June 11, 1915. THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN. 1219 after close enquiry 20 to 21 per cent, of the persons employed had gone on military service, but to some extent the shortage of labour at the collieries had been made good, the net shortage of labour being 17-04 per cent. Comparing the number of persons employed in February last (41,675) and those employed in July last (50,240), he stated : “ What proportion of colliers and drawers has been withdrawn by the war does not appear upon the forms returned to the Home Office, but I am informed that it may be taken throughout the counties of Lancashire and Cheshire as approximately accurate that about one-half of the persons employed below ground are colliers and drawers.” There were employed at the 33 collieries under review 27,277 colliers and drawers in the month of June last, whilst in Feb- ruary last the number was 22,318, or a loss of colliers and drawers of 18-18 per cent. From an analysis of the figures on the books of the 33 collieries, Sir Thomas found that the absence of men during the month of February last was 17-4 per cent., and estimated the unavoidable absence at 5-0 per cent., leaving a difference of avoidable absenteeism of 12-4 per cent.; which, if eradicated, would mean that the loss of output would be made up. Sir Thomas summed up the situation thus : “ During the month of February last the attendance was 82-6 per cent, of the persons on the books. That attendance produced 1,011,072 tons of coal. If the attendance had been 88-53 per cent, throughout the week, the output should have been increased by 72,586 tons. In other words, instead of the actual output being 1,011,072 tons, it should have been 1,083,658 tons. Applying the same method of calculation to the whole of the output of the two counties, it would mean that the estimated loss of output, viz., 3,140,008 tons, would be reduced to 1,597,205 tons. But why should there not be a full attendance, less 5 per cent., unavoidable, viz., 95 per cent., instead of 82-53 per cent.? In that case there would be no shortage.” ’ Mr. David'Shaw, the secretary of the Lancashire and Cheshire Miners’ Permanent Relief Society, gave very interesting evidence in respect of the amount of unavoid- able absenteeism. The workmen of about 100 collieries are members of this society, the membership at the end of December last being about 56,000. He showed that the percentage of persons off work on account of accident and sickness was—on account of accident, 2-17 per cent.; and on account of sickness, 2-46 per cent.; or a total of 4-63 per cent. Persons, however, who were off work for only two or three days are not included in his to make up the week, those only were staying away who really were unable to come, and therefore that is a pretty fair indication of what the proper percentage would be.” The percentage of absenteeism on Mondays and Thurs- days Sometimes rose to as high a figure as 30 per cent. The Midlands.—Mr. Eustace Mitton, representing the Midlands, the Nottinghamshire and Ere wash Valley, the Leicestershire, and the South Derbyshire Coal Owners’ associations, put in figures showing that the reduction of output over the war months in respect of the collieries in these associations (which'produce 73-66 per cent, of the total output of the area he represented) amounted to 9 per cent, of 24,811,831 tons, or 2,233,065 tons. Taking 17 representative colliery companies, he found that the average absenteeism calculated over a period varying from three to four months for all, classes of underground labour, amounted to 15-75 per cent, of the labour on the books at the present time, and he found, taking his own mines, that the unavoidable absenteeism over a period of three months was : Due to sickness, 3-42 per cent.; due to accident, 2-87 per cent.; or a total unavoidable absenteeism of 6-29 per cent.; that is, 15-75 — 6-29, or 9-46 per cent, avoidable absenteeism, or allowing 0-46 per cent, to cover other unavoidable causes, e.g., serious illness in the family, there remains 9 per cent, avoid- able absenteeism. But, he said, supposing only 5 per cent, of the absenteeism were recovered, it would mean, for . the counties of Derbyshire, s,Nottingham, and Leicestershire (the total output of which is 33,697,337 tons) that an increase of output equal to 1,684,867 tons per annum, or half of the reduction due to the enlist- ment of miners, would be secured. North Staffordshire. — Mr. Wain (mining engineer, North Staffordshire) submitted a statement showing the percentage of men absent through sickness or accident at Whitfield Colliery, at which colliery the men employed live, approximately, in equal proportions in town and country areas. This shows an average of 2-65 per cent, of the whole number on the books so absent, and 2-79 per cent, also absent through the whole week from reasons unknown, “ which in. some cases may include minor ailments.” Whereas the average absenteeism, calculated on the underground workers of the whole district, was 16| per cent., leaving as avoidable absenteeism, say, 11^ per cent. South Wales.