1042

THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN.

November 19, 1915.

advance vanes 9 and 10. Each trough is supported on
the four corners by roller bearings 11, on side frames,
or on studs between posts. Also, it the entry is
timbered, each trough may be set in a space between
collars. In falling, the bottom boards, after clearing
the strip hinges 12, are caught by loose chains as a
safety precaution. The troughs extend across the full
width of the entry, and if it is 9 ft. wide, the six troughs
will hold 2 to 2| tons of rock dust. On each side of the
set of troughs are two advance vanes, 50 and 100 ft.
from the barrier. Two tripping wires, one on each side
of the entry, are joined at the outer or advanced vane
to a chain which passes around a pulley and back
to the lower edge of the vane; the intermediate vane
requires two chains and pulleys, one for each wire.
Hooks or staples in the roof, or collars if the entry is
timbered, keep the wires from sagging and overhead out
of the way. Each wire trips the levers on its side of
the entry. The wires from the set of advance vanes
“ ahead ” of the barrier connect to the upper ends of the
tripping levers 7, and those from the advance vanes
“ behind ” the barrier connect to the lower ends of the
tripping levers. By means of this arrangement, if a
comparatively light explosion pressure reaches the vanes
which are ahead, with reference to a point in the entry,
the weight of the vanes behind the barrier will not
have to be overcome by the wires in pulling the tripping
levers. The terms “ ahead ” and “ behind ” are merely
explanatory, as the barrier is symmetrical, and an
explosion approaching from either direction will operate
it.

The weight carried on each supporting lever is about
1501b., and as the leverage is in the ratio of 2 to 1,
the upward pressure on the tripping lever is 75 lb. The
sliding frictional resistance of the catch, by interposing a
sheet of brass, will not exceed 151b.; and if 11b. be
allowed for the turning friction of the lever, the force
required to trip it is about 16 lb. • The tripping wires are
fastened to the tripping lever at points twice the distance
from the axis, 13, that the catches are, hence the pull
required to trip the lever is about 8 lb. For six levers the
pull on one wire is about 481b., and for 12 levers, six
on each wire, it is about 96 lb. An advance vane has
about 8 sq.ft, of exposed surface, and as one edge is
hinged, the pressure required to operate the barrier is
about 24 lb. per sq. ft. of vane surface. Such a pressure
would be given by an air current having a velocity of
70 miles per hour, or about 102 ft. per second, as calcu-
lated from the. Smeaton formula, P = 0-005 V2, or, if
one uses the Martin formula, P = 0*004 V2, by a current
with a velocity of 113 ft. per second. In either case the
velocity is less than was observed in the lightest explo-
sion in the tests in the experimental mine, and yet far
greater than that of any ventilating current. Moreover,
the total force of the pull (96 lb.) required would be too
great for the barrier to be accidentally tripped by men
or boys in passing. The vane is also protected by a
plank placed across the entry underneath the vane, but
with sufficient clearance for cars and men.

Should the vanes fail, the arrangement of resting the
corners of each trough on ball bearings or rollers (which
should be made of bronze to prevent corrosion) permits
the trough to be pushed laterally by the force of an
explosion, causing the bottom rests to slide off the side
levers, and permitting the bottom to fall and discharge
the dust as readily as if the trigger levers had operated.
However, to move a trough in this way requires a greater
wind pressure than is necessary with a vane; hence for
sensitive action the chief reliance is placed on the vanes.
In the case of a violent explosion, the sensitiveness of
the barrier is not a matter of much importance, as then
the barrier troughs are completely smashed by the
advance wave, and the two tons of rock dust are
instantly whirled away in a cloud, cooling and quench-
ing the flame.

A mixture of rock dust and coal dust that contains
75 per cent, of rock dust will prevent the propagation
of an explosion if 3J lb. of rock dust per linear foot of
entry is' present. This quantity of rock dust, if all of
it is raised into the air, is equivalent to 1 oz. per cu. ft.
of space. As there is over 4,0001b. of rock dust in the
barrier, if but 30 per cent., or 1,2001b., was raised in
the air by the advance wave, it would fill the space at
the above rate of 1 oz. per cu. ft., of an average entry
(60 sq. ft. in cross section) for a linear distance of 320 ft.
The flame of an explosion, after it is well started,
judging from the photographic records so far obtained
from the experimental manometers, has a longitudinal
length from forefront of flame to back of 20 ft. to rarely
exceeding 100 ft.; hence it is believed that the quantity
of rock dust provided in the barrier gives a good margin
of safety, provided the rock dust is launched into the air
sufficiently in advance of the flame, and this condition,
it is believed, is well provided for by the advance vanes.

