1032

THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN.

May 14, 1915.

A rumour having been in circulation as to amalgamation
or sale of the Windsor 'Steam Company’s Colliery in the
Aber Valley, the secretary has found it necessary to issue
an official contradiction. He adds that no negotiations are
or have been on foot with the object either of amalgamation
or sale; and he takes occasion to say that the suggestion as
to output of the colliery having been largely increased is
inaccurate. The fact is that the output is -at present con-
siderably below the period prior to the war, so many of
their men having enlisted. In all probability the rumour
has been circulated in order to influence dealings in the
shares.

Mr. Waplington, Blaenavon, who has been in South
Wales for .about 22 years, has been appointed colliery agent
to the Staveley Company at Chesterfield, an undertaking of
eight collieries, with an output of millions of tons. Mr.
Waplington has been agent at Blaenavon for some years
past, and has taken a leading part in public life as member
of the Monmouth County Council and other local bodies ;
also he for eight years acted as secretary for the Monmouth-
shire Colliery Officials’ Association. .

The purchase by the United National Collieries Limited
of the Bute Merthyr Collieries which belonged to the
Marquis of Bute, has been completed, and possession has
been taken as from May 1. By the change 1,200 acres
will be added to the United National area, which will
enable that company to secure a much larger output of
Admiralty coal. It is also .anticipated that the purchase
will tend toward more economical working.

On Wednesday a notice was posted on Cardiff Exchange
desiring Germans, Austrians, and Turks, even those vho
had been naturalised, “ to refrain from using this Exchange
till further notice.” Exception is made in the case of any
who have sons with the Forces. Only a few members are
affected.”

Great development in the iron and steel trade of South
Wales is about to take place, Baldwins Limited having
decided to amalgamate with the Port Talbot Steel Company,
and to spend no less than half a million sterling in the
erection of new blastfurnaces, etc. These works, being
alongside the docks, will permit of the ore being brought to
bank without intervention of railway carriage, and the
company will have the coal from its own collieries. . In
other departments of their enterprise Baldwins furnish a
market for their own steel product. At present the capital
of the company is £1,300,000; and this is to be increased
by the amount necessary to effect the fusion, though it has
to be noted that Baldwins already hold half the shares in
the Port Talbot Steel Works. Col. J. B. Wright is the
chairman, with Mr. Stanley Baldwin, M.P., as vice-
chairman.

Northumberland and Durham.

The Prohibition of Exports : Some Points Cleared Up—The
Importance of Scientific Research —■ The Use of Pit
Water : Future of the Durham Coalfield—The Durham
Miners' New Secretary—Benzol from Coke Oven Gas.

Much of the doubt and foreboding caused to Northumber-
land and Durham “ coalmen ” as to the possibilities of the
continuance of business in view of the Government Order
prohibiting the exportation of coal, save under licence, to
neutral countries on and after May 13, has been dispelled
by an interview which representative Tyneside coal shippers
had with the Coal Export Control Committee, presided over
by Mr. Bussell Bea, M.P., on Monday, of this week. The
deputation was informed that no obstruction to business was
intended, 'although it was necessary—in the interests of
the conservation, under present circumstances, of our coal
supplies, so as to ensure a sufficiency for ourselves and
our Allies—to restrict the export to neutral countries to
some extent. The Committee was quite emphatic in the
view that anything it might find necessary to do would not
cause the stoppage of pits, and assured the deputation that
special consideration would be given to such districts as
Northumberland and Fife, where the bulk of the coal raised
is normally exported. All possible would be done to expedite
the issue of licences, and it was hoped that not more than
48 hours would need elapse between the receipt of an appli-
cation and the issue of the licence. Begarding the special
case of the Swedish State Bail-ways’ contracts, the Committee
was quite alive to the -situation, and it was stated that,
realising the necessity of pit props coming to this country,
every vessel carrying coal out and bringing back mining
timber would be licensed. Mr. Bea stated his belief that
exporters might “ take the risk ” of tendering to supply the
Swedish requirements, as, although Sweden would have to
go on short commons if necessary, there was no reason for
Northumberland and Fife to expect that their exports
would be restricted. As to the question of the “ named
vessel,” the Committee at first took the view that, if that
rule were done away with, the whole object of the Govern-
ment would be defeated, but ultimately the concession was
made that, in cases where it was quite impossible to name
a steamer at the time the licence was applied for, if the
licence were granted, the exporter could send in, as soon as
possible, the name of the ship by telegram. That idea,
however, could not be carried out for such a quantity as,
say, 10,000 tons. The name of the colliery must be given.
In cases of difficulty, the exporter must do his best, and if
by some accident or other circumstances the kind of coal
mentioned in the licence could not be shipped at the last
moment, instructions would be given to the Customs
authorities not to be too particular. The question of the
export of gas coals was stfll a matter of grave considera-
tion with the. Committee. As to “ ultimate destination,”
it would be sufficient if it were stated on the application
that the coal was for inland consumers, and exporters must
make the most definite statement possible. For regular
liners, the Committee would permit licences for two or
three regular shipments to be issued. Every latitude would
be extended to shipments already arranged, and the Com-
mittee would go into the question as to exempting from
licence vessels which, loading up to midnight on May 12,
were delayed in completion.

