1340 THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN. June 25, 1915. than the colliery proprietors, have in many instances been those who have profited by the large increase in prices. The audit will, of course, furnish a satisfactory basis, should Government intervention upon the question of the wage rate be necessary. The acting-president of the South Wales Federation (Mr. James Winstone) has taken occasion to contradict the idea that the miners are forcing their demands for a new agree- ment, because of the national crisis. The proposals, he said, arose out of the national movement which was instituted some years ago. The war was. not the reason, but, on the other hand, the war was the reason why they should not withdraw them, because any such withdrawal would enable the employers to reap an enormous advantage. The bringing about of a strike or lock-out .at the present time would be a crime; but if either took place the responsibility would rest absolutely upon the employers, who had so far declined to discuss the workmen’s proposals. Things were now at a deadlock, and, so far as he could see, unless some change took place before the end of the month, a stoppage would take place. For some time past there has been trouble at the Coedely Collieries, Tonyrefail, with respect to the employment of non- unionists, largely new men who have been brought into the colliery to take the places of the number who have enlisted. The difficulty was entirely between the men themselves, and not between the employers and the men. Notices to cease work were given six weeks ago, and at that time it was estimated that there were one-third of the men outside the Federation, but endeavours were made during the 14 days’ run of the notices to get the men to join, and these efforts were so successful that the management were asked to allow the notices to remain in suspense for a month, and they finally expired on Saturday last. Only about 20 non- unionists remained, but the men were determined not to resume until all had joined. On Monday evening the number had been reduced to nine; nevertheless the collieries were idle. During Tuesday a final effort was made, the few outsiders were induced to fall into'line, and the resumption of work was ensured. North of England. Messrs. T. Cape, L. Cavanagh and B. Bigg, the deputa- tion appointed by the men, met the management of the Buckhill Colliery, Great Broughton, respecting the dispute over the minimum wage which caused the miners to hand in a 14 days’ notice. At a meeting of the men last week, Mr. Cavanagh said that all the grievances had been satisfac- torily settled. The notices have therefore been withdrawn, and work will continue without interruption. A meeting with the object of bringing about a settlement of the trouble with regard to the employment of Belgian miners at Ladysmith Pit, Whitehaven, was held in the Kells Beading-room, last week, and was attended by Mr. John Hanlon, Whitehaven miners’ agent, the three pit dele- gates, and many of the local colliers and their wives, as well as a good number of Belgians. Capt. B. B. Blair (managing director of the colliery company), Mr. H. C. Beynolds (secretary), and Mr. B. Steel and Mr .Fryer, the respective managers of Wellington and Ladysmith pits,, were also present. The meeting was addressed by Capt. Blair and others, and the position of affairs fully discussed. A Belgian priest, who is doing duty in Father Berkeley’s place, acted as interpreter, .and informed the meeting that the Belgians expressed their desire to be allowed to continue to live at 'Kells and work at the colliery in a peaceful manner, anyone failing to do so to be reported to the manager or Mr. Beynolds, so that the case could be duly enquired into. They also expressed regret that there had been any trouble, and a wish that English parents should tell their children not to run after them and call them bad Belgians. Mr. Hanlon also addressed the meeting, and, upon his suggestion, the following resolution was proposed by Mr. B. Young, and seconded by Mr. J. Leach :— “ Besolved that we, the miners and residents at Kells, unanimously agree to work and live with the Belgians as peaceful citizens until the termination of the war.” On being put to the meeting, the resolution was carried unani- mously by the women and men present. The great drainage of miners from Ashington pits to the Colours—it is stated that 4,000 men have enlisted from the district, which has a total population of about 25,000—has necessitated a re-adjustment in the working conditions of the Ashington Coal Company’s pits. It has been decided to close the Bothal Pit, and to transfer the men to the Carl and Duke pits, a matter of some difficulty—but stated to have been managed to the satisfaction .of the local miners— because of the number of old men left as shifters, that class of labour being out of proportion to the hewers and putters, from whom so many recruits have been furnished to the Army. Since the Eight Hours Act came into operation, there has been an overlap of 1| hours between the fore-shift and the back-shift; but this is to be obviated in future by starting the fore-shift hours earlier, which will allow of 1J hours’ extra coal-drawing. Night-shift work is being totally ceased, to, the great satisfaction of the men, who have several times earlier endeavoured to secure its aboli- tion. The Wages Committee of the Northumberland Miners’ Association has issued a long statement to the members, explaining the negotiations which recently resulted in a re-adoption of the sliding scale which was agreed upon between the owners and workmen a year ago. The com- mittee recalls the fact that, some time ago, a Miners’ Federation conference decided that all districts should give notice to terminate existing agreements by the end of this month, and should enter into negotiations with the employers for new agreements. There Were several condi- tions which were to be sought