126 THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN July 21, 1916. The weekly average number of days worked by the mines and open works included in the returns are 5-79, compared with 5-88 a month ago and 5-77 a year ago. Compared with a month ago, there was a decrease of nearly a quarter of a day per week in the Cleveland district, but in Scotland there was an increase of about two-fifths of a day per week compared with both a month ago and a year ago. Pig Iron.—Employment continued good. The diffi- culty in obtaining sufficient supplies of iron ore, coke, and other materials was again mentioned in many reports. There was also a shortage of labour, principally of furnacemen and general labourers, at a number of furnaces. Returns received show that 274 furnaces were in blast at the end of June 1916, compared with 270 both a month ago and a year ago. During the month five furnaces were re-lit (three in Cumberland and one each in Cleveland and Lanarkshire), and one furnace in Cumberland was blown out. District. No. of furnaces included in the returns in blast at end of Inc. ( + ) or dec. (-) in June 1916 on a June May June Month Year England Wales: 1916. 1916. 1915. ago. ago. Cleveland 70 ... 69 ... 68 ... + 1... + 2 Cumberland & Lancs. 31 ... *9 ... 27 ... + 2 .. + 4 S. and S. W. Yorks ... 11 ... 11 ... 11 — — Derby & Nottingham... Leicester, Lincoln and 27 ... 27 ... 31 ... — ... - 4 Northampton 28 ... 28 ... 28 — — Staffs and Worcester... 30 ... 30 ... 33 — - 3 S. Wales & Monmouth 11 ... 11 ... 9 — + 2 Other districts 5 ... 5 ... 4 — 4- 1 — ■■■-. — ~ —.... 213 ... 210 .’. 21L ... * 3... 4- Q Scotland? 61 ... 60 ... 59 ... + 1... + 2 Total 274 ... 270 ... 270 ... + 4... + 4 Employment at iron and. steel works continued very good, and showed an improvement on a month ago; it was much better than a year ago. A general shortage of labour continued. Compared with a month ago, employment showed some decline in the Sheffield and Rotherham and Staffordshire districts, but an improvement in every other district, which was most noticeable in Northumberland and Durham, and in Cumberland, Lancashire, and Cheshire. As regards the departments, there was an improvement at cruteible furnaces and rolling mills, and a decline at forges and presses, but in the other departments there was not much change. Compared with a year ago, employment showed an improvement in every district except in the Leeds and Bradford district, where there was a decline; the improvement was most marked in Scotland, Sheffield, and Rotherham and Cleveland. There was a slight decline at puddling forges, but an improvement at all the other departments. This improvement was greatest at crucible furnaces, Bessemer converters and foundries; the average number of shifts worked per man at foundries was 6-39. Engineering.—Great activity continued in these trades, and a large amount of overtime was again worked. Trade unions with 259,907 members (mostly in skilled occupations) reported 0-3 per cent, unemployed at the end of June, compared with 0-3 per cent, in each of the previous four months, and with 0-6 per cent, in June 1915. . Shipbuilding.—These trades continued to work at high pressure, with much overtime. Trade unions of iron and steel shipbuilders and shipwrights with 73,475 members reported 0-2 per cent, unemployed at the end of June, compared with 0-2 per cent, in May, and with 0-4 per cent, in June 1915. Tinplate.—The number of mills at work at the end of June was seven less than at the end of the previous month, and 23 less bhan a year ago. The demand for tin- plates was good. It was reported that there was not quite so much difficulty in procuring steel bars, and the diffi- culties in obtaining other supplies, such as boxes, etc., were stated to be less acute. At many works a shortage of labour was reported, and in order to minimise the effects of this, many men of higher grades were employed on lower grade work hitherto done mostly by men of military age now with the Colours. The exports of tinned plates and tinned sheets showed a decrease com- pared with a month ago. The quantity sent to Norway increased by nearly 2,000 tons. Compared with a year ago, there were increases to Australia, China and Japan and France; the most marked decreases were in the consignments to British East Indies, the Nether- lands, and Norway. Steel and Galvanised Sheets.—In this branch of the trade the number of mills in operation at the end of June was three less than in May and eight less than a year ago. Much of the production of galvanised sheets was reported to be for Government orders. There was still a demand for sheets of the heavier gauges, and the mills worked regularly so far as the supply of steel bars and other materials would permit. The shortage of labour con- tinued. Tubes.—Employment at all the principal centres con- tinued good; in the brass and copper tube trade at Birmingham it was very good. Disputes.—In coal mining, five new disputes, affect- ing 1,763 persons, occurred in June. During the six months the disputes numbered 31 (last year 29), and the aggregate duration in working days of all disputes in progress amounted to 106,400. On June 26 the coal porters and fillers in Cork struck for an advance, and a modified advance was granted. Wages.