May 21, 1915. THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN. 1075 THE PENBIKYBER NAVIGATION COLLIERY CO. LTD.. PENRHIWCEIBEB, R.S.O., GLAM. The Directors of this Company are prepared to receive TENDERS for 3, 6, and 12 months from the 1st of July, 1915, respectively, for the following. Tenders to be in not later than Tuesdav. June 8th, 1915. Forms of tender may be obtained on application to the SECRETARY. No. 1. Iron and Steel. No. 2. Castings. No. 3. Bolts, Nuts. Rivets, Iron Washers, and Nails. No. 4. Electrical Fittings. No. 5. Rubber, Waste, Wick, Brattice, Felt, Packing and Yarn. No. 6. Steam, Water, and Gunmetal Fittings. &c. No. 7. Ironmongery, Files, Saws, Gauges, Collier’s Tools, Helves, Shovels and Sundry Stores. No. 8. Paints, Drysalteries, Brushes, Brooms, Glass, &c. No. 9. Pitch Pine Deals, Red Pine, best quality American Birch Boards ’ and Deals. Poplar and Elm Curbs, Elm G. and F. Match and Flooring Boards, and Hardwood Sprags. No. 10. Wire Ropes. No. 11. Lime and Cement. No. 12. Oils, Tallow and Grease. No. 13. Steel. Rails and Sleepers. THE ROYAL BOROUGH OF KENSINGTON. COAL AND COKE. The Council of the Royal Borough of Kensington are prepared to receive TENDERS for the supply of from 7C0 to 900 tons (more or less) at the option of the Council, of Welsh SMOKELESS COAL (Aberdare), to be delivered at the Public Baths and Washhouses, Lancaster-road, North Kensington, during the twelve months commencing the 25th day of June, 1915, and also for the supply and delivery of such quantities of COAL and COKE as may be required by the Council at the Town Hall, Depots, Public Libraries, &c., during the same period. Proposals must be made upon and strictly in accordance with the printed form of tender, which may be had on application to the Town Hall, Kensington, where also further partictPars can be obtained. Parties tendering will be required to make a declaration that they pay the rates of wages and observe the hours of labour recognised by associations of employers and trade unions, and in practice obtained in the district in which the work is to be e xecuted, and penalties will ne enforced for any breach of such declaration on the part of the Contractor. No sub contracting will be allowed either for the delivery of the coal or coke or for any other purpose. Tenders, sealed and endorsed “Tender for Coal” or ‘‘Tender for Coke’’ (as the case may be), must be delivered at the Town Clerk’s office not later than 12 o’clock noon on Tuesday, the 8th June, 1915. The Contractors will be required to enter into a written contract, and to provide two good and sufficient sureties for the due performance thereof. The contract deed will be prepared at the expense of the Council The Council do not bind themselves to accept the lowest or any tender, and reserve to themselves the right to accept a tender or tenders in respect of any individual quotation contained therein. Town HaU, By order, Kensington, W , WM. CHAMBERS LEETE, 18th May, 1915. Town Clerk. METROPOLITAN BOROUGH OF ST. MARYLEBONE. SUPPLY OF COAL AND COKE. Tie Council of the Metropolitan B orough of St. Marylebone invite TENDERS for the supply of COAL and BEST GAS COKE for 3, 6, and 12 months respectively commencing 1st July, 1915. Tenders must be made on the printed form, to be obtained, with further particulars, unon app ication at the Town Had, Marylebone-lane, Oxford street. W. Tenders must be sealed and delivered at the Town Hall, to the undersigned, in envelopes endorsed “ Tender for Coal and Coke,” not later than 4 p.m. on Thursday, 3rd June, 1915. The Council will not be bound to accept the lowest or any tender. Town Hall, JAMES WILSON, MaryleboneJane, Oxford'Street, W., Town Clerk. May, 1915. J. W. BAIRD AND COMPANY, PITWOOD IMPORTERS, WEST HARTLEPOOL, YEARLY CONTRACTS ENTERED INTO WITH COLLIERIES. OSBECK & COMPANY LIMITED, PIT-TIMBER MERCHANTS, NEWCASTLE-ON-TYNE. SUPPLY ALL KINDS OF COLLIERY TIMBER. Telegrams—“ Osbecks, Newcastle-on-Tyne.” *** For other Miscellaneous Advertisements see Last White Page. AND Journal of the Coal and Iron Trades. Joint Editors— J. V. ELSDEN, D.Sc. (Lond.), F.G.S. HUBERT GREENWELL, F.S.S., Assoc.M.I.M.E. LONDON, FRIDAY, MAY 21, 1915. The London coal trade during the past week has shown a slight improvement in the demand, owing primarily to the colder weather. On Monday last, the merchants decided that the present advertised prices, 34s. best Wallsend, 33s. best Silkstone, 32s. Derby brights, and 29s. stove coal, should be the “ lowest summer prices ” for this year. This will in all probability stimulate buying for stacking purposes. Manufacturing qualities are still very firm. Coke is scarce, but in some instances prices are lower. Small nuts and slacks are also in good demand. The contract renewals are steadily progressing. Despite