July 28, 1916. THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN. 175 tons last week, and 27,933 tons for the corresponding week last year, when holidays were general. Messrs. Robert Forrester and Company Limited are extend- ing their coal field in Roughrigg district. 'While several of their pits are worked out, they lately secured the Roxton Colliery, which will not only maintain their usual output, but is expected to increase the same. At Boxton Colliery the number of workmen is expected to be increased. George Muir, a colliery fireman, employed at Kelty Colliery, died at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary as the result of an acci- dent sustained underground two days previously. Muir was in the act of checking the gauge of an incline roadway, when the race of hutches struck him. The many difficulties encountered in the sinking of the Carriden Coal Company’s new pit to the east of Bo’ness Dock having been surmounted, excellent progress is now being- made with the works both above and below ground. It is four years since operations were commenced, and it is grati- fying to know that the management are within sight of the realisation of their enterprise, having now reached the coal- producing stage. The plant is of the most modern type. The method of sinking was distinctly novel for this district, the principle adopted being that of a cast iron cylinder lined internally with brick. The main shaft, during the work of sinking, caused considerable anxiety and delay in conse- quence of its going off the perpendicular, but this irregularity was overcome, and operations proceeded well since. In addition to this shaft, there is an escape shaft, placed 100 ft. to the east. Both are sunk to a depth of 480 ft. Two parallel mines are run from the bottom, one of which cuts the smithy coal 2 ft. 9 in. thick, but of excellent quality. Inclines and levels are being driven in this seam. Steam is used for winding at main shaft and electricity at escape shaft. The refuse from the pit is being deposited seawards, and the ground reclaimed extends to beyond low-water mark, form- ing a convenient landing place at all states of the tide for small boats belonging to the steamers. The new colliery is admirably situated for despatch of coal by sea or rail, being within a stone-throw of the dock, and having good railway accommodation. All the indications point to the establish- ment of a large and flourishing new colliery at Bo’ness, employing ultimately several hundred workmen. A fully-equipped motor ambulance wagon, provided by the Scottish Colliery Engine and Boiler Men’s Association, was presented on Saturday to the Scottish branch of the British Red Cross Society. The presentation took place in Blythswood-square, Glasgow. Sir George Beatson accepted the wagon on behalf of the Red Cross Society. He said it was a handsome and useful gift. Mr. Robert Baird, on behalf of the Coal Owners’ Association, expressed gratifica- tion at the patriotic gift, and said he hoped that it would be an incentive to the miners and the coal owners to go on with heir scheme for the provision of ambulances. COASTWISE SHIPMENTS IN JUNE. According to the returns issued by the Commissioners of H.M. Customs and Excise, the following quantities of coal were shipped coastwise from the United Kingdom during June:— From Total cargo. Total bunker. Bristol Channel ports North-western ports North-eastern ports Humber ports Other ports on east coast Other English ports Total from England and Wales Ports on east coast of Scotland Ports on west coast of Scotland Total from Scotland Irish ports Total from United Kingdom 1 : 1915. 1916. 1915. 1916. . Tons. 176,988 256,123 667,919 152,471 8,195 3,037 Tons. 117,915 265,166 483,773 76,969 3,352 3,550 Tons. 11,103 57,243 40,516 10,021 10,804 1,904 Tons. 10,062 45,575 46,822 8,340 5,522 2,353 1,264,733 950,725 131,591 118,674 57,240 173,038 43,029 158,750 11,619 25,901 18,012 16,000 230,278 201,779 37,520 34,012 12 — 2,241 2,719 1,495,023 1,152,504 171,352 155,405 The destination of cargo shipments was as follows To ports in England and Wales........ Scotland................. Ireland ................. June 1915. June 1916. Tons. Tons. 990,244 ... 665,451 71,410 ... 56,093 433,369 ... 430,960 With reference to the Bill to authorise the municipality of Alenquer (Portugal) to construct a railway from the station of Carregado to Alenquer, it is notified that the Diario do Governo (Lisbon) of June 23 publishes the text of a Law based on the Bill, and sanctioning the raising of a loan of 260,000 escudos (about £38,000 at current rate of exchange), to be devoted exclusively to the construction of the line. Monmouthshire Colliery Officials’ Association.—A special meeting will be held to-morrow (Saturday) at 6.30 p.m. in the King’s Head Hotel, Newport. Mr. W. W. Hood will speak about the new Regulations regarding the stone dust- ing of fiery mines. Members will be asked to consider whether the information is sufficiently conclusive, as demon- strated by Altofts and Eskmeals experiments, to warrant such Regulations. Iceland Coal Field.