824

THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN.

October 22, 1915.

______________________________________	____________________________________

BRITISH RAILWAYS IN 1913.

MOTOR-DRIVEN AIR-COMPRESSORS

COAL MINING ORGANISATION

Returns of the capital, traffic, receipts and working
expenditure, &c., of the railway companies of the United
Kingdom for 1913 have been issued in the form of a Blue
Book [Cd. 8038], from which we extract some particulars
relating to the carriage of coal and the consumption of
locomotive fuel.

The total receipts from the carriage of coal, coke and
patent fuel amounted to £22,909,000, and from other
minerals ,£9,063,000. The average receipts per ton were
2s. 0’2d. and 2s. 6Td. respectively. The total quanity of
coal consumed for locomotive purposes was 13,577,000 tons,
as compared with 12,636,000 tons in 1912. The total
quantity of coal, coke, and patent fuel carried, amounted to
345,116,000 tons, of which 226,936,000 tons originated on
the systems of the respective companies; the figures in
the case of “ other minerals ” were 101,726,000 tons and
72,193,000 tons respectively.

The following table gives information for some of the
principal companies

Minerals carried.*

Name of company.	Receipts. Coal, coke and patent fuel.	Coal, coke	
		; and patent fuel.	Other minerals.
Alexandra (Newport and	£	Tons.	Tons.
South Wales 		55,716...	20,184 .	. 570,574
Barry 		298,103...	858,177..	86,713
Brecon and Merthyr 		62,307...	1,404,405..	91,427
Burry Port & Gwendraeth  Valley 		23,907...	617,433..	29,714
Cambrian 		24,527...	—	. 321,186
Cheshire .Lines			140,420...	77,906..	199,153
Cleator and Workington ...	21,206...	422,478..	. 264,686
Dearne Valley 		42,129...	1,364,861..	9,427
Furness 		102,991...	157,704..	. 2,096,923
Great Centra]		1,808,828...	14,920,952..	. 3,295,483
Great Central & Mid. Joint	47,755...	1,040,347..	75,535
Great Eastern 		772,266...	150,240..	. 1,443,343
< Jreat Northern 		1,280,860...	6,482,584..	. 3,065,292
Great Western		2,604,616...	26,275,324..	. 7,694,729
Great Western and Great  Central Joint		46,242...	185..	3,064
Great Western & Mid. Joint	45,034...	992,151..	42,903
Hull and Barnsley 		390,996...	2,559,117..	113,558
Lancashire and Yorkshire .	981,493...	9,002,439..	. 2,218,244
London A North Western..	2,365,264...	22,681,459..	. 7,922,683
London & South W estern...	344,808...	336,725..	. 902,633
London, Brighton & South  Coast		234,822...	479,738..	804,705
Manchester Ship Canal		21,591...	27,795..	. 474,017
Maryport and Carlisle 		43,14’...	357,070..	26,247
Metropolitan		34,846...	3,844..	10,246
Midland 		3,612,626...	27,338,480..	. 9,464,077
Mid. & Gt. Northern Joint	52,258...	—	101,569
Neath and Brecon 		51,879...	1,346,744..	81,671
North-Eastern		2,954,800...	40,882,417..	.14,428,979
North London 		57,599...	—	—
North Staffordshire 		222,257...	3,622,149..	. 1,283,194
Rhymney 		215,658...	5,787,249..	533,431
Somerset Joint		44,745...	326,162..	. 240,228
South Eastern & Chatham	300,924...	610,846..	. 960,550
South Yorkshire Joint		26,113...	997,628..	12,461
Taff Val" 		594,753...	15,682,640..	35",101
West Riding		94,024...	2,474,606..	30,827

Total (England & Wales) 20,154,850... 191,025,360.. 60,189,260

Caledonian..............

Glasgow & South Western
Great North of Scotland ...

Highland ...............

North British .......... 1

936.543..	. 12,633,373... 5,148,800

279.701..	. 3,220,640 ., 1,816,663

47,646...	171,978...	73,711

41,366	45,009 ..	5\128

,228,316... 18,496,055... 4,250,162

Total all companies ----------------------------------------

(Scotia'd) ____________ 2,539,024... 34,603,562 11,352,114

Great North of Ireland ...	61,"56...	358,916 ..	119,506

Great Southern & Western	77,011...	476,287...	119,646

Midland, Great Western of

Ireland...................	20,937...	39,592...	12,861

Northern C unties (Mid.)...	28,484...	214,917...	193,279

Total all companies ------------------------------—-------------

(Ireland) ............... 214,774... 1,307,518 .. 651,947

Total (United Kingdom) 22,908,648 . 226,936,440...72,193,321

* Originating on company’s system.

