January 14, 1916. THE’ COLLIERY GUARDIAN. 85 CONTRACTS OPEN FOR COAL AND COKE. * SHIPMENTS OF COAL AND COKE COASTWISE AND FOREIGN DURINC 1914 AND 1915? For Contracts Advertised in this issue received too late for inclusion in this column, see Leader and Last White pages. London, January 20. — The Asylums and Mental Deficiency Committee of the London County Council invite tenders for the supply of 1,000 tons of steam coal to the County of London War Hospital, Epsom. Forms of tender can be obtained at the office of the Committee, 6, Waterloo-place, Pall Mall, S.W., where tenders must be delivered not later than 11 a.m. on Thursday, January 20, 1916. H. F. Keene, clerk of the Committee. London, N., January 20.—The Guardians of the Poor of the Parish of St. Mary, Islington, invite tenders for the supply of 600 tons of steam coal, to be delivered, as ordered, at the St. John’s-road Institution, N., during the period to March 31, 1916. Printed forms of tender must be obtained from the clerk personally, or a stamped, addressed, brief - size envelope may be -sent. Sealed tenders, endorsed “ Tender for Coal,” and addressed to the Guardians, must be delivered at the Guardians’ Offices, St. John’s-road, Upper Hoilow-ay, N., not later than 12 noon on Thursday, January 20, 1916, and tenders will be opened at a meeting of the Guardians to be held there on the same day. The Guardians do not bind themselves to accept the lowest or any tender. No contract will be given to firms who do not ordinarily observe the recognised rate of wages and hours of labour. By order, Edwin Davey, clerk. Abstracts of Contracts Open. Alverstoke, January 17.—50 tons of good steam coal, for the Guardians. Forms from Mr. F. B. Bulmer, clerk, Guardians’ Office, High-street, Gosport. Birkenhead,\January 17.—Bough slack, washed and unwashed, for the Corporation. Forms from Mr. G. P. Shallcro-ss, borough electrical engineer, Craven-street, Birkenhead. Blean (Canterbury), January 17.—120 tons of household coal, 160 tons of hard steam coal, and 26 tons of coke, for the Guardians. Forms from Mr. W. T. Brooks, clerk, 39, Castle-street, Canterbury. Cardiff, January 20.—Large steam coal, small steam coal, large house coal, and gas coal, for the County Asylum, Bridgend, for the Committee of Visitors of the Glamorgan County Asylum. Forms from Mr. W. E. B. Allen, clerk to the Committee -of Visitors, Glamorgan County Hall, Cardiff. Malta, January 17. — About 4,000 tons of steam coal. Conditions from the Crown Agents for the Colonies, Whitehall Gardens,-S.W. Porthcawl, January 17.—About 1,000 tons of good gas coal (large or nuts), for the Gas Committee. Particulars from the Gas Manager, Gas Works, New-road, Porthcawl. Beading, January 18.—Coal, for the Guardians. Forms from Mr. W. H. Oliver, clerk, 32, Thorn-street, Beading. Shrewsbury. — 150 tons house coal, for the asylum. Tenders to the clerk, County Asylum, Shrewsbury. South Shields, January 19.—Small coal, for the Corpora- tion. Forms from Mr. W. Whitaker, manager of the baths and wash-houses, Derby-street, South Shields. Todmorden, January 24.—1,000 tons of steam slack or nuts, for the Electricity Department. Analysis or state- ment of calorific value will be considered. Tenders to Mr. H. Garratt, town clerk, Municipal Offices, Todmorden. Westwell (Kent), January 19.—150 tons best hard steam coal and 30 tons screened Cresswell cobbles, for the Guardians of West Ashford Union. Tender to the chairman of the Guardians, Workhouse, Westwell, near Ashford. 7'he date given is the latest upon which tenders can be received. CONTRACTS OPEN FOR ENGINEERING, IRON AND STEEL WORK, &c. Glyn-Neath, January 22.—Repairing Drift.—For repair- ing and arching colliery drift. Specifications may be seen by appointment. Sealed tenders to be sent in by January 22 to Aberpergwm Collieries Company Limited, Glyn-Neath. Halifax.—Boiler.—Fixing of a boiler at Salterhebble Council School, for the Education Committee. Specifications from Mr. J. Lord, M.I.C.E., borough engineer, Town Hall, Halifax, upon deposit of £1. Llanbradach.