the promise of the Coal Exports Com- mittee to expedite the issue of licences, it was not to be expected that matters would at once settle down to smooth working. Unfortunately, however, the Wear and Tyne markets have been considerably hampered, and collieries have had to work short time; business has been of very small dimensions, and prices have slumped. The approaching holidays appear to have given, a fillip to the demand for Lancashire house coal, but this cannot be said of the Yorkshire and Derbyshire markets, where household sorts are much quieter. Best secondary qualities being taken by the Admiralty, it is only possible for Cardiff sellers to quote for ordinary sorts, and in this class business has been greatly embarrassed by the licence difficulty. There is an easier tone in the west of Scotland, but the trade in the east remains brisk. The Biome Secretary has now’ approved the first aid certificates of the British Bed Cross Society, Glamorgan Education Committee and the Heriot’ Watt College, for the purposes of the General Begulations. The Coatbridge mines rescue station, which has been erected by the Lanarkshire Coalmasters’ Associa- tion, was formally opened by Mr. Adam Nimmo on the 13th inst. Arrangements have been made between the Board of Trade and the principal London coal merchants for a limitation of the profits to be made by the latter from the sale of household coal during the summer months. Eollowing requests from the Admiralty, workers in the South Wales coalfield are to limit their Whitsun holiday to one day. Miners in other districts are also curtailing their holidays. Preliminary mineral output figures for 1914 have been issued by the Home Office. These show the total production of coal last year to have been 265,643,030 tons, or 21,768,839 tons less than in 1913. This decrease is directly attributed to the war. The shareholders of Messrs. Baldwins Limited have agreed to an increase of capital for the purposes of constructing blastfurnaces at Port Talbot. They have also agreed to absorb the Port Talbot Steel Company. About 2,500 men in the South Staffordshire coal field struck work on Monday on the war bonus question. Work, however, was resumed on Thursday, but the position has become complicated owing to the enginemen demanding a 10 per cent, increase. Lord Coleridge, the independent chairman of the Coal Conciliation Board for England and North Wales, has referred the whole case of the miners’ demand for an increase of 20' per cent, for further consideration of the Board at a meeting to be held to-day (Friday). The annual council meeting of the Northumber- land Miners’ Association took place on Saturday, Monday, and Tuesday. It was decided to ask for an eight-hours day for surface workers. Lord St. Aldwyn has asked to be relieved of the position of independent chairman of the South Wales Conciliation Board, on the score of advancing age. The National Mine Workers’ Union of Scotland have put in a claim for an advance in wages of 50 per cent, on the 1888 basis. The War Bonus question has been The War settled in four out of five of the Bonus principal districts—that is, so far as and Prices, it was necessary to satisfy the arrangement ordained by the Prime Minister. In Northumberland, Durham and Scotland, settlement has been arrived at by the Conciliation Boards ; in South Wales Lord St. Aldwyn was called upon to make an award ; in the Federated districts, however, where the question at one time promised to give less trouble than in any of the other districts, no decision has been arrived at, Lord Coleridge having referred the matter again to the Board, at the same time intimating that he cannot give his casting vote in favour of the terms put forward by either party. The decisions may be set out as follows :— Miners’ demand of Existing1 Increase Increase 20 per cent. rate of on as a per- as a District. wages standard centage percentage above rates of present of standard standard. awarded. earnings. rates. South Wales and Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Monmouthshire 60 ... . 174 • .. 11 ... 32 Northumberland ... 48 ... . 15 ... 9-f . ... 254 Durham 53f .. . 15 ... 9| ... 304 Scotland 75 ... . 18J . .. 10| . ... 