for in these new agreements. One.was a wage of not less than 5s. per day for surface workers, and another was the substitution of a 1915 basis— which should incorporate any recognised minimum rates of percentage on the old basis in any district—for the old bases of 1879 and 1888. The county decided to carry out the Federation’s decision as a matter of loyalty, not because there was much dissatisfaction with the existing agreement, “ as it was, in the opinion of nearly all who took part in the discussion at the special council meeting, by far the best agreement for the regulation of wages we ever had, and established the principle of a minimum percentage, which we had sought for years to establish.” The miners’ representatives duly met the coal owners, and asked for the suggested 5s. minimum for surface men and a new basis rate equal to the 1879 basis, plus the 25 per cent, minimum; also, that on the new basis the per- centage should be 1 per cent, for each Id. rise in prices, with a minimum of 10. per cent. “We were aware that these proposals meant a large advance on what the present scale would give. We also could not deny that the cost of production had gone up considerably. After very careful consideration of the whole position, and in order to secure the new basis which the Federation had insisted upon, we agreed that the percentage rise on the new basis should be so arranged that neither party would either lose or gain by the new arrangement. Notwithstanding this modifica- tion of our demands, the owners declined to enter into any new agreement at the present time. They said that all prices and basis wages would have to be re-scheduled if our pro- posal was acceded to, which would entail a large amount of work and would be most difficult to do, as the clerical staff at nearly all the pits was short-handed owing to enlist- ments ; also, the staff and management wTas short, and even the directorate was largely reduced, owing to the same cause. But over and above all this, there was the increased cost of production, and the uncertainty and unsettled state of the trade in this district; therefore, they would not be a party to any new agreement at present. They were, however, prepared to go on after the expiration of the notice without any agreement, or to allow us to withdraw the notice and continue the present agreement. They urged us to take the latter course, as they thought it would be a great mistake to have any rupture of our relationships during the terrible times which we, with all others, were passing through in this country.” The committee, fully concurring with the owners in the desire to avoid a rupture, put the matter before the Federa- tion committee, secured the latter’s sanction to the con- tinuance of the existing wages agreement, and withdrew the notice accordingly. The sliding scale will, therefore, be continued until terminated by three months’ notice, which either side may give at any time. The scale provides that, when the realised price of coal at the pithead is below 7s. 4d. per ton, or less, the wages shall be 25 per cent, above the basis of 1879. Above 7s. 4d., wages shall vary 1 per cent, for each Id. variation in price up to 10s. 8d. When prices stand at 10s. 8d. or over, wages shall be 65 per cent, above the 1879 basis. The ballot taken amongst the trimmers and teemers employed by the North-Eastern Bailway Company on the Biver Bly th, on the proposal of the company for the exten- sion of the hours of coal shipping, has resulted in a majority in favour of working until 9 p.m. when necessary to finish the loading of a ship. This, it is understood, will only apply while it is daylight up to that hour. The Newbiggin miners, Northumberland, have tendered 14 days’ notice to strike against the employment of non- unionists. Northumberland coal owners and representatives of the Northumberland Miners’ Association conferred in Newcastle on Tuesday last as to the expediency of adopting the recom- mendation of Sir Bichard Bedmayne’s Committee to consider the suspension of the Eight Hours Act, and, if that suspen- sion were deemed desirable, to decide to what extent it should take place, what class of labour it should cover, and the period for which it should be maintained. The proceed- ings consisted merely of an informal discussion of the proposal, after which, in view of pending national confer- ences on the subject this week, an adjournment until Saturday, July 3, was resolved upon. Federated Area. At an executive meeting of the Lancashire and Cheshire Miners’ Federation, held at Bolton, last Saturday (Mr. Thos. Greenall, J.P., presiding), it was stated that at some of the collieries in Lancashire the employers have not readjusted the payment of the war bonus, as agreed upon between the mine owners and representatives of the men. It was further announced that interviews should take place with the managers of -the collieries affected. A well-attended meeting of the miners employed at the Holbrook Collieries of Messrs. J. and G. Wells and Company Limited was held on Sunday, when Mr. W. Sewell (vice- president of the Derbyshire Miners’ Union), who presided, appealed to the men to forego the usual Feast holidays, and also not to lose time during the week. They did not, he said, suppose that every man could work six full days each week, but after making every allowance, there were at least From Total cargo. Total bunker. Bristol Channel ports North-western ports North-eastern ports Humber ports Other ports on east coast Other English ports Total from England and Wales Ports on east coast of Scotland Ports on west coast of Scotland Total from Scotland Irish ports Total from United Kingdom 1914. 1915. 1914. 