—Headings.—Driving two pairs of hard headings, each 300yds. Particulars from A. G. Brown, agent, Cardiff Collieries, Llanbradach. Manchester, January 18.—Converters, etc.—Sub-station converters, traction boosters, and high and low pressure steam and water piping, for - the Electricity Committee. Specifications from F. E. Hughes, secretary, Electricity Department, Town Hall. COAL, IRON AND ENGINEERING COMPANIES. REPORTS AND DIVIDENDS. Dominion Steel Corporation Limited.—The directors have declared dividend No. 16 at the rate of 1J per cent, on the preference shares. Greenwood and Batley Limited.—The directors report that their works were declared a “ controlled establishment ” on July 12 last. They have therefore made up a balance-sheet for the period from March 31 to July 11. The net profits for the three months and 11 days were £47,226, after providing for debenture interest and the anticipated liability under the Finance (No. 2) Act, 1915, and £6,418 was brought for- ward. Dividends of 25s. per share on the .£10 paid ordinary shares, and 12s. 6d. on those with £5 paid up, or 6| per cent., are proposed, adding £5,000 to the depreciation fund, and £17,000 to the reserve, and carrying forward £7,906. Head, Wrightson and Company Limited.—The directors have paid an interim dividend of 4 per cent, per annum on the ordinary shares, making a total of 10 per cent, for the year. Lancashire and Yorkshire Wagon Company Limited.— Interim dividend for the past half-year of 6 per cent. (6s. per share). South Wales Electrical Power Distribution Company Limited.—The directors, in forwarding warrants for current half-year’s interest on original debenture stock, state that, although at the present time there is in hand a sum sufficient Shipped from Total quantities of coal and coke sent to London and other ports in the United Kingdom from the undermentioned ports. Total quantities of coal and coke to foreign ports from the under- mentioned ports. 1914. 1915. 1914. 1915. Coals. Coke. Coals. Coke. Coals. Coke. Coals. Coke. Newcastle Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. 2,186,027 7,415 1,456,744 544 5,975,134 203,374 4,053,954 236,193 North Shields 53,475 — 138,310 2,603 702,204 9,835 644,117 10,580 South Shields 301,624 330 2,119,607 1,680 1.403,524 12,911 3,693,154 117,732 Blyth 235,067 3,664 364,668 — 2,195,016 7,608 2,044,563 9,260 Amble 43,048 — 22,749 — 271,064 104 290,228 — . Sunderland : 881,071 — 1,190,179 — 1,747,449 17,636 1,895,524 36,920 Seaham 687,306 — 1,019,774 — 531,238 398 525,410 1,139 Hartlepool 451,687 8 514,535 5 728,933 6,726 893,427 9,226 Stockton — 120 — 320 —. — — — Middlesbrough 303 290 650 594 12,834 18,586 23,798 13,851 Hull 527,892 2,395 588,807 1,052 1,955,255 . 47,993 2,333,807 52,097 Goole 895,502 — 895,476 — 612,381 12,742 621,613 18,616 Swansea .. 209,241 — 193,812 139 2,057,286 7,402 3,139,919 7,179 Cardiff 1,511,947 2,662 569,426 1,478 11,505,071 60,792 11,357,079 74,864 Llanelly 46,293 — 35,501 — 149,048 — 119,171 49 Newport 355,621 50 610,956 237 2,272,617 7,013 3,308,864 17,519 Troon 119,421 — 148,892 — 101,880 — 113,696 31 Ardrossan 48,199 —- 227,285’ 6 . 23,246 — 101,525 8,350 . Ayr 497,455 — 836,169 1,255 49,277 — 153,754 — Irvine 52,97 ■ — 88,705 770 — — 4,575 — Alloa 7,292 — — — 65,471 — — — Whitehaven 147,139 — 207,800 480 — — — — Liverpool 945,947 7,268 1,464,279 9,658 191,721 4,401 306,524 15,916 Grimsby 16,833 — 28,038 — 590,898 9,061 484,807 7,409 Granton 168,479 — 134,977 410 79,711 15,320 151,769 19,607 Borrowstoness 95,866 2 — — 194,507 3,960 — — Kirkcaldy :.... 19,336 — 14,873 •—- 57,466 162 84,230. 121 Burntisland... 191,195 — 154,5>5 — 952,018 6,606 893,157 6,831 Methil 183,070 — 203,3 5 — 1,464,536 8,731 1,445,199 16,698 Glasgow 233/03 4,236 394,505 8,090 1,267,115 23,288 2,327,780 58,444 Grangemouth 60,473 1,116 — — 583,162 31,785 — — Greenock 14,499 410 30,784 137 — •— 35,396 350 Port Talbot .. 67,638 2,649 89,579 723 876,636 4,768 1,648.878 24,120 Leith 53,391 ' . 