October 27, 1916.

THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN.

807

be successful in the present national crisis. The nation
required, there was no doubt about it, an additional 15
million tons of coal from the men, and the point was :
could it be secured? He thought it could be secured by
methods which the men had proposed, and not by alter-
ing laws, or reducing the age of boys. He believed it
could be secured by more regular attendance at the
mines, and if that was so, it was the business of the men
to make sure that it was done. The delegates to that
conference were selected because they were well known
in their own districts or their own' branches. They
were looked up to locally by -the miners in their locality
or their branches, and they were, chosen as delegates
because, to some extent, they were leading men. If the
Home Secretary and the Prime Minister had convinced
them that the need existed for 15 million tons to be
added to the output if possible, if they had proved to
them that it was possible by a reduction in the per-
centage of absenteeism to provide that addition, then
it was the men’s duty to use their influence with their
fellow men in their districts to secure it. The Miners’
Federation of Great Britain set itself absolutely against
any tinkering with the law if there were other means to
secure the necessary output. He believed there were,
and until the means which the men had proposed had
been tried, they should not talk about finding other
means of doing it. He would prefer that absenteeism
was reduced by the moral suasion of their own class. In
his opinion, the Government had taken the wisest
course in endeavouring to negotiate mutually with the
miners and the owners in order to achieve the object.
The miner, generally speaking, desired to do right him-
self, rather than be forced to do right by other people.
They had been told miners had refused to give up
weekly holidays in collieries where a five-day week was
worked. That was not true. The Scottish miners had
given up the fortnightly holiday in a five-day week, and
were now doing 11 days a fortnight. They had given
up one holiday a fortnight in the interests of the nation;
and when it was said that the miners, generally speak-
ing had not given up their holidays, he replied that they
had given up their annual holidays, despite the fact that
there was no class of worker in this country who
required a holiday more than the miner. At the isame
time, the resolution was really in -two parts, and the first
part said, “ if every facility is afforded for regularity of
work.” Mr. Nimmo would probably deal with that part
of the resolution when he spoke, but there were two
parties to any bargain, and the miners could not pro-
duce large output unless every facility was given for
doing so. It would be admitted by the vast majority
of local delegates that most colliery managers had for
the last two years been doing everything in their power
to give facilities for taking output up, but that did not
apply universally. There had been considerable loss of
output from lack of facilities. Men had been pre-
vented from producing coal, either by oversight or care-
lessness on the part of the management, and he wished
to ask them to -combine with the men in doing every-
thing in their power to secure a larger output of coal.
Before he was justified in putting this resolution to the
meeting, or going to a mass meeting in any part of Great
Britain urging men to do their best, he should have
some guarantee that those who manage the collieries
would do their part to secure a big output. He had
been asked by the executive committee of the Miners’
Federation to draw special attention to one point.
When the mining industry was left out of the Munitions
Act, they gave a pledge to the Government, through
the Ministry of Munitions, that they would do every-
thing in their power to secure steady working. Arrange-
ments were made to set up joint machinery between
owners and men to settle local or general difficulties,
and, with some exceptions, the miners had honourably
and honestly carried out their bargain; and he ventured
to say that even in “ controlled establishments ” there
had not been better or more loyal work than had been
carried out by the miners. No one knew better than
he did that, supposing the Ministry of Munitions had
taken the other course and forced them, or, as some of
the papers had said, taken them by the scruff of the
neck and knocked their heads together, and said they
must get this output of coal, the actual output would
have been less. He sincerely hoped the Home Secre-
tary would not take that in any shape or form as a
threat. Nevertheless, he knew that, generally speak-
ing, joint working between the coal owners and the
miners to attain a common object was far more likely
to secure success than anything the Government could
do, unless they could carry both sides with them in any
direction. The executive committee of the Miners’
Federation was doing its utmost to reduce absenteeism
down to the lowest possible limit. There were mines
in Great Britain, however, where it was physically
impossible for a man to work six, or even five, days a
week, and in these cases it was not absenteeism if the
man was so spent at the end of the fifth day that he
could not come on the sixth. That was not avoidable
absenteeism. At the same time, he knew there was a
great deal of unnecessary absenteeism in many dis-
tricts, and every endeavour must be made to find out
what was the cause of this. That it could be reduced
by 4 or 5 per cent, all over the country, he was quite
convinced, and this would give enormously increased
output. It was the duty of every man who was strong
physically to work the extra day in the week, rather
than to run the danger of interference with the industry
by legislation. He was one of the first to ask the War
Office and the Government to make the mining industry
an exempted trade. He said that if they would stop
recruiting, the men would produce the coal; and, that
being so, it was the business of the industry to produce
the coal for the nation. This was not so much a mine
owners’ question as a miners’ question, and he sincerely
hoped that the resolution he had proposed would be
carried. A case for increased output had been made in
the interests of our fighting forces and our Allies, but

he would also put before the men a case for the poor
of Great Britain, who wanted coal. If they did not
produce the utmost coal by steady working, it would
follow that the people who might be sitting with empty
grates would be the last to have a claim on the coal
which was available, because the first claim would be
the Navy, and the second that of the nation; and miners,
if for no other reason apart from patriotism, should think
of the poorest of our people w’ho would find difficulty
during the coming winter in getting coal. It was their
business to endeavour to remedy that state of affairs.

