mr. B. H. Willis, and the other on
“ Utility of Surface Earthing on Armoured Systems,” by
Mr. Wm. Webster. In his paper, Mr. Willis pointed out
that the chief improvements which had enabled the modern
turbine pump to deal with high heads had been the multi-
plication of impellers, the addition of diffusion vanes, and
improved methods of manufacture. Mr. Webster, in his
paper, questioned the utility of elaborate surface installa-
tions on completely armoured systems. He had seen
instances where much time and money had been expended
on elaborate systems of surface earthing, without giving
much consideration to underground conditions. The laying
out of these systems suggested the possibility of large
leakage currents. In conclusion, he drew attention to the
use of leakage trip gear for the prevention of dangerous

leakage currents. Mr. F. W. Bowfley, Eastwood; Mr. B.
A. Sheldon, Nottingham; Mr. F. Smith, Pinxton; Mr. S.
Needham, Newstead; Mr. E. B. Hudson, Ilkeston
(secretary); and the chairman took part in the discussion.
It was decided to hold a joint meeting with the Midland
branch of the National Association of Colliery Managers
next month.

Kent.

Tilmanstone and Snowdown Finance.

An offer has been made to purchase the East Kent Colliery
at Tilmanstone from the debenture holders, for whom a
receiver is in possession. Particulars of this offer are given
in a communication which Mr. G. Thomas, of Dover, and
Mr. A. Wells, of Canterbury, have sent out to their fellow
debenture holders, in which they express the opinion that
the offer is altogether inadequate, and ought not to be
accepted. They state the terms offered are : The purchasers
to pay in cash the receiver’s charges and outlay on the
colliery, and to hand him £100,000 in “ B ” debentures of a
company to be promoted by the purchasers, such “ B ”
debentures to rank after £150,000 of “A” debentures in such
company. The signatories to the circular state that the
effect of such a sale would be that the present debenture
holders would have to accept in the form of these “ B ”
debentures about 65 per cent, only of the par value of their
present first mortgage debenture holdings, whilst there
would not be a penny either for the creditors or shareholders
of the East Kent Colliery Company. The signatories state
that it would very much strengthen their hands in opposing
the sale if they could satisfy the debenture holders at their
meeting that if the offer is rejected the shareholders will
subscribe a sufficient sum to keep the colliery workings free
from water during the next few wreeks, while a scheme of
reconstruction is being carried through. For this pumping
work about £1,500 will be required.

In connection with the recent appeal to shareholders in
the Concessions Group of Kent coal companies for £100,000
to carry out the deep sinking at Snowdown Colliery, and
continue other works during the war period, the chairman,
Mr. John Dewrance, has informed the subscribers that the
total amount applied for is £90,000. He expresses thanks
for this response, and states that the sum is sufficient to
carry out the programme mentioned in the directors’ circular
of January 20 last.

Scotland.

The Duties of Checkweighers—Wishaw Engineers at Law—
The Use and Abuse of Oil.

In-mining circles throughout Scotland considerable interest
is being manifested in the action, at the instance of Messrs.
Bobert Addie and Sons Limited, coal masters, for the
removal of Thomas Sullivan, checkweighman at their View-
park Colliery, Uddingston, on account of his alleged actings
there. At the adjourned hearing of the evidence last week
the case for the respondent was heard. The objection taken
by Mr. B. S. Horne, K.C., who appeared for the petitioners,
to the line of defensive evidence adduced, showing what the
practice was in Lanarkshire generally with regard to the
position of checkweighmen, raises a question hardly less
important than the conclusions of the action. Mr. Horne
held that the historical evidence was irrelevant, the practice
at present or in the past at other pits in Lanarkshire having
nothing to do with the merits of the particular case before
the court. While allowing the large body of evidence which
was submitted in the prevailing practice, Sheriff Hay
Shennan has reserved his decision on the question of
relevancy.

