June 16, 1916.

THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN.

1141

(195,000 mk.); local rates and taxes, 1,402,112 mk.
(1,244,627 mk.); workmen’s insurance, 1,557,639 mk.
(1,637,127 mk.); invalidity and dependants’ fund,
166,081 mk. (226,968 mk.); Chamber of Commerce dues,
5,837 mk. (10,476 mk.); Emschergeinossenschaft dues,
156,320 mk. (148,238 mk.); .and contributions to the
Association of Mining Interests, 23,562 mk. (27,681 mk).
These contributions amounted to 0*92 mk. per ton of coal
raised, 7*44 per cent, of the value of the coal, 30’60 per
cent, of the gross profits and 51-12 per cent, of the net
profits of the company.

INDIAN AND COLONIAL NOTES.

India.

Bengal Coal Trade in April.—First class coal was being
taken up rapidly, and stocks were getting short at the pit’s
mouth. Some of the railways called for an extra 5 per cent,
of their supplies; the Royal Indian Marine was a big pur-
chaser. The State-worked, railways were 'in the market for
1,325,000 tons of steam coal for one year commencing from
the current month. No seaborne coal was required. Tenders
were also invited for 10,500 tons of hard coke, 7,800 tons of
soft coke, and 14,000 tons of steam rubble.

Government Coal Contracts. — A contract for supplying
bunker coal to the Royal Indian Marine at Bombay has
been, secured by Messrs. Andrew Yule and Company, on
behalf of the Bengal Coal Company. A similar contract for
the Royal Indian Marine at Karachi has been given to
Messrs. H. V. Low and Company.

Africa.

New Coal Field.—It ds reported that another coal deposit
has been discovered in the district of Witbank, in the
Transvaal Province, where coal is already being produced
m large quantities. It is said that coal producing excellent
results'has been proved over an area of 8,300 'acres, the
seam being 18 ft. thick, and the coal ranging from 13-27 to
14-3 calorific, 4-9 to 7-45 .ash, 0-32 to 0-68 sulphur, 22 to 27
volatile.

Transvaal Output.—The coal production of the Transvaal
has, during the past fifteen or sixteen years, risen .almost
without intermission from 797,000 tons to 5,225,000 tons in
1913. The output for 1914 declined to 5,157,000 tons, while
there was only partial recovery last year, when the tonnage
was 5,203,000 tons. This expansion resulted in a great fall
in prices, >a<s the value at the pit’s mouth in 1901 was 8s. 3d.
per ton, .and that secured last year was 4s. 5d. per ton. This
fall has occurred in spite of the fact that nearly all the
companies have joined the Transvaal Coal Owners’ Associa-
tion, formed for the purpose of regulating the trade, while
the recent check in production was largely caused by the
inadequate railway facilities afforded the collieries.

In regard to the first matter, however, the efforts of the
Coal Owners’ Association in opening up new fields for
export are meeting with success, there being now a good
trade with India and Egypt, which may be extended even to
South America, the Association having recently sent a com-
mission to that quarter to investigate the possibilities, while
the trade is benefiting from the temporary abandonment of
the Suez Canal route by a large number of steamers which
now bunker at Durban or Capetown, this circumstance
accounting, it is asserted, for a rise in prices, and it being
stated that contracts ‘are now being placed at Is. 6d. per ton,
or .a rise of 25 per cent, upon last year’s 'average. .

The following table of the returns of the majority of the
companies for the first four months of this year shows a great

increase on the corresponding period of last year :—			
	Tons.  1916.	Tons.  1915.	Tons. Inc.
Anglo-French Navigation	110,400	... 107,100	... 3,300
Apex Mines: 		54,400	... 62,300	... *7,900
Cassel Coal 		92,800	... 85,000	... 7,800
Dundee Coal (3 months) ...	103,800	... 70,000	... 33,800
Durban Navigation 		66,900	... 60,800	... 6,100
Glencoe Collieries 		61,000	... 43,700	... 17,300
Middleburg Steam Coal ...	94,300	... 62,700	... 31,600
Natal Navigation 		122,600	... 80,300	... 42,300
Tweefontein Colliery 	  Vereeniging Estates (three	143,500	... 111,500	... 32,000
months) 		126,600	... 121,900	... 4,700
Vryheid (Natal) 		124,400	... 98,500	... 25,900
Wankie 		92,300	... 83,700	... 8,600
Witbank 	 283,000  * Decrease.		... 224,000	... 59,000