Comparison with Other Barriers.

In comparison with the box barrier and the concen-
trated barrier, the trough barrier has the merit that it
is more cheaply constructed than the concentrated
barrier, though not so compact, and it is thought that
it is equally sensitive and efficient, but possibly not so
positive in separating divisions of a mine as the con-
centrated barrier of the solid platform type. The trough
barrier does not take so much headroom as the box
barrier; it is more sensitive for light explosions, and is
better adapted for trolley roads, though it necessitates
greater distance for instalment on account of the
advance vanes. It requires only 14 in. space above
necessary headroom, and if an entry is timbered, each
trough may be placed between timber sets.

In conclusion, it may be advisable to state again, and
further to emphasise that, although the stopping devices
have been described in detail, so they may be easily
constructed by mine mechanics, it is not the thought of
the- designer nor of the joint authors of this report
that these devices will in any way take the place of
systematic treatment of the coal dust. Prevention of igni-
tion of either firedamp or coal dust by certain methods

previously described is safer and more certain than
attempting to stop an explosion once started. The use of
barriers is comparable with the employment of block
signals on a railroad; if other measures fail they come
into play, and may prevent a great disaster.

LABOUR AND WAGES.

South Wales and Monmouthshire.

At a meeting of the Conciliation Board, on Tuesday, the
independent chairman (Lord St. Aldwyn) decided that the
wage rate should be reduced by 5 per cent, (which is equal
to 7J per cent, on the old standard). This decision was not
unexpected, as the employers had made out ,a strong case.
Their notice for reduction was given on November 1, and is
a very prompt reversal of the 12| per cent, increase which
was gained so recently as September. Mr. F. L. Davis
(Ferndale), who set forth the arguments on behalf of the
owners, laid stress upon the fact that in addition to fall
in the average selling prices, there had been a considerable
reduction of the output, with reduced exports, owing to
the difficulty of obtaining shipping. He pointed out also
that all stores and colliery requirements had largely increased
in price, so that the cost of production had become very
heavy.—Mr. Alfred Onions, for the men, argued that the
men had been entitled in September to a much larger
advance than the 12| per cent., and that in comparison
with the conditions of two years ago, the colliery proprietors
were, notwithstanding increased cost of production, at an
advantage of at least Is. per ton better off than they were
then. The present reduction brings the wage rate down to
25’83 per cent, above the new standard.

Upon the question whether rules under the Minimum
Wage Act should apply to certain classes of underground
workmen who disputed its operation, Sir Laurence Gomme,
as a result of the recent enquiry, has decided in favour of
the men. He holds that the new agreement fixed a new
standard rate, and also settled new procedure; that the
agreement was settled by special procedure, and was not
an agreement under the Act, it being really in the nature
of a contract between the parties. Chief among these rules
was the one that before being entitled to the minimum a
man must have worked five-sixths of the full week. The
text of the award is of special interest, and reads as follows :

That the Conciliation Board agreement, September 2,
1915, was entered into between the parties in order to
settle a dispute which had arisen out of the agreement
of June 1910, which terminated on June 30, 1915, by
effluxion of time.

That the said agreement included the fixing of a new
standard rate of wage (sections 11 and 12), and the settle-
ment of a new procedure.

That the agreement was settled by a special procedure;
and is, therefore, not an agreement under the Minimum
Wage Act.

That the agreement is of the nature of a contract
entered into by both parties.

That such contract does not in terms include the rules
under the Minimum Wage Act as part of the new
standard of wage; and these rules do not apply.

The Federation executive is approaching the coal
owners in order that they may deal with the question of
craftsmen who have become members of the Miners’ Federa-
tion. The employers, it is stated, have established a
separate committee for dealing with this matter, apart from
the Conciliation Board, and the Federated executive desire
that a joint sub-committee should be appointed to deal
with craftsmen’s rates.