On the whole, the Committee’s statements have given
much satisfaction and relief to coal shippers on Tyneside—
although leaving gas coal merchants on tenterhooks—and
the Quayside Advisory Committee, which has already done
an abundance of useful work on behalf of the commercial
community generally since war broke out, is again being
warmly congratulated on its demonstration of its utility.
The Newcastle deputation consisted of Messrs. J. Martin,
B. . M. Glover, Geo. Angus, J. B. D. Bell, and Herbert
Shaw, of the Newcastle Chamber of Commerce; Mr. Bidley

Warham, of the Northumberland Coal Trade Association;
and Messrs. W. Nimmo and W. H. Garbutt, of the
Durham Coal Trade Association. Negotiations were
carried on in conjunction with deputations from Glasgow
and Hull, composed as follow :—Scotland : Sir D. M.
Stevenson (chairman), Mr. W. F. Bussell (director), and
Mr. B. M. Stewart (secretary) of the Scottish Coal
Exporters’ Association. Hull : Messrs. G. Bradley, Eric
Ohlsen, and Jas. Turner, junr., for the Hull Chamber of
Commerce.

At the annual meeting of Newcastle Economic Society
on the 22nd ult., Prof. P. P. Bedson, of Armstrong College,
read a paper on “ The Economic Importance of Scientific
Besearch.” Prof. Bedson said that some 19 years ago there
was quite an outburst of interest in the question of the rela-
tion between science and industry, which appeared to have
been brought to a head by a pronouncement of Lord Bosebery
on the subject of technical education. Then, as now, in the
discussions in the Press, the aniline dyes and the coal tar
colour industry figured prominently. The slightest acquaint-
ance with the growth of the coal tar colour industry in
Germany showed that, in the guidance of this industry in
Germany, not onlv had the manufacturers availed them-
selves to the utmost of the achievements of science, but also
that to men known for their eminence as chemists had been
assigned honourable positions in the direction of these enter-
prises. Despite this historic experience, the Government
scheme of “British Dyes Limited” was formed on such
lines as to make for the exclusion from the directorate of
the man conversant with the science and practice of dye
manufacture, because, as they had been told by the Parlia-
mentary Secretary of the Board of Trade, he would know
something of the business, and the whole of the other
directors, being but business men, would fie in his hands.
No better example of the manner in which -science and
practice acted .and re-acted upon one another to their mutual
benefit could.be -found than was provided by the history of
the Davy lamp, which was the embodiment of those funda-
mental principles and laws regulating combustion, brought
to light by-the investigations of Sir Humphry Davy. The
history of the incandescent gas mantle was another case in
point. In accordance with the theory of Davy, put forward
to explain the luminosity of a flame, the candle and coal gas
flames owed their illuminating powers to. the presence in
these flames of finely divided solid particles of carbon,
which separated out in one of the stages of the burning of
the combustible gas, and which, by the heat produced in
the burning, were raised to a glowing incandescence. It
was Bunsen who, in the fifties of last century, showed how
to prevent their separation by mixing. the air and gas in
due proportions, -and so obtained a mixture which burned
with a non-luminous and smokeless flame. The professor
went on to show how the researches of Von Welsbach had
given a new life to the coal gas industry, helping it to
maintain its position in face of the growing development and
application of electricity as an illuminating agent. Welsbach
was also the inventor of the first metallic filament incan-
descent electric lamps, and had thus extended the beneficent
influence of science to the rival industry. When they
reflected on the innumerable achievements .of scientific
research, and how they had been made to administer to the
amenities of our everyday life, and further recalled the
honourable position -attained in the scientific world by
British scientific men, and the volume of research of high
standing that had emanated from this country during recent
times, it was scarcely credible, and was certainly not credit-
able, that there had been, and still was, so little appreciation
of scientific research in industries, and that the controllers
of our industries were still loth to avail themselves of the
services of those who, by training and ability, were well
equipped to aid in the development and advance of the
industrial enterprise of the country.