—After close examination, the coal fields in West Iceland have proved to be of considerable importance in quantity, as well as in quality, says a Press correspon- dent. Engineers who have worked the fields during the summer say that the seams are 16 ft. thick over a consider- able district. Goal has been located just under the surface of the field, and is easy to work. The coal is stated to be of average good quality. LABOUR ANO WAGES. South Wales and Monmouthshire. The joint auditors’ report will be available on Monday, and a meeting of the council of the Federation has been summoned for that date, in order to decide upon any applica- tion for a change in the general wage-rate. At a conference in Cardiff, representing all parties and interests connected with coal trimming at the South Wales ports, -an agreement was reached’ which is intended to operate during the whole period of the war. An official report issued at the close of the proceedings referred to the establishment of a joint conciliation board which includes the ports of Cardiff, Barry, Newport, Swansea, and Port Talbot. It has been agreed that for the period of the war there shall be added to the trimming charges in operation prior to the war 37| per cent. The executive council of the Miners’ Federation had before it on Saturday a deputation from the Maritime Colliery, who asked permission to tender notices because of a dispute affecting one man as to the unloading of rubbish. The council pointed out that the difficulty had not yet been dealt with by the miners’ agent for the district, and the deputation were referred to him. The strike of 2,000 men at Risca terminated at the week- end, operations being resumed on.Monday morning; but the difficulty had not been removed, .and negotiations were entered upon, the men having put themselves in order by returning to work. With reference to the dispute as to steel workers’ wages, those regulated by the sliding scale agreement, the Board of Trade has appointed Judge O’Connor, of Bournemouth, to be arbitrator. North of England. Production at the Leasingthorne Colliery of Messrs. Bolckow, Vaughan and Company Limited was stopped for four days recently, consequent upon the men demanding the abrogation of the county agreement respecting minimum wages and minimum wage rules as fixed by the Minimum Wage Board under the Act. Ultimately, however, the 1,500 workers concerned agreed to their demand being made con- stitutionally and returned to work. Returns received by the Northumberland Miners’ Associa- tion, in response to the executive’s appeal that the miners should work on Bank Holiday this year, indicate that the men are practically unanimous in acquiescing. It seems probable, also, that a very large proportion of the men will take the executive committee’s advice -as to giving the “ bonus ” which will be received by them for work on that day to some of the many war funds. Letters are appearing in the Newcastle newspapers suggesting that the colliery owners should be approached and asked to act similarly with the profits accruing from the holiday labours. The trouble which would arise in carrying out this suggestion is that it would be very difficult to ascertain the exact profit, if any, resulting from one day’s work of the pits in these troubled times. There is the further fact that, as the miners would probably -admit readily enough, the owners have sacrificed and are continuing to sacrifice much of their by no means fabulously large profits by subscriptions to war funds, and by definite monetary provision for the dependants of those miners and other employees who have joined the Colours, besides which the owners have contributed many members of their own families to the fighting forces. At Wednesday’s meeting of the members of Durham County Council, Mr. R. Richardson, a miners’ representative, called attention to a provision in the Education Com- mittee’s report that boys of school age should be allowed to work in the pits for a period not exceeding 53 hours per week, and moved an amendment that their working hours should not exceed 48. The Chairman (Sir Frank Brown) ruled the amendment out of order, on the ground that the council had delegated all executive powers to the Education Committee. Thereupon, Mr. Richardson moved that the matter should fie referred back to the committee, and, after a long discussion, this was done. The dispute at Ladysmith pit, Whitehaven, on the question of the charge for explosives has been settled. The question of the August Bank Holiday was considered at the annual meeting of the Cumberland Coal Trade Con- ciliation Board at its annual meeting at Workington. The owners intimated that if the men would work on August Monday they were prepared to make a general concession of seven-hour shifts for that day. The men’s representatives, however, stated that at a special meeting of the council held on the same date, Mr. T. Cape had been instructed to issue a circular letter to the Lodges, pointing out that the Miners’ Federation had recommended the miners not to take any holiday, and making a general statement on the subject. Further consideration of the matter was adjourned until after the replies from the lodges had been considered by a delegates’ meeting which will be held on July 29. The employers agreed to discuss the question of the free supply of explosives at a meeting of their association, and to acquaint Mr. Cape with the result. Mr. W. Graham, of Moresby, was re-eleeted president, with Mr. J. Dickinson, of Aspatria, vice-president. Canon Sutton was reappointed neutral chairman, Air. C. C. Hodgson as neutral vice-chair- man, with Messrs. T. P. Martin and T. Cape as joint secretaries. Federated Area. Notices to terminate contracts which had been tendered by colliery stokers in the Wigan coal fields, failing a satisfactory settlement of a dispute which had been before the Joint Con- ciliation Board, were withdrawn at a joint conference on Saturday, at the Wiigan offices of Sir Thomas Ratcliffe-Ellis, secretary