11 27,547 57 900,245 876 1,163,160 36,072 I miningham 95,272 — 28,851 — 779,459 1,164 360,881 1,368 Note.—Admiralty and certain other shipments are not included in the above. * From Browne’s Export Lis'. to pay the now current half-year’s interest, the whole of that sum was not earned in the half-year, a part having been previously accumulated. NEW COMPANIES. Barnett (W. D.) and Company Limited.—Private com- pany. Begistered office, Exchange-chambers, St. Mary Axe, E.C. Begistered January 3. To acquire and take over business now carried on at above address as W. D. Barnett and Company, and to carry on business as general mer- chants and traders, financial, commercial, and trading opera- tions, commodities and effects of all kinds, coal and coke merchants, colliery owners, and miners, engineers, and iron founders, etc. Nominal capital, £1,200 in 100 £10 pre- ference shares, and 200 £1 ordinary shares. First directors and subscribers (one ordinary share each) :—W. D. Barnett and G. B. Jellicoe. Bradley Slag Company Limited.—Private company. Begis- tered office, Queen’s College, Paradise-street, Birmingham. Begistered January 7. To carry on business of slag and cinder merchants, and deal in same; to acquire mines and mining rights, colliery and mine proprietors, engineers, iron founders, etc.; to sell, etc., fireclay, minerals, and substances. Nominal capital, £1,000 in 1,000 £1 shares. Subscribers (one share each) : F. H. Pepper and J. E. Smith. Briggs (J. S.) and Sons Limited. — Private company. Begistered January 1. To acquire, take over, and carry on business hitherto carried on by J. S. Briggs and Sons, at Fairweather Green, Bradford, and to carry on business of producers, manufacturers, sellers of coals, coke, ironstone, clay, and other mineral substances, mechanical engineers, contractors, etc. Nominal capital, £6,000 in 6,000 £1 ordi- nary shares. First directors : J. Briggs and E. Wallis. Browne, Geneke and Company Limited.—Private com- pany. Begistered office, 3/Lloyds-avenue, E.C. Begistered January 3. To carry on business of ship owners, dock owners, general and freight contractors, ship chandlers, coal and coke merchants, general traders, etc. Nominal capital £2,000 in 2,000 £1 ordinary shares. Governing director, T. A. Clements. Gunn (Sir John) and Company Limited.—Private com- pany. Begistered January 6. To carry on trade of coal, coke, and fuel exporters and merchants, factors, and colliery owners, carriers, etc. Nominal capital, £50,000 in 500 £100 shares. First directors : J. Gunn (permanent director), A. H. Gunn, J. B. Gunn, J. T. Bayley, and G. Prior. Looker (William) and Sons Limited.—Private company. Begistered January 3. To acquire and take over the business of coal and coke merchants, mechanical engineers, carriers, etc. Nominal capital, £12,000 in 6,000 £1 ordinary shares, and 6,000 £1 6 per cent, cumulative preference shares. First directors and subscribers (one share each) : W. Looker and H. E. Looker. Wellington Foundries Limited.—Private company. Begis- tered January 5. Nature of business indicated by title. Nominal capital, £10,000 in 1,000 £10 ordinary shares. First directors and subscribers : F. E. Finlayson, C. B. Jenkins, C. Gustavus, and E. Evans. This list of new companies is taken from the Daily Register specially compiled by Messrs. Jordan and Sons Limited, company registration agents, Chancery-lane, E.C. Hull Goal Exports.—The official return of the exports of coal from Hull to foreign countries for the week ending Tuesday, January 4, is as follows :—Alexandria, 2,220 tons; Amsterdam, 602; Buenos Ayres, 2,998; Boulogne, 1,100; Calais, 1,009; Dunkirk, 939;' Havre, 620; Portland (M.), 500: Botterdam, 498; Bonen, 9,102; Aalesund, 25—total, 19,613 tons. These figures do not include bunker coal, ship- ments for the British Admiralty, or the Allies’ Governments. Corresponding period January 1915, total 50,032 tons. THE FREIGHT MARKET. Business has been a great deal brisker in the outward freight markets during the week under review, and merchants have shown considerable eagerness to cover