284

THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN

August 6, 1915.

Notes from the Coal Fields.

[Local Correspondence.]

South Wales and Monmouthshire.

Another Increase of Wages Sought by the Miners—The New
Prohibition upon Coal Exports—Its Effect upon Business
—Is it Designed to Keep Down Contract Terms?—
Proposed Scheme for Home Supply; Coal Owners'
Meeting—What will the 45. Limit Mean to Unprofitable
Collieries?—Men and the Shortened Holiday—Pitwood
Outlook—The Use of Barges for Continental Trade—
Senghenydd Relief Fund—Serious Fire at Ebbw Vale.

It cannot be said that conditions in the coal trade are
improving, for this week brings indications of a fresh demand
for still higher wages, just at the time when further pro-
hibition of exports is announced. The joint sub-committee
which is arranging detail of the new agreement had an
informal talk on Wednesday as to higher wages; and at a
Conciliation Board meeting next Tuesday this will form one
subject of consideration. At present the wage rate is 77|
above the old standard of 1879, this being the war bonus of
17£ per cent, added to the maximum of 60 per cent. Stated
in tefms of the new standard, the present wage rate is
18j above the standard; or 8J above the new miniumum
wage rate, which is 10 per cent.

The most striking incident of the week has been Tuesday
evening’s Gazette notification that the export of all classes
of coal is prohibited, an announcement that is the culmina-
tion of successive restrictions during the past few months.
How far it will affect business is questionable. That it
adds to the difficulty of doing business permits of little
question. Yet it has to be borne in mind, if exchange
opinion be a trustworthy guide, that the prohibition does
not really prohibit to any degree that is absolute; reading
of the position being that the operations of the Coal Exports
Committee will still continue, and that licences for export
will be issued as heretofore, at the discretion of that Com-
mittee, notwithstanding the explicit terms of the prohibition
as to “ all coal and coke ” coming under the ban. The new
order facilitates the operation of the action taken to limit
prices in the home market; and licences for export will still
be granted.

Such a prohibition did not come as any surprise to the
South Wales merchants, for Mr. Runciman (President of
the Board of Trade), speaking a fortnight ago in the House
of Commons, stated that reliance would be placed upon the
Coal Exports Committee “ to prevent an undue proportion
of our coal supply going abroad; and for this purpose the
Committee’s powers would be extended to the exports for
allied countries as well as to neutrals.” This was a clear
indication of intention, so that it was anticipated that all
shipments abroad would have to go through the same pro-
cedure, namely, application for licences. Mr. Russell Rea,
M.P., and his Committee are by this Gazette notice given
an extension of powers which was indicated by Mr.
Runciman. Notwithstanding assertions to the contrary, and
suspicion that coal, apparently destined for neutral countries,
did in reality serve enemy ends, the general opinion is that
the prohibition has as its primary purpose the keeping down
of price of coal for home consumption. As to this part of
its effect, it is to be noted that Mr. Joseph Davies, whose
position as secretary of the Freighters’ Association makes
him an authority on the subject, stated that as a result of
two months’ experience of the Coal Exports Committee’s
work the price of coal had fallen 8s. to 9s. a ton. Comment-*
ing upon the national effect of this, Mr. Davies took the
average of fall as 7s. a ton on an export of 20 millions of
tons per annum, this amounting to 7 millions sterling. It
will be seen, therefore, that the operation of the Committee
in respect of market prices has had distinct effect, and that
what has already been accomplished will be still further
extended by the new prohibition.

That prohibition has been issued just about the time
when it can exercise full influence upon new contracts; and
from this point of view the prohibition is to be regarded.
The local coal owners have had in preparation a scheme to
meet the requirements of local railways, works, etc., at
prices operating under the new Limitation Act, the scheme
being so framed as to leave them at liberty to take advantage
of higher prices for export. The present matter of considera-
tion is how far the Government will exercise its new powers
and leave them this liberty of action. The Committee which
is framing the scheme is still at work, and, of course, has
to keep in touch with the Coal Exports Committee. From
the national point of view it is important that any scheme
of reducing home prices should not be carried too far,
because the export of coal adds to the national income from
foreign trade, both in respect of actual price paid for the
mineral, the earning power of the steamers engaged, and the
import of food and raw materials as return cargo. Any
undue restriction of export would operate with triple adverse
effect in respect of the larger consideration of national
income by profit and coal, earnings of the steamers, with
cheap freights, and therefore the cost prices of food and
raw materials. It is understood that the prohibition will
continue until the end of the war.