—Mr. H. Bramwell (the general manager and a director of the Great Western Colliery, and chairman of the South Wales Coal Owners’ Association) put forward a summary of returns from the coal owners in South Wales :—2 The above estimates seem to show that the loss. of output owing to depletion of mine labour could largely, if not entirely, be made good by the regular attendance of those workmen who are in health and not suffering from accident. But it has been argued that the arduous nature of the work of a miner not only entitles him to an occasional day off work, but is neces- sary in the interests of health, and the Committee think no doubt this argument could reasonably be advanced in the case of hot mines or mines in which exceptional conditions prevail. The days on which the greatest number of miners lie idle are not those following a long spell of work, but vary in different districts, and would seem to be deter mined more by .custom than by any definite cause. Thus in Scotland, as a rule, there are most men off work on the Monday following the idle Saturday. The best attendance is usually at the latter end of each “ pay.” In the North of England there are most men off work on the Monday, the attendance gradually improving as the week progresses up to Saturday. In Lancashire and Cheshire the largest, •attendance is on the Friday, the smallest on the Saturday, the next smallest being on Monday. The “ pay ” is in the case of most collieries on Friday. In Yorkshire, taking a typical colliery company, on the last day of the pay, the last working day of the week before making up the accounts, the attendance is, generally speaking, the best. That drink is the cause of some absenteeism cannot be disputed, but to a much less extent than is com- monly supposed, and evidence has been obtained from the majority of the representatives of the owners and miners that absenteeism from this cause is less than it was, and that there is an increasing tendency in the direction of temperance. From a study of all the figures, and from the evidence, the Committee have arrived at the conclusion that 5 per cent, is a liberal allowance to make over all classes of mine labour, surface and underground, for absence from work from sickness, injury, and other unavoidable causes. In the case of several of the more important .mining districts of the United Kingdom, were all the avoidable loss of work at the coal mines made good, it would go a long way to neutralising the effect due to the depletion of labour from ’enlistment which had taken place up to the end of February. It is shown that the average absenteeism over all • classes of labour from August to February last, inclusive, is 9-8 per cent., and evidence shows that the absenteeism of face labour, viz., the labour employed in the getting and haulage of Amount of Coal Produced, Number of Persons Employed, Number of Shifts Lost, and Number of Men who have Joined His MAiESTY*s Forces. Eight Months, July 1913 to February 1914. Foard. No. of days on which pits wound coal. Tonnage raised in the eight months. Average number of persons on books. | Absentees. Output per man under- , ground. Below ground, (a). Above ground, (b). ■ Total. 1 Total shifts which could have I been worked by | . (a) and (b). Actual shifts worked by (a) and (b). Number of shifts lost. No. Per cent. Per man. Per day. Cardiff 8.169 17,797,701 92,787 14,416 107.203 21,643,723 19,052,941 2,590,782 11-9 24 317 191 Newport : 3,083 5,169,097 27,120 3,788 30,908 6,143,412 5,551,335 592,077 9’6 19 192 190 Swansea 4,612 2,836,708 13,298 3,062 16,360 3,148,421 2,902,052 246,369 7’8 15 53 213 15,864 25,803,5^9 133,205 21,266 154,171 30,935,556 27,506,328 3,429,228 11T 22 216 193 Corrected average 11 5* Eight Months, July 1914 to February 1915. Board. No. of days on which pits wound coal. Tonnage raised in the eight months. Average number of persons on books. Absentees. Output per man underground. < Men who have joined H.M. forced, Tons. Compared with previous period. Below ground (a). Above ground (b). Total. Compared with pre- vious period. Total shifts which could have been worked by (a) and (b) Actual shifts worked by (a) and (b). Number of shifts lost. Tons. Compared ' with pre- vious period No. .. Per cent. Decrease. Tons. Per cent. De- crease. No. Per cent. No. Per cent. Per man. Per day. De- crease Tons. Per cent. Cardiff . 7,907 16,421,573 1,376,131 7'7 86,405 14,019 100,424 6,779 6’3 19,808,228 17,457,441 2,350,787 11-8 23 297 190 1 . ' ’5 20,870 19-4 Newport 3,087 4,610,257 558,840 10’8 24,912 3,691 28,603 2,305 7’4 5,609,946 5,087,760 522,186 9‘3 18 169 185 5 3-6 5,168 16*7 Swansea 4,188 2,384,476 452,232 15'9 11,930 2,861 14,791 1,569 9-5 2,571,428 2,403,849 167,579 6’5 11 40 199 14 6-5 1,782 . 