their requirements after the holiday period. This is particularly so at the Tyne, where the volume of chartering actually com- pleted is comparatively large, in spite of the great obstacles in the way of business. Especially in the early part of the week, heavy weather and gales at sea played havoc with tonnage arrivals. Loading turns, also, have been very much congested at the North-East Coast. Consequently, shippers have been only too glad to snap up any prompt boats that were offering, even at the greatly advanced prices demanded by owners. Bates for all destinations are substantially higher, and further records have been established. Coast- wise, little has been done, and the tone remains easy on the basis of 14s. Tyne to London. Coke tonnage for North France is much in demand, and up to 3'5s. 6d. has been conceded for Dunkirk. For coal, 28s. is the prevailing rate for that port, with from 6d. to Is. less for Bonen. The tone of this market is very strong, and -advances of from 2s. 6d. to 4s. 6d. have been recorded on the week for Bouen, rates for which port are still rising. The Bay is correspondingly firmer, and, whilst Bordeaux was fixed for in the early part of the week at 31s., Nantes has been done at 37s., an increase of 6s. 6d. on the week. Quotations for Bordeaux now rule on the basis of 40s. For the Mediterranean, the strong position of owners has never been seriously challenged, and rates continue to soar in a positively alarming manner. Genoa, which was quoted last week at about 67s. 6d., has been done at 77s. 6d., and owners are now firmly holding out for a further 2s. 6d., whilst for Naples an increase of 8s. 6d. has been registered-in a few days. Algiers has paid 42s. 6d., and the Islands are 2s. 6d. up, to Las Palmas at 37s. 6d. The tonnage shortage at South Wales is no less acute than -at the North-East Coast, and here, too, new records have been -set up. North .France is a rather dull market, but advances of from Is. to 2s. have had to be conceded for tonnage for Bouen. The Bay is very firm at 40 fr. for Bordeaux, a rise of 2 fr. Nantes is from 2 to 3 fr. dearer, and St. Nazaire is 3 fr. higher. The remarkable leap upward which Mediterranean rates have taken during the week is probably without parallel, even since the com- mencement of the war, and the prospect of rates having risen to such heights as those now prevailing, with every possi- bility of further increases being recorded, must cause many shippers to despair. An advance of 9s. is to be registered for Genoa since the last fixture, arranged shortly before the new year, and other ports are similarly dearer. The Biver Plate is steady. Homewards, Biver Plate rates continue to. rise rapidly, and 150s. is obtainable from up-river or Bahia Blanca to United Kingdom. The States market is strong, and grain rates are based on 15s. 6d. to Bristol Channel from the Northern Bange, -and 24s. to West Italy. Sugar-carrying tonnage is in demand at Cuba, and can be had at about 125s. for France discharge, whilst cotton boats from the Gulf are worth 290s. for Liverpool for fair measurement. For coal from the States to West Italy, 105s. was paid recently. The Eastern market is firm on the basis of 115s. from Kurrachee to United Kingdom on scale basis, and about 122s. 6d. from Bombay, with Burmah at 140s. for rice for February loading. Australia quotes 110s. for wheat to United Kingdom. Later.—Since the above was written, a 2,200-ton boat has been fixed Tyne at 85s., a rate which, of course, is far in excess of any ever paid for that port. Tyne to Algiers, 2,100, 42s. 6d.; Bilbao, 1,400, 32s. 6d.; Bordeaux, 5,000, 31s. ; 5,000, 31s. ; Boulogne, 900, 24s.; 1,400, 24s.; Calais, 1,400, 24s.; Dunkirk, 1,600, 24s.; 900, 24s.; 500, 32s. fid., coke; 600, 33s., coke; 800, 26s.; 700, 35s. fid., coke: 2,000, 28s.; Genoa, 1,600, 70s.; 6,600, 67s. 6d.; 5,500, 71s., reported; 1,800, 72s. 6d. ; 4,000,- 75s.; 1,800, 77s. fid.; Havre, 2,000, 22s. ; 600, 24s. ; Lisbon, 3,500, 32s. fid.; Las Palmas, 1,600, 35s,: 3,500, 37s, fid.; London,