The coal owners and merchants met in the Institute of
Engineers at Cardiff on Friday to further consider the scheme
to be placed before the President of the Board of Trade and
the Chairman of the Coal Exports Committee. Their idea
was that supplies of coal for home consumption should be
earmarked so that other coals should be free for export. Mr.
Hugh Bramwell (chairman of the Coal Owners’ Association)
presided, and a long discussion took place with' reference
to the Price of Coal (Limitation) Act, and its provisions
as affecting the trade of South Wales. It was decided to
appoint a fully representative committee so that the interests
of colliery owners, shippers, and others concerned should be
fully dealt with. This committee will prepare a scheme for
carrying out the provisions of the Act, and the joint
secretaries are Mr. W. Gascoyne Dalziel( the secretary of
the Coal Owners’ Association) and Mr. W. R. Hawkins
(secretary of the Cardiff Chamber of Commerce). A further
meeting took place on Wednesday, and a circular was
drafted for distribution to all colliery commercial offices,
embodying the following resolution, which had been passed
unanimously :

That it be a recommendation that all colliery owners
shall, so far as their coal is not required by the Admiralty,
supply their customers under the provisions of the Price of
Coal (Limitation) Act, 1915.

Sub-committees have been appointed for the western and
eastern districts of the coal field, and these will consider in
detail a scheme of mutual arrangement among colliery
proprietors.

As the Price of Coal (Limitation) Act provides that con-
sumers of coal at home should obtain their coal at not more

than 4s. a ton above the price obtained for the same coal
or similar quality at the corresponding date in the year
ended June 1914, the application of this provision may work
hardship in particular cases, and full representation to the
authorities will have to be made in this respect. For
example, there were collieries that were not making a profit
at the old prices, and the 4s. difference may not meet their
excess of cost occasioned by labour shortage and increased
charges in every other direction.

The miners generally acceded to the appeal of Mr. T.
Richards, secretary of the Federation, by returning to work
on Tuesday. Some Rhondda undertakings were said to
have 80 per cent, or more at work; others had fewer, down
to 50 per cent. Monmouthshire colliery experiences were
similar, and in some places less than 10 per cent, were
absent. Usually the holiday lasts three days. Probably
the very heavy rain of Monday had its effect. So great was
the downpour then that serious floods were occasioned in
certain areas. The action of the men this week has been in
strong contrast with what took place at Whitsuntide, when,
despite urgent appeal of the Admiralty authorities, most of
them kept holiday for two or three days.

The re-opening of business shows scarcely any difference
in the pit wood trade, which has been one of remarkable
fluctuation during the past few months, particularly trying
to importers. Prices ranged from over £2 to as low as 26s. ;
but this is not all, for sales have had to be made under
pressure, in order to clear the vessels and avoid demurrage,
and consequently the market quotation has not shown
accurately what some dealers have had to withstand. In
addition, the rates of freight have been high. Fortunately,
the total of supply has been good, even increasing chinng
the past few weeks; and the present outlook—being for a
steady operation of the pits as well as for continuance of a
sufficiency in quantity of pitwood—is not altogether unsatis-
factory, especially as the difficulty of labour abroad has been
overcome.

Further particulars have become available with regard to
the scheme of barging coal from South Wales ports to
France and Spain, to which reference was made last week.
The scheme, which has been originated by Mr. Ernest
Plisson, of Messrs. Lysberg and Company and the Plisson
Steam Navigation Company, has many advantages, and
already the sailing ships “ Glenmark ” and “ Segura ” have
been acquired, and are to be utilised as barges to be towed
by a tugboat. Patent towing tackle has been fitted; and
there appears no reason why the scheme, so far as the sea
voyage is concerned, should not be quite successful. M.
Plisson is said to be prepared to spend 4-30,000 on the new
idea, and, if the preliminary work is a success, barges of
3,000 and 4,000 tons capacity will be built. It is stated
that in cases where there is delay of discharge, the barges
can be dropped, and return barges of pitwood picked up
with minimum delay. Besides this, considerable breakage
can be avoided by the barges themselves being used instead
of discharge being made into lighters. The barges, too, can
stand delay, should a vessel be unable to load, with much
lower cost than an ordinary vessel; and, if necessary, are
adaptable to the inland waterways. On the return voyage,
should there be a scarcity of wagons for reception of pitwood,
or should there be adverse market fluctuations, the barges
can be kept waiting outside port—a course almost impracti-
cable with ordinary chartered vessels.