Sulphate of Ammonia Industry.—The Natal Ammonium
Syndicate, near Vryheid, is making every effort to
inaugurate a sulphate of ammonia industry upon a large
scale, chiefly with the object of supplying the excellent
markets that already exist in the Far East. Analysis of
bulk samples show that the coal obtained on the Vryheid
properties is exceptionally high in nitrogen, and particularly
suitable for the manufacture of sulphate of ammonia. The
coal, of which there is an immense quantity available, is
well adapted to cheap mining, the total working cost being
estimated at approximately Is. 9d. per ton delivered to the
producer bunkers. In addition to sulphate of ammonia,
there will be obtained, as by-products, gas and tar. The
works, when finally completed, will comprise a Mond by-
product recovery plant, consisting of two units, each unit
being capable of dealing with 205 tons of coal per 24 hours,
or a total of 150,000 tons per annum. The output of sul-
phate of ammonia from the works, on this basis, will be a
little over 9,000 tons per annum. At present, however, the
full plant will not be erected, the capacity aimed at in the
beginning being something like 5,000 tons of sulphate of
ammonium per annum.

Australia.

Conditions at Newcastle are very dull, owing to the
restrictions on the export of coal and shortage of tonnage,
and many of the miners have shifted to the Illawarra dis-
trict, where, owing to the big demand for South Coast coal
for bunkering, trade is very brisk. The expansion of
metalliferous mining in the Commonwealth has created
much activity in the South Coast coke-making industry;
new ovens are constantly being constructed, and up-to-date
appliances are being introduced in order to cope with the
ever-increasing demand.

The coke ovens continue to experience a full demand,
and there is complaint by some of them of a scarcity of
labour. At the Illawarra ovens (Coalcliff) a new wagon-

loading conveyor is being erected; the one the works started
with is being, in this one, improved upon. This appliance,
if it works as required, takes the place of the barrow in
bringing the coal to the trucks.

The Australasian Coal and Shale Employees’ Federation
has formulated new demands, which, if not acceded to by
the managers of the various mines, will be sought to be
enforced by being brought before the Federal Arbitration
Court. The conditions now asked for are as follow : —
(1) Eight hours from bank to bank; (2) overtime at the
rate of time and a half; (3) all work other than overtime
performed on Sundays and holidays, double rates; (4) over-
time on Sundays and holidays, three times ordinary rates ;
(5) where the custom exists on which pay Saturdays are not
worked, such custom to continue. The men confidently
expect to have the matter placed before the Court at an
early date. •

Mr. Hamilton, the Queensland Minister of Mines, is
reported to have said that he has got sick of trying to luy
coal mines; the prices owners were asking for the control
of the mines being out of all reason. Henceforth the open-
ing up of coal areas on Crown lands would be his policy.
At the present time he has portions reserved in different
parts of the State, such as Maryborough, Bowen, Central
district, and in the Ipswich racecourse vicinity, and he
hopes to have the boring plant going on the lot of them
shortly instead of looking round to buy mines. Two boring
machines have arrived in Melbourne, and one of them will
be got to work on Crown lands in the Bowen district right
away. Not long ago the Minister purchased the Warra
Coal Mine for £4,600 for the purpose of supplying the rail-
ways, and it is now stated that a very fine seam has been
stuck.

Newcastle Coal Exports.—The coal exports from New-
castle for 1915 show a considerable falling off compared with
the preceding year, the decrease amounting to 737,328 tons,
valued at <£380,392. The trade with Commonwealth and
New Zealand ports increased by 29,706 tons, but the exports
to oversea ports decreased by 767,634 tons, which is
accounted for by the embargo on foreign exports, the diffi-
culties encountered in securing vessels as coal carriers, and
the rise of freight rates. The only increases of shipments were
to India, Peru, Ocean Island, and Mauritius. Chile showed
a decrease of ,50 per cent., whilst the falling off in the trade
to Straits Settlements and Sandwich Island was worse. The