Particulars are given of mineral wagons owned by the
various companies, from which it appears that there were
4,000 wagons under 8 tons and 182,019 wagons of 8 tons
and over. Of the total, 59,815 were owned by the North
Eastern. Other companies owning a considerable number
of mineral wagons were :—Furness, 2,346; Great Central,
8,276; London and North Western, 9,076 ; Midland, 18,309;
South Eastern and Chatham, 4,790 ; Caledonian, 28,604;
Glasgow and South Western, 11,986; N. British, 39,049.

__________________________

Coal Shipped from Ports in the United Kingdom during
September.—The following figures, which have been extracted
from- the returns issued by the Commissioners of H.M.
Customs and Excise, show the quantities of coal shipped
from each group of ports in the United Kingdom during the
month of September, as compared with the corresponding
month last year :—

Cargo.

	Sept. 1914.	Sept. 1915.
	Tons.	Tons.
Bristol Channel ports 		. 1,388,798	... 1,543,640
North-western ports 		63.105	43,416
N orth-eastern ports 		.. 1,253,361	... 1,295,393
Humber ports 		..	470,153	...	385,543
Other east coast ports 		13,992	625
Other English ports 		5	—
Ports on east coast of Scotland	485,244	... 348,010
Ports on west coast of Scotland 184,233		...	275,406
Irish ports 		297	—

Total 		3,859,188 .	... 3,892,033
Bunker.	Sept. 1914.  Tons.	Sept. 1915.  Tons.
Bristol Channel ports 		322,337	...	276,046
North-western ports		325,856	...	249,059
North-eastern ports 		202,420	..	174,674
Humber ports 		169,008	111,655
Other east coast ports 			113,945	...	100,812
Other English ports 		25,344	15,715
Ports on east coast of Scotland...	. 75,289	43,351
Ports on west coast of Scotland...	97,G16	92,565
Irish ports		820	1,090
Total 		1,332,935 .	.. 1,064,967

FOR COLLIERY WORK.

The illustration shows an interesting type of air-
compressor installed below ground at an important
colliery on the north-east coast. There are several
specially interesting features incorporated in this set
which will appeal to colliery managers when considering
such plant for use in underground workings, and, by
no means the least of these is the comparatively small
floor space occupied. The electrical portion consists of
a slow-speed wound rotor motor, of 275-horse power,
running on a 2,200 volt three-phase 40 cycle circuit, at
about 167 revolutions per minute. To allow of easy
transportation down the pit shaft, and facilitate erection
of the crank shaft, the stator and rotor were made in
halves, the joints in the windings being made when
the installation was complete. It was an essential
feature that the plant should be easily accessible, and
it will be noticed from the illustration that all parts are
within easy reach for inspection and cleaning. The
electrical machinery comprised in this installation was
manufactured and erected by Messrs. Mather and Platt
Limited, of Newton Heath, Manchester, and, as is now
this company’s standard practice, the machine, both
stator and rotor, is insulated with the best selected

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pure mica, and to this feature and the attention given
to details of manufacture in the works is attributed the
fact that breakdowns arising from inferior material and
workmanship are non-existent.

___________________________

At the annual general meeting of the shareholders of
the Kyshtim Corporation Limited, Mr. C. F. II. Leslie re-
marked, in explaining how the war liad affected the
company, that the coal supplies on which they were
dependent came from a colliery situated about 55 miles
from Kyshtim, and that at the outbreak of war the output
of this colliery was commandeered by the Government.
Under these circumstances they exercised an option on a
coalfield in the same neighbourhood, which they had been
investigating and proving for some months previous to the
outbreak of war, and had since been developing. This
colliery is situated about 2| miles-from the main line, and
the Geological Department had informed them that they
have probably several million tons of coal above the 200 ft.
level. The necessary connections with the main line were
in course of construction, and they had reason to believe
that within a very few weeks this colliery would be able to
supply all the coal required.

United States Imports and Exports.—The following is a
comparative statement of coal imports and exports of -the
United States for July 1914-15, and for the seven months
ending July 1914-15, in long tons :—