The committee of the Senghenydd Explosion Relief Fund
have decided to invest £1,000 in the new War Loan. It was
stated at the half-yearly meeting that during the past six
months £5,210 have been spent on relief; 10 of the widows
had re-married, and four had gone off the fund through
other causes, while one widow had died; 17 children had
gone off the fund, and two dependants as well. On June 30
the number of beneficiaries of the Trust Fund was : Widows,
179; children, 478; with other dependants making up a total
of 712. A sum of £6,000 was in hand, and this, together
with the interest of investments, would carry the committee
over another year without having to encroach on capital.

In the course of a speech at the meeting of the South Wales
Institute of Engineers, Mr. J. Fox Tallis said that the mining
engineer and the commercial man should combine in their
efforts to ascertain whether they are getting all the value out
of the coal that it is capable of yielding. Small collieries
were not in a position to erect auxiliary works; and this
offered an opening for independent companies to acquire a
large quantity of coal that could be worked, but was at
present lying unused, not being considered marketable. Yet
this coal, with proper manipulation, could be rendered profit-
able. There were many acres of coal, especially near the
crops, that could be worked cheaply, but for which at present
there was no market.

A disastrous fire occurred on Sunday afternoon, when the
electrical power station of the Ebbw Vale Steel, Iron and
Coal Company was completely destroyed. The outbreak was
discovered soon after one o’clock; and, despite the efforts of
the local brigades, it was impossible to save the valuable
plant and equipment. The latter was of the most up-to-date
pattern, much being practically new. The damage is esti-
mated at £200,000 to £300,000. The serious results of the
fire were that the steel mills, the other works, and No. 5
colliery were stopped because the destroyed plant provided
power for all these; and. some thousands of men were ren-
dered idle. Further, the power house supplied lighting
current to the streets of the town houses, shops, and offices;
and all this was stopped. Prompt arrangements were made
to overcome the difficulties, and temporary provision at the
blast engine house enabled the furnaces to be kept going,
full resumption being expected within two or three days.
The steel works would also re-start. Reserve motors and
dynamos were in stock, and immediately brought into use.

At the Pengam Britannia Colliery of the Powell Duffryn
Company last week there was a mishap, which necessitated
all the workmen walking some two miles underground in
order to be brought up through the Bargoed pit. The acci-
dent was caused by trams jumping the scotches of the cage
and falling into the shaft. The guide ropes became tangled,
and the cages were locked in the shaft.

Sir Alfred Mond, M.P. for Swansea, has offered £1,000 to
establish scholarships in connection with the Glamorgan
Council’s summer mining school, conditional upon two other
similar sums being forthcoming from other gentlemen for the
like purpose. He made the offer on Tuesday at the inaugural
meeting in Swansea, when Principal Griffiths, of the South
Wales University College, delivered an opening address
upon the need and value of technical training. Mr. Henry
Davies, director of mining instruction in the county, had
urged the need of scholarships being provided, and Sir Alfred
Mond expressed the opinion that, instead of only three, the
coal and engineering industries of Glamorgan were big
enough to supply 30.

Northumberland and Durham.

Coal Shipping Facilities at Blyth—Steel Export Licences—
Developments at Pegswood—An Electrical Accident at
Redheugh Colliery—Permanent Relief Fund Faced with
a Deficit.