following are the details	•	 :	
	1914.	1915.
	Tons.	Tons.
Chile 			 556,431 .		 251,287
Java 	.				 361,579 .		 168,839
India 				75,879 .		 122,065
United States of America 157,330 .			 123,240
Straits Settlements		 223,833 .			93,581
Philippine Islahds ...			96,875 .			62,310
Guam 				18,239 .			53,992
Sandwich Islands		 123,344 .			59,915
Fiji 					64,246 .			44,916
Peru 				26,107 .			42,406
Ecuador 				30,634 .			28,339
; Ocean Island 				8,719 .			23,904
New Caledonia 				20,841 .			17,541
; United Kingdom			30,615 .			14,470
Friendly Islands			6,191 .			16,456
Mauritius 			1,430	.			12,744
Japan 				8,646 .			10,916
Mexico 				43,638 .	
Canada 				21,433 .			nil
Germany 				20,107 .			nil
Other places 				39,506 .			21,668
Total 			 1,935,628 .,		 1,168,589
Grand total 		.....4,743,505 ..		 4,006,177
Total value 			£2,488,449 .	.. £2,108,057

The embargo on the export of coal from the Commonwealth
is seriously affecting the trade of Newcastle. The Minister
for Customs is being urged to take steps to relieve the distress
existing among the miners, of whom about 1,500 have been
thrown out of employment. The coal exports from New-
castle for the first three months of this year totalled 777,359
tons', a decrease of 235,642 tons as compared with the corre-
sponding quarter last year. In the foreign trade, the exports
to four of the republics in South America only amounted to
46,086 tons, as compared with 121,137 tons for the corre-
sponding period in 1914. The exports to the United States
fell off by 18,808 tons. The exports to the Philippines,
Straits Settlements, and Java for the first quarter in 1915
totalled 72,215 tons. In the corresponding period this year
only 12,184 tons were 'sent; whilst the decrease of the quan-
tity exported to India was 56,234 tons.

: Newcastle Steel Industry.—The whole of the output of
the steel works at Newcastle for this year has been sold. The
number of open-hearth furnaces has been increased, and
three more rolling mills are on order for manufacture of
lighter construction steel.

Coke Workers.—Mr. Justice Heydon, in delivering judg-
ment in the appeal of the men against the coke workers’
award, made some trenchant remarks, pointing out that after
obtaining consent to appeal, the men went on strike, stopping
the production of coke, without which the smelting works at
Lithgow and Newcastle, so immensely important in this
time of war to the Commonwealth, must have stopped, the
men had practically caught Australia by the sword arm and
hung on to it, and helped the Germans, though it was only
fair to suppose that they were not fully conscious of what
they were doing. The employers yielded, a conference was
held, and the men secured certain alterations in their
favour. Then they came with an appeal to get something
more. This could not be done, for if men went on strike they
could not have arbitration. In most cases, no doubt, men
could get arbitration first and strike afterwards, but they
could not strike first and get arbitration aterwards. This
was what they had tried, and that was what would have
barred them out, even if he had been in their favour.

The Mineral Industry of New South Wales.—The Acting
Under-Secret ary for Mines, Mr. R. H. Cambage, has
furnished a preliminary statement of the mineral production
of this State for the year 1915. The output of coal was
9,449,008 tons, valued at £3,424,630, being a decrease'of
941,614 tons and £313,131 in value when compared with the
previous year. The decrease 'is attributable to the restric-
tion of the export trade owing to the war, the falling-off in
this branch of the industry being 1,199,639 tons, valued at
£673,703. For the first time the return for home consump-
tion reached 50 per cent, of the total output, due to the
restricted exports, and, in a lesser degree, to the increased
requirements of fuel by such industrial concerns as the
Broken Hill Proprietary Company’s iron and steel works at

Newcastle, Messrs. G. and C. Hoskins Limited, works at
Lithgow, and an increased demand for coke in the smelting
of ores from metalliferous mines in the various Stat.es. The
collieries in the Northern district furnished an output of
6,307,015 tons, valued at £2,397,833, as compared with
7,113,991 tons, valued at £2,734,872, for the year 1914.
The loss of the export trade was felt considerably more by
the collieries in the Newcastle district than by those in the
Maitland-Cessnock district. The Southern ditsrict supplied
an output of 2,261,398 tons, valued at £784,316, as against
2,362,741 tons, valued at £749,394, recorded for the previous
year, and it is probable that had it not been for many
industrial duties, which interfered with work for periods
ranging from a few days to several months, the tonnage
raised would at least have reached that for 1914. The pro-
duction for the Western district was 880,595 tons, valued
at £242,481, and as .it represents a decrease of only 33,295
tons, and £11,013 in value, on the previous year’s returns,
the yield must be regarded as a satisfactory one. The coke
manufactured during 1915 amounted to 417,753 tons, valued
at the oven at £313,241, which shows an increase of 112,953
tons, and £100,172 in value, when compared with the figures
for the preceding year.