1915. Tons. i 312,387 275,046 675,143 226,999 14,419 2,914 Tons. 158,696 250,685 586,354 142,830 5,732 2,883 Tons. 22,829 68,086 28,622 17,297 9,813 6,374 Tons. 10,776 56,813 42,685 10,481 8,901 2,013 1,506,908 1,147,180 153,021 131,669 105,311 120,577 41,386 153,392 20,904 35,-871 15,242 25,897 225,888 194,778 56,775 41,139 30 — 5,434 2,420 1,732,826 1,341,958 215,230 « 175,228 10 per cent, of strong, healthy men absent habitually without any excuse. The war must be won at any cost, and all must make sacrifices, and it was but a little sacrifice for men to give up their Feast holiday and work full time regu- larly. He also had another appeal to make. On Saturday, ■at Nottingham, one of the three controllers of the Army Ambulance at the front met the executive of the Notts and Derbyshire miners’ unions to appeal for help to equip a motor ambulance convoy. This would consist of a convoy of 50 .motors and 70 attendants, and would cost between £25,000 and £30,000, while if they decided to work it, the additional cost would be another £1,000 to £1,200 per month. A similar appeal was being made to the coal owners. Eventually a workman moved “ That we carry out the recom- mendation of the executive to give up the Feast holiday, and to continue at work whenever possible,” and this was carried without any dissent. With regard to the unrest of the surface workers in the Barnsley area, and the resolution of the men to hand in notices unless the Barnsley and District Coal Owners’ Asso- ciation fall into line with the South Yorkshire agreement, instead of holding to their present offer, which the men allege is less than the South Yorkshire terms by 4J per cent, in the case of the non-manipulators of coal, and 5J per cent, in the case of manipulators, the position of the owners has been explained by a representative of the Barnsley and District Coal Owners’ Association, who states that the working con- ditions in the Barnsley area pits are closely analogous to the conditions obtaining in the thin seam pits of West Yorkshire. West Yorkshire coal owners have given the 15^- per cent, bonus, but have not made any agreement with regard to surface workers in the way South Yorkshire has. The thin seam pits, it is contended, cannot pay the same rates as the thick seam pits. It is also stated that the men concerned have refused the offer of the Barnsley coal owners to refer the matter in dispute to independent arbitration. A meeting of the Lancashire and Cheshire Joint Coal Board was held at Manchester on Friday last, to consider certain matters relating the the recent advance of 15| per cent, to the miners, and to clear up various points that were the subjects of divergent views. Mr. Chas. Pilkington pre- sided. At the close it was stated that an agreement had been arrived at upon almost every point submitted. Those not agreed had been left over for further consideration by the workmen’s representatives, who would, if they thought it necessary, ask for another meeting of the Joint Board. It was definitely stated that no questions of principles but only matters of detail were involved. The Yorkshire Main Colliery Company brought a claim against George Ansell, miner, in the West Biding Court at Doncaster, on Saturday, for £4 damages for breach of con- tract. Mr. G. W. Andrews, for the company, said the man had missed 30 shifts between March and June. An order was made for £4.—A similar claim was made against Chas. Lindsell, miner, Gonisboro’, and in this case the defendant had missed 44 shifts from February to June. The damages claimed were six guineas. Defendant pleaded that he had suffered from Rheumatism. He was ordered to pay the amount claimed. The Black Country colliery enginemen and firemen have decided to tender notices to-morrow (Saturday) if the coal masters have not by then granted a bonus of 15| per cent. The men refuse arbitration, because they contend that other districts gave the increase without going to arbitration. The colliery owners offer 10 per cent. If the enginemen cease work, it will practically stop all collieries in the Black Country. Scotland. A meeting of the executive of the National Union of Scottish Mine Workers was held on Friday last at Glasgow, Mr. John Bobertson (vice-president) in the chair. A report was submitted with regard to a dispute at Viewpark Colliery, Uddingston, where, it was stated, several men had been dismissed. The secretary, Mr. Bobert Brown, was instructed to communicate with the general manager of the colliery, requesting him to meet a deputation from the executive in order to avert a stoppage of work. It was also agreed that Mr. Bobert Baird, secretary of the Lanarkshire Coal Owners’ Association, be informed of the situation, in the hope that matters would be adjusted without the necessity for a stoppage of work. The claim by the Scottish miners for an advance in wages to the extent of 50 per cent, on the 1888 basis, or 2s. a day, less an increase of 18| per cent., or 9d. per day, recently awarded, will be heard by Sir George Askwith, Chief Industrial Commissioner, at a meeting of the 'Scottish Coal Trade Conciliation Board, to be held in Glasgow on Tuesday next. The Board has already had two meetings to consider the claim, but on each occasion failed to agree. COASTWISE SHIPMENTS DURING MAY. According to the returns issued by the Commissioners of H.M. Customs and Excise, the quantities of coal shipped coastwise from the United Kingdom during the month of May, were as follow :— The following shows the destination ments in May:— To ports in W 1914' x Tons. England and Wales........ 1,193,962 Scotland.................. 137,043 Ireland .................. 401,821 Shipments to London totalled 620,664 tons. of cargo ship- May 1915. Tons. ... 872,377 ... 65,990 Messrs. the Wailes Dove Bitumastic Limited inform us that Mr. Lawson having joined his Majesty’s Forces, Mrs. Lawson, who has had previous commercial experience, has voluntarily offered to step into the gap. The Coventry Chain Company Limited, Spon End, Coventry, have received a cable from their U.S.A, represen- tatives stating that the company has been awarded a gold medal for their exhibit at the Panama Pacific International Exposition at San Francisco.