—Increases during the month affected 660,000 persons engaged in coal mining. In the federated dis- tricts, hewers, other underground workers, and surface workers engaged on pit banks and screens in manipulat- ing coal received an advance of 3J per cent, on basis rates. This applies also to South Staffordshire and East Worcestershire. In the Bristol district, hewers, other underground workers, and banksmen received 5 per cent, on basis rates. Similar workers in South Wales and Monmouthshire were granted an advance of 15 per cent. Underground workers in Scotland obtained an advance of 12| per cent, on basis rates, surfacemen, mechanics, and boilermen an increase of 2d. per shift, and winding enginemen an increase of 6d. per shift. MINERS* FEDERATION CONFERENCE. As reported in our issue of July 14, a conference of the Miners’ Federation was held in Buxton last week. At Thursday’s sitting the conference discussed a number of important questions, ranging from the amend- ment of the Minimum Wage Act to old-age pensions. Mine Inspection by Colliery Foremen. Mr. J. Robertson moved that it would be conducive to the best interest of the miners if firemen, examiners, and deputies were paid by the State, and that every effort possible should be made to secure that purpose. They had -already, he said, declared in favour of the abolition of the piecework system, because, in their opinion, it would lead to greater safety in mines. The present motion was also put forward on the ground that it would lead to greater safety. It would be the introduction for the first time in the mining history of Great Britain of a system of real practical mine inspection. They set great value on mine inspection, and there had been nothing introduced into mining legislation that had been of such value in reducing accidents in mines as even the faulty mine inspection they had at the present time. If they went back to the time before mine inspection become compulsory, they found that for every thousand men employed underground six were killed annually. If they traced the history of the extension of mine inspec- tion, they found a decrease in the death and accident rate year by year, until at the present time the fatal acci- dent rate had been reduced to about one per thousand. They all deplored the terrible war and the terrible loss of life, but they ought not to forget that, day by day, week by week, and year by year, there was going on a loss of life, and a maiming process in the mines that Avould compare with some of the great battles that were now being fought on the Continent. During the last 20 years 25,000 men had been killed and 3,000,000 men more or less seriously injured in the mines of Great Britain. Surely that was an argument why firemen, deputies, and examiners should be employed by the State and not by the colliery companies. Such a system would provide for the examination of a mine before an accident, by a. practical man instead of by a highly scientific man, after the accident had happened. ’When the colliery deputies put forward a similar resolution at the Bristol Trades Congress the mover emphatically stated that they could not do their duty and give an honest .report upon the condition of the mine, because they were dependent for their livelihood upon those who employed them. He did not know that any stronger argument could be given of the necessity of taking the appointment out of the hands of the employers and giving it to the State. Mr. J. Brown (Ayrshire) seconded the resolution, which was carried. Position of Colliery Check weighers. Mr. J. Cairns (Newcastle-on-Tyne) proposed that the law be amended so as to make it obligatory on the colliery management to allow checkweighers to act on local deputations to colliery officials. He said that in Northumberland the majority of colliery managers were now recognising checkweighers on deputations, but others refused, and they wanted the right made clear under the law. Mr. Hogg (Northumberland) said the exclusion of checkweighers limited their usefulness, as they had the fullest knowledge of the customs obtaining at the pits. Mr. Murdoch (Lanarkshire) said if a checkweigher was allowed to accompany a deputation, a vindictive employer could ’remove him from his employment. The resolution was carried. Minimum Wage Act. The South Wales Federation brought forward some important amendments to the Minimum Wage Act, as follow :— That the minimum wage for each grade shall be not less than the actual average earnings of the work- men employed in the grade; That all disqualifying rules be abolished, so that the minimum wage shall be subject only to ordinary contractual obligations; That where the workmen in any grade are divided into day wage men and pieceworkers, the average earnings of the whole of the workmen in the grade shall be ascertained, and a uniform minimum be estab- lished for the grade; That all surface workers be included in the provi- sions of the Minimum Wage Act. Mr. Alfred Onions, in moving, said experience had taught them that this Act had many defects. When the late Lord St. Aldwyn fixed the minimum in South Wales for coal getters, they were earning on an average 8s. 2d. per day, and he fixed