One matter which has come before the Conciliation Board
has relation to proceedings taken against a checkweigher at
the Standard Colliery. The workmen’s representatives
desired that this and also summonses for alleged breach
of contract should be withdrawn, in order that an amicable
settlement might be arrived at. The Board has decided to
refer the matter to the two chairmen, the two secretaries,
and the two solicitors, who will have power to deal with it.

The joint sub-committee which was appointed to deal with
disputes under the new wage agreement met at Cardiff on
Friday. A number of disputes were considered, these
chiefly having relation to the rates paid to youths under
21 years of age, and to the conditions under which men
might claim to be entitled to light employment. The joint
secretaries (Mr. T. Richards, M.P., and Mr. F. A. Gibson)
reported that Mr. Runciman, President of the Board of
Trade, had appointed Sir Laurence Gomme to act as chair-
man of the committee which is to deal with points arising
on the percentage to be paid in the anthracite district under
the new agreement—he to have a casting vote. With
regard to disputes, the official report stated that these were
referred to representatives for investigation and report to
a further meeting.

North of England.

In his November circular to the Durham miners, Mr.
T. H. Cann, general secretary, deals bluntly with the con-
tumacious conduct of Heworth miners, who, some time ago,
laid the pit idle, throwing over an agreement entered into
between representatives of the Durham Miners’ Association
and the colliery owners. It will be remembered that work
was only restarted at the pit when, in view of the excep-
tional and difficult circumstances, the owners waived the
point in dispute altogether. Mr. Cann says that, if what
has happened over Heworth does not result in making future
urgency committees valueless, he is at a loss to know what
it does mean. “ If the workmen claim the right to repudiate
the findings, then we cannot consistently refuse the manage-
ment the same right; and the only logical inference is that,
for the future, urgency committees are largely innocuous
and, for practical purposes, might as well be dispensed
with.”

In an appeal to the members of the Northumberland
Miners’ Association to vote in favour of the special council
meeting’s recommendation that the rate of contributions of
the union should be doubled, Mr. William Straker, corre-
sponding secretary, states :—“ A rate of contribution fixed
nearly 50 years ago will not carry on any trades union
worthy of a place in the great trades union movement of
the present day. We have not only exhausted our funds,
but we have an overdraft from our bankers of between
£14,000 and £15,000. We are paying for this at the rate
of nearly £650 per annum. Previous to the strike of 1910
on the three-shift question, we had a balance of over
£155,000 and, in addition, we had over £1,000 in our labour
fund. From money invested, we had an income of about
£6,000 per annum. This makes a difference between then

and now of nearly £7,000 per annum. This strike in 1910
cost £83,000. The national minimum wage strike of 1912
swept away the whole of what we had left and, in addition,
left us with a very large debt due to the bank. To cover
this, we mortgaged all our property, so that we have little
of this at the present time that we can call our own. To
increase our liabilities still further, we paid, during the
first six months of the war, a large sum in out-of-work
benefit to our members. During recent years our financial
benefits have largely increased, both in strike allowance and
in allowance for unemployment. The death legacy has been
increased from £2 to £3, and, owing to the death of so
many of our brave comrades at the front, payments under
this heading are becoming a serious item of expenditure.
No other miners’ association in Great Britain pays such
financial benefits to its members as are paid by our associa-
tion ; and the contributions paid by our members are less
than half those paid by members of these other miners’
associations, with one or two exceptions. The Miners’
Federation of Great Britain, recognising the need of pre-
paration for the coming time, at the last annual conference
decided that, after November 1916, no district can be
affiliated with it, the members of which pay less than 6d.
per week into their union. Is it to be said that we cannot
take our place in the wider field and our share of the
greater responsibilities of trades unionism now and in the
future? ”

Federated Area.

As the result of a largely-attended meeting of the miners
employed at the Brods worth Colliery, Doncaster, last Sunday,
a peaceful settlement of the fork v. shovel dispute, which
threatened to lead to a closing down of the colliery, was
arrived at. A resolution was unanimously passed agreeing
that the notices to cease work which the men had tendered be
indefinitely postponed, and that the deputation be empowered
to draw up an agreement on the lines suggested by the
deputation which previously waited upon the management.