At the adjourned proceedings, the chief witness called
for the defence was Mr. Bobert Smillie, president of the
Miners’ Federation of Great Britain. Witness said that
within recent years a better understanding had come to exist
between the coal owners and the checkweighmen. In
Lanarkshire, generally speaking, the checkweighman was
looked upon as the intermediary between the managers and
the workmen, and he was, as a rule, received as the repre-
sentative of the men. Witness instanced the value of the
checkweighman’s good offices in that direction by the fact
that the great majority of local disputes which arose were
settled locally by the checkweighman and the local com-
mittee at the colliery on the one hand, and the management
on the other, without the direct interference of the miners’
leaders. Twenty years ago, when he (Mr. Smillie) acted as
checkweighman, it had been a very common thing to have
complaints about the lack of timber, the state of the road-
ways, and other matters. In the capacity of checkweigh-
man, he usually got these complaints from the workmen
when they were coming off their shift. He then approached
the underground manager or oversman, and, if the grievances
were not remedied,- he carried them to the manager of the
colliery. His experience had been that he seldom failed to
get redress, and, rather than any objection having been
taken to that course, it had been encouraged. Indeed,
more than once he had been thanked by managers for under-
taking the role of intermediary.—Mr. James Murdoch, one
of the agents of the Lanarkshire Miners’ Union, said that
in his capacity as agent he attended some 50 or 60 different
collieries throughout Lanarkshire, and, with one exception,
it wTas the practice for the checkweighman to deal first with
the management in cases of dispute, and try to settle matters
before they went further. Indeed, the Lanarkshire Miners’
Union advised the checkweighman, along with the local
committee, to see the manager and discuss grievances from
time to time as they arose. Personally, he knew that this
had been the practice in Viewpark Colliery, Uddingston,
w’hich came within the scope of his district. The respondent
(Thomas Sullivan) had no power to stop the mine or to
threaten to do so. That power rested with the agent or the
executive of the union. Only on one occasion in his recol-
lection did the manager at Viewpark Colliery express
refusal to meet Sullivan, and afterwards to witness the
manager admitted he had lost his temper, and desired that
his remarks with regard to not meeting Sullivan should be
overlooked.—In the course of the proof, other witnesses
spoke to the particular acts alleged against respondent,
and held that he had not acted beyond his duty as the
accredited representative of the workmen. — Sheriff Hay
Shennan announced that he would issue a written judgment
on the case, which involved many important points.

In the Hamilton Sheriff Court on Friday last, Sheriff Hay
Shennan gave judgment in an action at the instance of

Messrs. Morton Limited, engineers and ironfounders,
Wishaw, against Messrs. Shearer and Pettigrew, engineers,
Wishaw Foundry, and Andrew Pettigrew, the only known
partner of said firm. His lordship’s findings, which explain
the points at issue, are in the following terms :—(1) That
during the years 1913-14 the pursuers supplied to the
defenders certain parts of controllers for preventing over-
winding, which the defenders were installing in various
collieries; (2) that some time after the first controller was
supplied the parties agreed that in respect of all controllers
after the first the pursuers should receive for the standard
portions supplied by them £14 15s. each for the small size,
and £15 15s. each for the large size, extras to be paid for
in addition; (3) that these prices were not subject to subse-
quent readjustment; (4) that pursuers have departed from
their claim for Is. 6d. under August 25, 1913; (5) that the
items objected to by the defenders as overcharged to the
extent of £7 8s. have been properly charged by the pursuers
in their account; (6) that in February 1911 the parties
entered into an arrangement for the manufacture of coal
cutting machines by the defenders, whereby the pursuers
undertook to supply the necessary drawings, to give the
defenders the benefit of their experience in building the
machines, and generally assist to make them a success;
(7) that defenders proceeded so far with the manufacture as
to have completed the first machine; (8) that the defenders’
failure to carry out the work any further w7as not due to any
breach of contract on the part of the pursuers; (9) that the
pursuers have placed all the necessary drawings at the
disposal of the defenders, and have never declined to assist
the defenders in any way when requested to do so; (10) that
any loss incurred by the defenders in making coal cutting
machines is not due to the actings of the pursuers. With
these findings his lordship continues the cause for further
procedure.

At a fatal accidents enquiry held by Sheriff Macleod and
a jury at Linlithgow last week, concerning the death of a
miner, named Patrick Tierney, at the shale mines at
Dalmeny, the evidence showed that an explosion due to gas
had occurred, the miner having a naked light on his cap.
Mr. Masterton, inspector of mines, stated that correspon-
dence was going on between the Chief Inspector and the
mine owners on the subject of safety lamps.