The Durham Chronicle for -Saturday last continues a long
appreciation of Mr. Henry Drummond, of Hetton-le-Hole,
who, after 42 years’ service with the Hetton and North
Hetton coal companies, has retired on the operations of
these firms being transferred to the Lambton and Hetton
Collieries Limited. Mr. Drummond was sales agent for
the two companies with which he was connected. He is
widely known, apart from his business, as an advocate of
spelling reform.

Giving evidence before the Select Committee of the House
of Lords with reference to the Weardale and Consett Water
Company’s Bill, Mr. Samuel Hare,. chief engineer to
Messrs. Bolckow, Vaughan and Company, stated that the
demand for the Water Company’s water for colliery pur-
poses was falling off, and he attributed that to the fact
that many people were using pit water in place of that
supplied by the company. There was no possibility of any
development in connection with the coalfield; on the con-
trary, collieries were closing. He did not know of any
undeveloped coal area in the county of Durham, nor did he
see any direction in which the demand for -water for trade
purposes was likely to increase. He admitted, in reply to
Mr. Tyson Wilson, that many collieries were working seams
that were formerly passed over, and added that his firm
was trying to work some, but was losing money by it. As
to the proposed new charge of 10s. per annum for fixed
baths, he stated that he did not consider that it mattered
’ whether the charge made was 5s. or 10s. His experience
was that the miner would not use the fixed baths in any
case. “ They like the bath in front of the fire,” he added.

The appointment of Mr. T. H. Cann as general secretary
of the Durham Miners’ Association, in succession to the
late Mr. John Wilson, has been confirmed by the lodges
by 532 votes to 116. Mr. J. Bobson has been appointed
committee secretary by 484 votes to 148, and Mr. T. Trotter
general treasurer by 491 votes to 147. -On the ground, it
is stated, that Mr. W. Whiteley’s services as insurance
agent are too valuable to be dispensed with, the lodges have
declined, by 347 votes to 287, to transfer Mr. Whiteley to
the post of financial secretary. Several lodges have sug-
gested, however, that Mr. Whiteley’s salary for his present
position should be increased.

The main shaft attached to the drum of the Beamish
Mary Pit having broken, the pit has been laid idle until
repairs can be effected. Meanwhile, every effort is being
made to find work for the 460 men and boys employed there,
and the other pits of the Joicey Company have found
employment for about 260.

Capt. T. A. Bradford, of the 8th Durhams, who, as we
reported last week, has been slightly wounded, -is engaged
to Miss Blackett, the only daughter of Lieut.-Col. and Mrs.
W. C. Blackett, of Acorn Close, Sacriston.

Mr. Thos. Wood, of Bainton House, who has been
manager of the North Hetton Collieries for over 42 years,
and has now retired, has been presented with a mahogany

writing cabinet, with a silver waiter for Mrs. Wood, by the
officials and workmen of the collieries and by friends.

In his paper on “ The Beeovery and Fractionation of
Benzol Products from Coal Gas,” read to the -annual
meeting of -the North of England Gas Managers ’ Association
—held in Newcastle on May 1 — Mr. W. Diamond, of
Marley Hill, remarked that the contents of benzol in coal
gas manufactured by coke ovens was very consistent for
the coal carbonised, but varied in different seams, and more
especially from county to county. In South Yorkshire
seams as much as 3-5 galls, of benzol content per ton of coal
carbonised could be obtained in the Flint and Clod seams;
Shropshire, 3-08 galls.; in Derbyshire, 3 galls.; while in
the Busty, Hutton, and Brock well -seams in Durham county,
it ranged 'from 2-1 to 2*5 galls. The content of benzol in
coal gas increased as they went south, Shropshire and
Derbyshire showing about the limit. The term “ benzol,”
he added, -did not specify any definite 'substance or compound,
but simply specified the liquid recovered from coal gas and
tar, and was the chief source of the refined products. Mr.
Diamond afterwards dealt with the different processes for
the recovery of benzol.

We are exceedingly glad to be able to state that Lieut.
Geoffrey E. Blackett, of the 8th Durham Light Infantry,
whose death in action was reported last week, is alive and'
unwounded, although, unfortunately, a prisoner in German
hands. Sincere congratulations will be tendered to Lieut.-
Col. W. C. Blackett, of Sacriston, whose only son Lieut.
Blackett is. A letter has been received from Lieut.
Blackett by his relatives at Sacriston.