At last Friday’s meeting of the Coal Conciliation Board
for England and North Wales, under the presidency of Lord
Coleridge, independent chairman, to consider the men’s appli-
cation for a 5 per cent, advance in wages, his lordship declined
to give a decision, and referred the proposal back for re-con-
sideration at an ordinary meeting of the Board.

This meeting was held yesterday, and an agreement for
an advance of wages of 5 per cent, on the new wage (1915)
standard was arrived at. This is equivalent to a money
advance of 4|d. per day. The new rates will be paid on
and from the second pay day in December. This advance
does not affect the war bonus payment.

The Derbyshire Miners’ Association again discussed, at
Chesterfield on Saturday, the alleged grievances among work-
men employed by the Blackwell Colliery Company. Strong
objection was raised to the action of the owners’ representa-
tives on the County Disputes Board in refusing to consent to
the appointment of an independent chairman to deal with the
dispute, as prescribed in the rules. The owners nominated a
mining engineer, and, failing agreement, to ballot for an
independent chairman. The association authorised the men
employed at the company’s pits in Derbyshire to hand in
their notices on the 30th inst.

Scotland.

At several meetings of Rosehall miners in Coatbridge dis-
trict last week, it was resolved to strike work, in view of the
fact that Messrs. Robert Addie and Sons refuse to concede
to their employees the elementary rights of working men by
recognition of the trade union. The men have agreed to
strike work, and leave it in the hands of Mr. John Robertson
to bring about a stoppage unless he is successful in obtaining
a recognition of the union.

Miners’ Federation of Great Britain.

A meeting of the executive committee was held on
Wednesday, Mr. Robert Smillie, president, in the chair.
Mr. Smillie reported that a meeting of the committee which
is considering the explosions in mines and the question of
using stone dust for the prevention of explosions had met
in London the previous week to consider the report prepared
by Dr. Haldane, dealing with the effect of stone dust on the
lungs of miners. He (Mr. Smillie) had requested the com-
mittee to arrange that no action should be taken by the
Home Office in issuing rules for stone dusting in mines
until the Federation had had an opportunity of considering
the whole question, and he suggested that three months
would be a fair period to allow the miners to consider the
matter, and he believed this would be agreed to by the
Home Office. He had also requested the Committee on
Explosions in Mines to allow the executive to visit the
experimental station at Eskmill, in order to see some
experiments, with a view of satisfying them as to the
efficacy of stone in the prevention of explosions.

Lord Derby, the Director-General of Recruiting, had an
interview with the executive at the War Office on Wednesday
with reference io the proposed recruiting of “ starred ” men
under a system by which K after enlistment and attestation,
they would return to their ordinary occupation in the mines
until their services were required by the Army. Lord Derby
fully explained the principles of his recruiting scheme, by
which recruits are taken under the group system. Mr.
Smillie, president of the Federation, raised strong objection
on behalf of the Federation to the poster signed by Lord
Derby and Sir John Simon, which had been issued and posted
on the pit heads in every mining district of the country. The
miners’ representatives frankly informed Lord Derby that
there was a suspicion existing in the coal mining districts that
“ starred ” men who were recruited into the Armv under the
terms stated in the poster would be brought under military
discipline, and, in the event of any dispute involving a
stoppage of work, might be used as soldiers against their
fellow workmen. Lord Derby explained that the poster had
been issued by the Home Secretary to meet complaints which
had reached the Home Office from colliery managers that so
many men from the mines had already been enlisted, and
men were still continuing to go. that they were experiencing
difficultv in securing the necessary labour to meet the
country’s requirements for coal. Lord Derbv reiterated the
assurances which he had already given that the men who are
enlisted under this scheme, after being attested, will return
to their work in the mines in the full enjoyment of civil
rights. They wanted these men as miners, and not as
soldiers, because the country required the coal.

The Federation executive met after their interview with
Lord Derbv, and seeing that his lordship had stated that the
responsibilitv for the issue of the poster rested with Sir John
Simon, decided to seek an interview with him as to its pur-
pose. Messrs. R. Smillie, W. House. W. Abraham, M.P.,
T. Ashton, D. Gilmour, and Vernon Hartshorn . were
appointed to see Sir John Simon. The matter will be
further considered by the executive next week.