35 As the owners were prepared to make a general offer of 10 per cent, on basis rates, it will be seen that on the whole the result is not unsatisfactory from their point of view. We confess, however, that the outlook affords less ground for encouragement than the figures themselves would seem to justify. In the first place the miners are disposed to regard these settlements as being merely temporary. It is provided that any advances that may be given henceforward in the terms of the wages agreements shall be merged in the war bonus —in other words, the latter is merely an anticipation of benefits that have yet to fructify ; but it cannot be doubted that any demands that may be made by the men will be placed sufficiently high to ignore this fact, and already the Scottish miners have entered a claim beside which the war bonus is insignificant. Again, it has been intimated that the workmen in South Wales, as soon as the pre-war contracts have been cleared off, will make renewed applications, and the negotiations for the new agreement which must come into force in June will be rendered much more difficult in consequence. At the same time it should be pointed out that the South Wales men had abated their original demand, and that the award is within a few points of the revised terms which they placed before the coal- owners. More serious, however, is the failure to arrive at a settlement in the Federated districts, for, apart from the importance of this sector, a decision in several smaller areas, such as Cumberland and Somerset, hangs thereby. Further, the stoppage of work which has taken place in South Staffordshire is an evil sign. Against whom do the workmen on Cannock Chase think they are striking ? The owners haye done all that they could be required to do. In refusing to work until the independent chairman has issued his award, these men are virtually holding a pistol at the head of the country. But the troubles that spring from this uncon- ventional and makeshift method of regulating wages have a wider ambit. The burdens that have to be borne by the country cannot be thrown by Parlia- ment upon a few shoulders. It is one thing to limit the opportunities for aggrandisement; it is quite another to inflict pecuniary losses upon any one section of the community. If we are to come through this wrar with credit and success, the people must agree to shoulder the burden as a nation. Accordingly, if the claim of the miners to higher wages be admitted by the Government and the employers are compelled to pay them, there must be no unwilling- ness to pay the higher prices for fuel whereby these claims can alone be satisfied. The Board of Trade has arranged with the principal London coal merchants to limit the profits to be made by them from the sale of household coal; it is an arrangement that no doubt will be extended to other trades and businesses. But there is much speculation as to the means by which such an arrangement can be carried out; if it be proposed to adopt some kind of maximum price list, it would probably be necessary to give the middleman some power to bargain with the producer, who in such a case would undoubtedly be equally entitled to redress. But that can only be found in the cost of production, which has been enormously enhanced by the war bonus, by the rise in the cost of materials, and all the incidental expenses that naturally follow from a state of war. The coal trade is not a bottomless source of w’ealth, and the Government, however wise their action in regard to exports may be, are draining away some of its mainsprings. The restriction of trade with the neutral markets, even if carried into effect intelligently and with forethought, must inevitably affect the earning power of the collieries ; if it be managed in an arbitrary and vexatious fashion, which we regret to say is the case at present, we are only hastening the day of awakening, when our administrators will find that in tampering with our sources of supply, they have—not to attempt any peroration—landed the country in a hole. THE TIM-PLATE TRADE. Liverpool. Prices are well maintained,.and a fair amount of business is being done for June-July delivery. Makers are not anxious to sell ahead. Wasters meet with a good enquiry, and are becoming very scarce. Quotations at the moment may be called :—Coke tins : I C 14 x 20 (112 sh. 1081b.), 18s. 3d. per box and upwards; I C 28 X 20 (112 sh. 216 lb.), 36s. 6d. ; IC 28 x 20 (56 sh. 1081b.), 18s. 9d.; I C 14 x 18| (124 sh. 1101b.), 18s. 9d.; IC 14 x 191 (120 sh. 1101b.), 18s. 9d.; IC 20 x 10 (225 sh. 1561b.), 26s. 6d.; I C squares and odd sizes, 18s. 9d. basis and upwards, with crosses now running at 3s. 6d. rise each cross. Charcoals are firm, at 20s. basis and upwards, according to tinning. Coke wasters rule firm, as follow :—C W 14 x 20, 17s. per box and upwards; C W 28 x 20, 34s. 6d. ; C W 14 x 18|, 17s. 9d.; CW 20 x 10, 24s. 6d. All f.o.b. Wales, less 4 per cent. Word has been received that Capt. James Lancaster was killed in action at Ypres on the 9th inst., and his brother, John Cecil Lancaster (Major), was wTounded, and has been missing since the 8th inst. Both these gentlemen are directors of the Bestwood Coal and Iron Company Limited. Capt. James Lancaster, who was captain in the 3rd Batt. Monmouthshire Regiment, was a member of the Institution of Mining Engineers.