Although the Northumberland and Durham miners
fumed at and protested against Mr. Asquith’s decision that,
whilst a wages advance was justified, the details should
be settled by the different districts, his judgment appears
to be justified by the satisfactory nature of the negotiations
which have followed. The miners in each county asked for
an advance of 20 per cent, on present earnings, to cover the
increase in the cost of living. The Northumberland men
have secured a rise of 15 -per cent, on the basis—which works
out at an increment of about 10 per cent, on present earn-
ings—and the Durham men a similar concession, plus the
agreement that -the rise shall apply to those on minimum
rates also. In each instance the advance comes into opera-
tion as from May 3, and is to be merged in any future
advances which may be justified by increased selling prices.
In other words, the miners have got an additional 15 per
cent, advance on the basis of 1879, instead of having to
wait until they could prove their right to such an increase
by reason of higher coal prices. On the Northumbrian
sliding scale, therefore, prices will have to rise Is. 4d. per
ton ere the miners become entitled to another penny
advance.

Cumberland.

New Rescue Station at Brigham.

The inquest on the victims of the Brayton Pit explosion,
which was originally fixed for Tuesday, the list inst., has
been postponed till Tuesday, June 1.

The new rescue station at Brigham, near Cockermouth,
wThich has been erected and equipped by the Cumberland
Coal Owners’ Association, has been completed, and has
come into active operation recently, but owing to the war
it was deemed inadvisable to have a ceremonial inaugura-
tion. The building, which has been erected at a cost of
£6,000, is one of the finest and most modern equipments in
the country. It stands on a -site a short distance from
Brigham railway station, and practically occupies a posi-
tion in the centre of the Cumberland coalfield. It is so
designed as to afford every facility for practical instruction
in rescue work. The men pass direct from the main
entrance into the changing room, which is fitted with shower
baths, provided with hot and cold water. A feature of
particular interest is the large gallery which adjoins the
spacious lecture hall, and occupies three sides of the build-
ing, and which is fitted up to represent a pit working, with
overcast and a small working seam about 2 ft. in height.
The gallery is railed round, and the conditions under which
rescue work is carried out are produced by the introduction
of dense sulphur fumes, through which the rescuers must
carry the dummy figure of a man about 12 st. in weight,
build up a brick stopping, set up 12 9 ft. props, and fix
brattice round one -side and -end of the gallery. The well-
known Meco breathing apparatus has been installed, and
the station’s equipment also includes a new motor rescue
car. The car, which will be in charge of Mr. T. W.
Maxwell, is fitted with dual ignition and electric light, and
on being tested was found capable of an average -speed of
from 60 to 65 miles an hour. The chassis is by the Daimler
Company, and its engine is a sleeve valve, six cylinder,
developing 50-horse power, and the enclosed body is by
Messrs. Whitfield and Howe, of Carlisle. It will accom-
modate eight persons, and all the necessary appliances.
Twelve sets of oxygen cylinders are stored away under the
footboards, with 10 sets of breathing apparatus under the
seats, reviving apparatus, electric lamps, while the
stretchers are carried on the roof of the van. The station
is in telephonic communication with all the collieries, -and
on the receipt of a message the rescue car can be ready to
-start within five minutes, and could reach a colliery 14
miles away in 16 minutes. The building also includes
offices, committee rooms, and workshop, while a number
of canaries, used for the purpose of testing for gas, form a
necessary part of the equipment. Mr. A. McMellon, of
Whitehaven, has been appointed superintendent of the
station, and to his lot will fall the training of the whole
of the men forming the rescue teams. The teams will
consist of from five to seven men each, and there will be
one. team for every 250 men employed in the Cumberland
collieries.

Yorkshire.

Doncaster and Its Coal Supply—The Rossington Colliery—
The Central Silkstone Collieries.

The Doncaster Corporation have been considering the
question of coal supplies and prices. At its meeting last
week, upon the recommendation of the Gas Committee, it
passed a resolution, which it was decided to forward to the
member of Parliament for the Doncaster Division, Sir C.
N. Nicholson, Bart., urging the Government to consider
the importance of taking immediate action in regard to the
following :—(1) To restrict the export of coal as much as
possible; (2) to secure better railway transit, and more
regular supplies of coal from collieries to meet the urgent
and necessary requirements of gas and electricity under-
takings ; and (3) to prevent unreasonable increases in the