	July.	Seven months.		
Imports :	1914.	1915.	1914.	1915.
Anthracite, total ...	8,669..	2,069... 15,902..	2,313
Bituminous, total...	89,280 .	. 112,166... 758,044..	835,222
United Kingdom.	26 .	680...	8,258..	15,410
Canada 		78,190..	91,932... 558,904..	
Japan 		8,215..	9,480 .. 30,983..	46,379
Australia		2,699..	9,574... 128,018..	96,993
Other countries..	150..	500 ..	1,881..	2,576
Coke 		9,011..	3,657.. <1,715..	24,389
Exports:			
Anthracite, total ...	338,997..	. 273,206 2,211,664..	. 1,997,817
Canada 		328,175..	. 267,712.2,175,407..	. 1,968,404
Other countries...	10,822..	5,494... 36,257..	29,413
Bituminous, total...	1,339,987..	2,226,493... 7,090,084.	. 8,587,735
Italy 		—	. 502,750...	—	. 1,641,791
Canada 		.1,005,859..	.1,016,413. . 4,525,830 .	. 3,790,586
Panama 		17,45n..	. 25.805... 168,898..	280,027
Mexico 		38.571..	14,138... 190,363..	197,739
Cuba 		77,880..	91,162... 616,574..	620,236
West Indies		42,267	43,959.. 355,274..	266,258
Argentina 		15,320..	. 114,162 .. 112,408..	533,891
Brazil 		4,612..	84,813 .. 100,530..	. 429.969
Uruguay 		—	26,689... 45,594..	99,834
Other countries...	138,028 .	. 279,602 .. 974,613..	727,403
Total coal		1,678,981..	2,499,699..9,301,748..	.10,585,552
Coke 		57,648.	69,825... 108,441..	430,604
Bunker coal 		681,370..	712,880...4,525,876..	. 4,354,037

COMMITTEE.

DIGEST OF THE EVIDENCE.

(Continued from page 788.]

Mr. G. A. Mitchell.

Mr. George Arthur Mitchell gave evidence on April 16
on behalf of the Scottish coal trade. He said : The output of
coal in Scotland for the year 1913 was 42,456,516 tons. Of
this quantity 10,437,197 tons were exported, and 2,915,489
tons were shipped as bunker coal for use in foreign voyages.
The percentage of coal exported from Fife is about 57 to
60 per cent. The Bast of Scotland ships largely to Norway,
Sweden, Denmark, and Russia, and to some extent to France
and Italy. The West of Scotland ships practically to all dis-
tricts. Germany, of course, is a very large market. At the
time the war broke out, or shortly afterwards, it very seriously
affected the Fifeshire trade, and pits began to work only three
or four days a week. The prices of coal in Fife and in
Northumberland generally move very well together — not
always, but generally. Since the output in Fife has
developed we have had to seek out new markets, and a con-
siderable amount of Fife coal now goes to the Mediterranean

and to South America. There is still a considerable export
trade done from the west, very largely in the Mediterranean,
also to Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. The percentage from
the west, from Lanarkshire, is something like 25 per cent,
of the actual output. There is one thing that must be kept
in view in regard to that—that it varies very much in different
collieries. There are collieries in the west of Scotland that
ship practically as much as the collieries in the east. They
are collieries, of course, which have a coal specially suitable
for particular markets. It would appear that it does not
require a very large increased output, as far at least as
Scotland is concerned, to make the supply reasonably near
the demand. This may be proved by the course of prices.
I have the average prices for coal in Scotland from July 1914
to February 1915, as returned to the Conciliation Board for
the regulation of wages. We considered that in December
the supply and demand just about balanced; in January and
February the demand exceeded the supply, and caused a
sharp advance in prices. It was first felt in the export
market. The figures are:—For July, 8s. 5-76d.; August,
8s. 4-55d.; September, 8s. 3-55d.; October, 8s. 3-39d.;
November, 8s. 4-94d.; December, 8s. 9-10d.; January 1915,
9s. 2-19d.; and for February, 10s. 0-77d. It will be seen
from these figures that the advance in prices only really began
in December, showing that until that time the output either
exceeded or was sufficient to meet the demand. Since then
the industrial consumption has been greater, that is to say,
somewhat greater; I do not think it was greater to any con-
siderable extent. With the increase of output which might
be obtained as I shall suggest later on, and with the decrease
in demand for house coal, for coal for gas works, and for
electric lighting, which comes with the summer season, as far
as Scotland is concerned it is probable that the supply of
coal would be sufficient to meet the local and export demand
until the autumn—at least until the autumn—and might be
even sufficient to enable some stocks to be laid in by gas
companies and other large consumers, for use in the autumn
and winter. This opinion must be qualified by the state-
ment that much depends on the quantity of coal that will be
required for the export trade. The quantity depends not only
on the demand, but on the tonnage which will be available
for carrying the coal. My view is that the export trade
cannot be anything like as large as it was in 1913 because
the tonnage cannot be got for it. The demand for export will
undoubtedly increase, but it will not be possible to convey the
coal because vessels cannot be got. If tonnage becomes
plentiful freights will be reduced, and if freights are reduced
and tonnage is plentiful you will find a great deal of American
coal going to the Mediterranean—to Italy and Egypt and else-
where—to compete with us. Tf export coal is cheap, then home