TRADE AND THE WAR.

Archangel navigation is open, and several cargo steamers
have arrived.

By order of the Board of Trade every person who uses or
stores petrol is required to furnish a return by June 20. Free
forms obtainable at any money order office.

Enemy businesses' which are being wound up by order of
the Board of Trade include the Coke Oven Machine Company
Limited, c/o Gillespie Brothers, 29a, Charing Cross-road,
London.

The Glasgow Corporation require 900,000 tons of coal for
the gas works during the ensuing year, but it is reported
that only three offers were received, representing a total
quantity of about 25,000 tons. In normal times about 130
offers are received.

The timber exports from the Swedish Baltic ports have
not yet commenced. There is a great scarcity of tonnage,
caused by the uncertainty of the freight market and the
activities of the submarines in the Baltic. Further increases
of freights are therefore expected.

The Board of Trade asks the Press to call attention to the
possibilities of using women’s labour in their works. In
order to collect data regarding the matter the Board has
established an information bureau at North Court, Victoria
and Albert Museum, South Kensington.

Through the High Commissioner for Canada, 19, Victoria-
street, Westminster, a New Brunswick firm asks to be
placed in communication with British manufacturers of
coal cutters, and a Winnipeg firm seeks to represent British
makers of machinery for railway contractors.

The Wall Street Journal observes that English and
French munition factories, by drawing in large bodies of
men, have produced shortage elsewhere in articles of
secondary use in war. This has resulted in heavy exports
from the United States in groups other than the so-called
war products.

The Mercantile Marine Service Association has received
from the Board of Trade a circular drawing attention to the
need for economy of fuel, and pointing out that any saving
in this direction ‘th at can be effected at the present time is
of real and immediate value for the prosecution of the war.
The circular contains a number of suggestions specially
addressed to ship owners, masters, and engineers.

In the Prize Court, the president (Sir Samuel Evans)
condemned as lawful prize the Norwegian steamship
“ Bangor ” and her cargo, on the ground that at the time
of the vessel’s capture by H.M.S. “ Bristol ” in the Straits
of Magellan, she was engaged in carrying coal and'stores
intended for the “ Dresden ” and other German warships.
The president, in giving judgment, said that this was a
flagrant case. Even if the capture took place in neutral
waters only the neutral State concerned could question the
validity of the capture. Leave to appeal was given.

MINING INDUSTRY AND MILITARY
SERVICE.

Mr. W. C. Murray, presiding over the Durham Rural
Tribunal, vacated his seat, in the absence of another repre-
sentative of the firm, and, on behalf of the Framwellgate
Coal and Coke Company Limited, applied for conditional
exemption of the colliery cashier, aged 35, and the bill clerk,
aged 40. He stated that the men were absolutely indispen-
sable, the colliery having lost practically all the clerical staff,
with the result that he had had to turn his hand to work he
had never done before.—The application was granted.

Sir Edmund Chaytor, Bart., of Witton Castle, applying
to the Auckland Rural District tribunal for absolute exemp-
tion on the ground that domestic and estate matters could
not be delegated, mentioned that his estates of about 8,000
acres included important areas in the counties of Durham and
Warwickshire, and that his time was fully occupied in the
management of these estates. At the present time, important
negotiations were proceeding for the leasing of coal in
Durham, and his leasing powers could not be delegated.
He had been able, by supplying them with timber, to keep
two collieries working which otherwise would have had to
close. He was granted two months’ exemption, on the
understanding that he would then join the Army.

At a sitting of the Clayton-le-Moors tribunal last week a
letter was read from the Altham Colliery Company urging
that, in view of the great difficulty of getting carters,
appeals for men employed in connection with colliery carting
should receive careful consideration. The firm pointed out
that it was of little use the Government enabling colliery
proprietors to get coal for the pits if it could not be delivered
to the consumers. Members of the tribunal said the matter
would be borne in mind. One member said that probably a
great deal of the coal distribution could be saved if the whole
system was properly organised. Dr. Clegg (military repre-
sentative) said that apparently the members of the tribunal
were coming to his views, that if there was a central dis-
tributing depot much of the coal carting might be obviated.

One of the newly-created knights, Sir J. J. H. Teal],
F.R.S., D.Sc., was director of the Geological Survey for
12 years, and retired from the position in 1914,