10-8 15,182 23,416,306 2,387,203 . 9’2 123,247 20,571 143,818 10,653 6-8 27,989,602 24,949,050 3,040,552 10’8 21 200 189 4 2-0 27,820 18’0 Corrected average 11’4* * This correction is necessary owing to the fact that there are three collieries, the returns for which are not strictly accurate, due to their making the returns having added up the bonus shifts as if they had been actually worked. In about half of the collieries in the South Wales coal fields, it is the practice to give a bonus shift to datal wagemen at nights— that is a bonus shift per week. If five full shifts are worked the men are paid six shifts. It should be kept in view that these figures are supplied for certain collieries included in the Coal Owners* Association, and are not co-extensive with the South Wales and Monmouthshire official figures. figures, so that a somewhat higher, figure would be necessary to cover total unavoidable absenteeism, say, 5 per cent. Yorkshire.—Mr. F. Parker Rhodes (secretary, South -Yorkshire Coal Trade Association) said it appeared to him that, for practical purposes, only one or two methods could be used by which improvement could be arrived at, and the reduction of avoidable absenteeism was the most important. He stated that ” the absentees at the present time, taking face workers, which, is the important class for the purpose of the enquiry, amount to about 15 per cent., and he put the unavoidable absenteeism at 6 per cent., and by unavoidable absen- teeism he meant absence from work caused by the illness of the worker Himself or by serious illness in his home, or matters of that kind beyond his own control.” It is interesting to.learn how he arrived at this figure. He had. the figures taken out at a particular colliery, and found ” that oni the day before the last day of the pay, the last working . day ■: of the week before making up,, the. percentage of absentees fell ”; and he ‘‘ found on several occasions that it was as, nearly as possible 6 per cent.” He added : “ I gather, therefore, that on that day, when there was a strong inducement to work Mr. Bramwell 'was of the opinion that 4 per cent, covers the absenteeism due to sickness and accident; 5 per cent, would be an “ outside figure.” He said :— I may say that when we made returns from our particular collieries under the Census of Production Act in 1907, when wages were lower on the standard than they are now, at one of our collieries the absenteeism was 3-43 per cent, on the Mondays, and 3-32 per cent, on the Wednesdays, show- ing that those figures, at any rate, covered sickness and accident then at least. Four per cent, practically means that every man in the coalfield is off work a fortnight in the year from sickness and accident. Absenteeism is greater among the.men engaged in getting and loading the coal, that is, the coal getters, than among the day wage men or surface men, coal getters naturally being paid by the piece, and the others almost entirely being paid by the day. I cannot give the' absenteeism for the whole bf the coalfield among the coal getters. I can only give instances’' from the . particular collieries I am acquainted with. There, among the colliers getting and loading coal, from July 1914 to February 1915, the absenteeism was 12-6, whereas in the whole of the men employed it was 11-0. ■ . According to. these figures, there is 7. per cent, of avoidable absenteeism, or,,rather more than equivalent to.the net loss-of labour, which is given as 6-8 per cent. the coal, is very much heavier, varying between 12-6 and 15 per cent., as between different districts; conse- quently, to ensure .a reduction in , the over-all absenteeism necessitates a much greater reduction. in the absenteeism of the face labour. There is another way in which the computation might be made. According to the annual returns for 1914, the number of persons employed in coal mines was 1,116,648 in that year, prior bo the war. Taking unavoidable absenteeism at 5 per cent, from 9-8,■•'the average absenteeism calculated on all classes of mine labour, there remains as avoidable absenteeism 4-8 per cent., and 4-8.per cent, of 1,116,648 = 53,599. The output of coal per person employed above and below ground for the year 1913 was 259 tons, and 259 X 53,599 gives 13,882,141 tons. That is to say, assuming a reduction in output of 36 million tons, 13,882,141 tons could be recovered by the miners who are able to do so, working every day the pit works, leaving 22,117,859 tons to be made good in other ways if possible if the output is to be maintained. The Committee add :— The miners of Great Britain'have already demonstrated that they are animated by a spirit of patriotism, so many of them having (frequently at considerable sacrifice to them-