the minimum at 6s. lOd. per day. Therefore he could not have had regard to the average earnings of that particular class of workmen. They wanted the Act so amended that in future the minimum should not bo below the average earnings of the men. Then they asked that all the disqualifying rules should be abolished. Their ordinary contractual obligations should be sufficient to meet all the circum- stances of the case. They further considered that the Act should apply to all surface workers. Mr. George Barker, who seconded, thought the Federation was largely responsible for the surfacemen being outside this Act. The conference was not prepared at that time to get the surfacemen incorporated, because in the English districts they were not members of the Federation. In South Wales they had got all the surface- men in their Federation, and had got for them a basis wage of 5s. a day and a minimum wage of 5s. fid. per day. They were all in one industry, and beneficial legislation, when obtained, should be universal in its application. Mr. H. Roughley said their day wage rate was 9s. 4d., and they had the war bonus added to it. The President said the Prime Minister told them that regard would be had to the average earnings in fixing the minimum wage, but the chairman of the district boards in every case had fixed the minimum at considerably less than the average. The resolution was carried. A 7s. Minimum for Scotland. Mr. David Gilmour proposed that the conference reaffirm the resolution passed at Scarborough three years ago that a minimum wage of not less than 7s. per day should be secured for all miners employed at the face or in the nippings, and pledges itself to render all assistance possible to any district desiring assistance, upon the employers attempting to reduce wages below that point. He stated that just before war was declared the Scottish coal owners had declared war upon the Scottish miners by demanding a reduction of Is. per day from their wage of 7s. But on the declaration of war the claim was with- drawn. He believed that in the 22 years they had been connected with the Federation they had received more oenefit from the name and power of the Federation than any other district. The Federation had never been required to spend a penny on defending the Scottish miners; the very name of the Federation had acted as a charm. If the Scottish coal masters knew that if they claimed to reduce wages below 7s. a day they would have to fight the 850,000 miners in the Federation, he believed they would hesitate before taking such 'action. They knew the 7s. proposal was not popular in the English district, because in Yorkshire and other places wages were much higher. Mr. Young (Scottish miners), who seconded, said unless the Federation was prepared to give wholehearted support to the Scottish miners on this resolution there was a big battle in front of the Scottish miners after the war. Mr. Frank Hodges said this was a resolution entirely in the interests of Scotland. To commit the Federation to a 7s. minimum would inevitably give the idea that it was a 7s. minimum the miners were after. In South Wales and other districts they had a much higher minimum. Theirs was 7s. fi|d. a day, and others were higher than that. If they were going in for a new minimum they should go in for the highest in any dis- trict, and that should be the minimum which they were pledged to support. Mr. Whitefield said it ought to be recognised that, powerful as was the Federation, there were conditions more powerful than they were, and which they had to bow to with reluctant and sad hearts. Mr. T. McKerrall said employers in Scotland would certainly attempt to get wages below 7s., and so they would be worse off if the conference did not pass the resolution. The President pointed out that this would give pro- tection to any district which fought against wages going below 7s. a day. This would wipe out some of the districts. He did not suppose that Bristol was going to ask them to bring them up to 7s. Mr. Whitefield : It would simply mean our ceasing to be. The President said the Scottish coal owners refused to discuss a new agreement with them if they insisted upon a minimum of 7s. per day. Mr. Spencer said the minimum in Notts was 8s. 3d., and not 7s. Mr. W. Latham (Shropshire) said a 7s. minimum would be a godsend to them in Shropshire. He foresaw dark days in the future, and would be glad if they could put the stop-block in at 7s. a day. Mr. H. Smith (Yorkshire) said they wanted to help t Scotland as much as they could, but in helping Scotland they did not want to hurt themselves. On the suggestion of the President, the further dis- cussion of the question was adjourned to allow the reso- lution to be redrafted. Old-Age Pensions. Mr. H. Smith proposed that the Federation continue to press the Government to deal with the question of old-age pensions, increasing the 5s. per week to not less than 7s. 6d., and reducing the age limit from 70 to 65 years. He urged that it would be an economic advan- tage to increase the pension, because many old people were now going into the workhouse, where they cost 8s. 4d. per week to maintain. It was a standing disgrace to the country that the pension had next been increased.