Although coals have been shipped at the mouth of the Blyth
for about 600 years, there are few places, even on the north-
east coast, which during the last 20 years have shown such
development as has the port of the same name. There are
upwards of 20 collieries all within a radius of four miles,
whilst there are 20 other collieries situated to the north and
west, for which .this harbour is the natural port of shipment.
Prior to the outbreak of war, the coal shipments at Blyth
approached five million tons annually, or nearly 50 per cent,
of the whole of the Northumberland coal shipments, and for
the first six months of the current year, despite all the
abnormal circumstances, the shipments totalled 1,529,976
tons, as compared with 2,339,733 tons shipped during the
same period of last year. As a result of the continued
development of the Northumberland coal field, and the ever-
increasing size of vessels frequenting the port, the Jjiyth
Harbour Commissioners some time ago obtained Parliamen-
tary powers for the carrying out of an important series of
extensions and improvements, and upon which satisfactory
progress continues to be made. The scheme comprises the
establishment of new staitbs in the upper harbour, which will
provide two coaling berths for ships up to 10,000 tons. The
staith jetty will be about 1,570 ft. in length, and there will
be a depth alongside of 30 ft. at low water and 45 ft. at high
water. The substructure, which is being executed by the
Blyth Harbour Commissioners, is being constructed of green-
heart, and the piling of the same has now been brought out to
a distance of 1,300 ft. from the land. Nearly two-thirds of a
large tidal basin has been completed to a depth of 24 ft. at
low water, and this work involves the removal of more than
1| million tons of material. At the outer end of the new
staiths a turning basin, nine acres in extent, is being formed
almost entirely out of the solid rock, and there will be a
depth of 24 ft. at low water. The superstructure of the staiths
will be executed by the North-Eastern Railway Company,
and will be of timber. Whilst shipping coal on the gravi-
tation principle, these staiths will be equipped with modern
anti-breakage appliances, worked electrically, and capable of
coaling the highest ships’ bunkers. Good progress is also
being made with the construction of a new west pier at the
entrance to Blyth harbour. This work is being carried out
in greenheart timber, and is of the open type, made up of
main piling, carrying a top platform, and of sheet piles
enclosing rubble filling. This pier is situated about 350 ft.
westward of the old west pier, and it will be carried narallel
to the latter for a considerable distance. Three projecting
arms, or groynes, will be provided near the end of the pier
for the purpose of forming wave traps. At the termination
of the war, it is proposed to extend the Blyth east pier by
the construction of a monolithic concrete pier, 1,120 ft. in
length, extending in a southerly direction from a point adja-
cent to the present east pier lighthouse. This pier will be
founded upon rock, and its base will consist of concrete sack
blocks, each of about 100 tons weight, and built up to a level
of 3 to 4 ft. above low water. Upon the sack block founda-
tion a monolith of concrete will be raised, as mass work
within timber casing, to a height of 7 ft. above high water
level, and it will be surmounted by a decking carried on
open framing of reinforced concrete. The extension of the
piers is rendered necessary, inasmuch as with only the exist-
ing piers, it is not practicable to maintain a depth of more
than 20 ft. in the entrance channel at Blyth. The various
works enumerated in the foregoing are being carried out to
the designs prepared by and under the direction of Messrs.
J. Watt, Sandeman and Son, of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, the
supervising engineers of the Blyth Harbour Commission, and
with whom Mr. G. D. McGlashan, M.Inst.C.E., the resident
engineer at Blyth, is associated.

In response to a request from the Admiralty, the Newcastle
Chamber of Commerce has established a committee to deal
with the issue of licences for the exportation of steel and
articles manufactured therefrom. The constitution of the
committee is as follows :—Mr. Henry Peile, of the Newcastle
Alloy Company (chairman); Dr. T. J. Dunn, analytical
chemist; Mr. J. R. Lynas, Messrs. John Spencer and Sons;
Mr. A. Sopwith, of Messrs. Palmer’s Shipbuilding and Iron
Company Limited; Mr. L. Ennis, of Messrs. Dorman, Long
and Company; and Mr. Herbert Shaw, secretary of the New-
castle Chamber of Commerce (hon. secretary). The condi-
tions under which steel can be shipped are :—(1) If the steel
contains tungsten or molybdenum, the exporter must obtain
a licence from the War Trade Department; and (2) if the steel
does not contain any of the prohibited metals, a licence must
be obtained from the committee just formed. The Admiralty
has given instructions as to the charges to be made for
licences, according to the value of the cargo, and indicated
the work which the committee will carry out. The area of
the committee’s authority will be the whole of the North
of England from a line drawn between Lancaster and
Scarborough.

The Durham County Council has decided to withdraw the
action against Messrs. Bolckow, Vaughan and Company
Limited, with reference to New Shildon School having been
affected by subsidence due to colliery workings, to purchase
from the firm the remaining coal under the site of the school
at a cost of £1,010, and to pay Messrs. Bolckow, Vaughan
and Company the taxed costs of the action of £150 in lieu
thereof.

Pte. Robson, V.C., of the 2nd Battalion Royal Scots
(Lothian Regiment), who, prior to enlistment, worked as a
putter in Shotton Colliery pit, has received a gold watch and
chain and purse of gold subscribed for by the residents of
Shotton and district.

Mr. Geo. Nuttley, for several years engineer at Newfield
Colliery, near Bishop Auckland, has left to take up the posi-
tion of engineer at Bearpark Colliery. The officials and
workmen at the former place, where he has been engaged for
several years, have presented him with a fumed oak sideboard.

Mr. W. Lewis, who has been second clerk at the Byers
Green Colliery of Messrs. Bolckow, Vaughan and Company
Limited for a number of years, has been appointed to an
important position at Pontefract, under Messrs. F. Rhodes
Limited.

It is stated that important developments are taking place
at Pegswood Colliery, with the object of increasing the
output of coal. A considerable number of hewers have
recently been engaged, and a new drift is being driven into
the old Yard Seam. The management is said to have in
contemplation the taking-over of 60 houses in Morpeth for
some of their workmen, who will be conveyed to and from
their work in motor vehicles. Stonemen are in big demand
at the colliery.