of the Coal Owners’ Association, the points in dispute being amicably adjusted. The South Staffordshire Clay Miners’ Wages Board have agreed to increase the wages of fireclay miners by 5 percent. Scotland. At a special meeting of the council of the Lanarkshire Aimers’ Association, a discussion took place regarding the recommendation to postpone the holiday season. The Chairman (Mr. Robert Smillie) strongly advocated that, in view of the needs of the country, no holidays should be observed meanwhile. The recommendation was unani- mously -agreed to. At a meeting of the Colliery and Public Works Surgeons’ Committee held in Glasgow, it was stated that the Mine Workers’ Union had not yet intimated their decision in con- nection with the matter. It is understood that a proposal has now been made by the doctors to the effect that the whole matter in dispute between them and the Aline Workers’ Union should be referred to the decision of an arbiter, and a period of ten days has been fixed for -a reply from the Union. The demand has created much indignation at the Fife collieries, and it is evident that the men will not concede the request. A special meeting of the Fife and Kinross Miners’ Asso- ciation was held to consider the summer holiday question. After hearing a statement by Mr. Wm. Adamson, M.P., the board decided in favour of indefinite suspension of the holidays. The Lothian miners, at their meeting, resolved to submit a resolution to the mineowners’ conference in Edinburgh next month demanding the abolition of the system of con- tracting for ordinary coal getting in mines, in consequence of the many evils arising from the arrangement. The meeting also resolved to move for the amendment of the National Health Insurance Act, so as to include the depen- dants of insured persons under the capitation fees paid medical practitioners. The workmen employed -at Callander Colliery were idle for one day, the reason being, they were informed, the shortage of clerks. The company purposed changing over from the system of lye time to one of four days, to enable them more time with the depleted staff. After a deputation interviewed employers, it was agreed to continue existing conditions. A meeting of the Scottish Coal Trade Conciliation Board was held in Glasgow for the purpose of considering the demand of an increase of Is. per day by the miners. This is the seventh demand by the men since April last year, and in the interval they have received advances amounting to 2s. 6d. per day. Iron, Steel and Engineering Trades. An application for an advance of wages was recently made to the Barrow Engineering Employers’ Association by the National Amalgamated Union of Labour, the National Union of General Workers, and the Workers’ Union, on behalf of their members employed in the engineering establishment of Messrs. Vickers Limited. After negotiations the Com- mittee on Production have awarded an advance of 3s. per week, the advance to be regarded as war wages. Lanarkshire colliery blacksmiths have been awarded an increase of 6d. per day, to date from June 1. The strike of engineers at the Lancashire and Yorkshire Waggon Company’s Works, Heywood, has been settled. The men asked for an advance of 4s. per week and 10 per cent, on piece rates, in lieu of the war bonus of 2s. per week. The advance has been granted. Official information was received in Glasgow that the employers definitely refused the claim of the Amalgamated Society of Engineers for an advance of 2d. per hour. MINES INSPECTION: NEW ARRANGEMENTS. The Home Secretary announces that, in consequence of the retirement of Air. H. Johnstone, H.AL inspector of mines and quarries for the Alidland and Southern Divi- sion, the following temporary arrangements have been made for the work of the division during the present emergency :— Air. W. Walker, H.AI. Deputy Chief Inspector of Alines, will take charge of the division, and will superin- tend the work of the whole division. His headquarters will be (as at present) at the Home Office. The senior inspectors stationed in the division, and the inspector stationed in Cornwall, will continue to deal in the first instance with the current work arising in their respective spheres; and in order to facilitate administration it is requested that all notices and other communications for the divisional inspector may be sent under cover to the inspector stationed in the part of the division immedi- ately concerned, as follows Part A.—All portions of the counties of Chester and Derby at present included in the Alidland and Southern Division; the counties of Salop, Leicester, and AVarwick; and so much of the county of Stafford as lies north of the London and Nor th-AVe stern Railway line from Newport to Stafford, and of a line drawn from Stafford through Abbots Bromley to Burton :—AV. Saint, Esq., Glent- worth, Stafford ; telegrams, “ Alines inspector, Stafford”; telephone, Stafford 167. Part B.—The counties of Gloucester, Northampton, Rutland, Somerset, and AVorcoster. and the remainder of the county of Stafford :—J. R. Felton, Esq., 298, Per- shone-road, Birmingham; telegrams, “ Alines inspector, Birmingham telephone, South Birmingham 545. Part C.—The counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, and AVil'ts.:—T. Boydell, Esq., 7, Treyew-road, Truro; telegrams, “Alines inspector, Truro”; telephone, Truro, 148. For the remainder of the division, notices, etc., should be sent direct to AV. AATalker, Esq., Alines Department, Home Office, London, S.AV. These arrangements will take effect as from the 31st instant.