A joint meeting of the Scottish branches of the National
Association of Colliery Managers and the Association of
Mining Electrical Engineers was held last week at Glasgow.
Mr. A. B. Muirhead, Lenzie, presided. A paper on “ The
Use and Abuse of Oils on Mining Plant ” was read by Mr.
T. C. Thomson, B.Sc., London. In the course of his paper,
Mr. Thomson said the owners of many large plants had seen
the advantage of having an engineer responsible for the
lubrication of their engines and machinery, and with plants
which were not large enough to justify the employment of an
engineer for this particular work it had been found advan-
tageous to have a lubricating engineer to inspect the plant
occasionally, report on the lubricating conditions, and offer
suggestions as regards economy and saving in powTer.

Samuel Halkett, pit fireman, Cowdenbeath, admitted
before Sheriff Umpherston in Dunfermline Sheriff Court
recently, haying failed to make a second inspection of a
dock in No. 11 Pit, Lumphinnans Colliery, that he had
employed a miner to overtake the duty, and that he had
reported in the books that he had made the inspection him-
self. The Procurator-Fiscal said that some difficulty had
arisen in the course of Halkett’s round, and in order to get
on with the work he helped a man to put matters right.
He sent another man to make the inspection.
The Sheriff said he had no doubt the respondent had done
his best for the company. At the same time he (the Sheriff)
bad said over and over again that he was not going to
dismiss with an admonition breaches of the Coal Mines Act.
Those Begulations must be adhered to, no matter what the
results, or whether an accident happened or not. The
sentence would be a fine of 5s., with the option of three
days’ imprisonment.

Coal Mining at Spitzbergen.—Dr. B. N. Budmose Brown
read a paper before the Boyal Geographical Society on
Monday on Dr. W. S. Bruce’s explorations in Spitzbergen
and modern developments in the economic importance of the
archipelago, in which he described the interests acquired
by the various Powers in coal-bearing strata. He said that
Bussian expeditions had been undertaken in the last three
years wuth the object of acquiring coal-bearing strata either
by claim or purchase in order to strengthen Bussia’s voice
in the settlement of the political ownership. The Nor-
wegians had a number of mining claims, but most of them
were of little value. The American claims were localised,
but most important. The Americans were the first actively
to develop mining in Spitzbergen, and they had confined
their attention to coal. The coal, which was of tertiary age,
was easy to mine, required little timbering, and was easily
and cheaply put on board ship, being taken from the pit
mouth down to a wooden jetty by a wire ropeway and loaded
direct into steamers; 40,000 tons were exported in 1912,
and the amount had increased since then, as the mines had
been more developed. The coal was of high calorific value,
and had been proved in use to be good steam coal, remark-
ably free from ash. Yorkshire foremen were employed
under American engineers, and the miners and labourers
were chiefly Norwegians, who recently replaced Swedes and
Finns. Long Year Valley City, as the Americans styled
this settlement, wias growing rapidly, and accommodated
more than 300 men in summer and about 100 in winter in
20 large wooden houses. In addition to the tertiary coal,
carboniferous and jurassic coal occurred in Spitzbergen. The
jurassic coal was first mined on the north-eastern side of
Advent Bay by a British company in 1903. The coal wms
of good quality, but not equal to the tertiary coal. Con-
siderable progress had been made before work was stopped
in 1908. British enterprise was responsible for the exploita-
tion of other minerals. Spitzbergen, continued Dr. Brown,
offered far more advantages for mining than might be
apparent. It was less than 400 miles from Norway, and
only 50 hours’ steaming by a fast cruiser from the British
Isles. Harbourage was good and plentiful, and there was
practically no cost in land transit. Absence of taxes, duties,
and Customs charges no doubt cheapened the cost of extract-
ing the minerals, but this advantage was outweighed by the
insecurity of tenure at present existing in Spitzbergen. The
jumping of claims, as well as the overlapping of ill-defined
territories, was bound, within a very few years, to cause
serious conflict in Spitzbergen. This could only be obviated
by some strong Power taking' possession of Spitzbergen,
and making itself responsible for law and order therein, and
there was every reason why Britain should be that Power.