The Coal Owners and Cooperation.

Mr. Adam Nimmo (president of the Mining Association
of Great Britain) said the presence of the Prime Minister
at the conference had conferred a great distinction, not
only upon it, but upon the whole of the mining industry.
His presence was eloquent testimony to the anxiety
which the Government felt in regard to the output of
coal, and as to the necessity for increasing that output
to the.highest point possible. It must be remembered
that the output of coal was not only of the greatest
importance and value to ourselves, but, because the
mines of France were largely in the hands of the enemy,
it was o-f the greatest and most vital importance to that
nation, and also to Italy, which was -entirely dependent
upon us for coal at the present time, that our output
should be maintained at the highest possible level. The
salient facts of the situation were that the mines were
short of labour to the extent of about 150,000 men.
There had been a reduction in output of about 28
million tons, and a reduction in exports of about 33
million tons as compared with the pre-war position, but
that was not the whole situation that had to be dealt
with. There was an increased demand for coal from
our Allies, the Admiralty, and our industries, whilst
this demand would become greater as we reached the
apex of the output of war material, and it was expected
that this apex would be reached within the next few
months. The quantity of coal required for this pur-
pose could be obtained by drawing upon our exports,
but everyone would agree that it would be a grave
national calamity if this had to be done, because our
exports of coal were the economic life blood of the
people. Therefore, it was necessary to try to make up
the deficiency in some other way. Mr. Smillie had
shown feeling in referring to any suggestion of inter-
ference by legislation. Many of them agreed with Mr.
Smillie, and they had not the least desire in the world
that any existing legislation should be interfered with,
if the object in view could be obtained in some other
way. As representing the coal owners, he desired, as
far as he possibly could, to go along the line of co-opera-
tion with the miners in order to supply the country with
the extra quantity of coal that it needed. It had been
represented that if the problem of absenteeism could be
got rid of, the required amount of coal would be
obtained. It was not necessary to emphasise the amount
of absenteeism, which had already been referred to, but
it was to be regretted that there was a tendency for it
to increase. At the same time, it must be recognised
that the figures submitted must be treated with discre-
tion, and regard must also be had to the fact that wTe
had been passing through the summer period during the
last few months, and that had an effect upon the per-
centage of absenteeism. If, therefore, the owners and
the miners could combine their forces to eliminate and
eradicate this difficulty, a great step forward would
have been taken. There were only two lines of policy
that could be followed in order to achieve this. One
was the line of organisation, and the other was the
line of the creation o-f a favourable atmosphere. In
the matter of organisation, they had attempted to do
this in many districts of the country. The report was
that in some cases these committees had acted well, and
that absenteeism had been reduced by them. In other
cases the reports showed that these committees had been
more or less ineffective, but something, at any rate, had
been done. He washed to appeal to the coal owners, just
as Mr. Smillie had appealed to the coal miners. Refer-
ence had been made to the fact that facilities were not
always afforded by the coal owners for dealing with the
output of coal. It might be the case that facilities were
not afforded -as they ought to be, and if there was any
ground for complaint, he appealed to his fellow coal
owners to remove it as far as they possibly could, in
order that the nation at the present time might have
all the coal that it required. Whilst organisation had
done a good deal, and it was hoped that during the
winter months it w-ould be canned to the very highest
point of efficiency, personally, he did not believe so
much in organisation in this matter as he believed in
atmosphere and spirit. They should, as far as possible,
create a new national and moral atmosphere about the
collieries. It was necessary to galvanise and vitalise
our forces as far as we possibly could. How7 were they
to create an atmosphere and develop a new’ spirit of life
and vitalise the forces in colliery districts? There was
only one way, and that w7as to make real to themselves
the character of the national struggle, and the place
that the mining industry occupied in that struggle. The
industry w’as not outside the war; it was very much in
the war. Next to the lines of men and the guns that
defended them to force a way to victory, there was
nothing so precious as the output of coal. It could be
retarded by the attitude of the industry, or the country
could be hastened to victory. Therefore it W’as neces-
sary for them to put their backs into the W’ork by
making sure that, as far as the mining industry w7as
concerned, the output of coal that was required for
the nation’s need would be forthcoming. According
to the work we did would be our sense of satisfaction
when the w*ar was over. We w’anted to be quite sure
that when that came w’o would be able to rejoice in the
victory that- had been obtained because we had w7orked
along w’ith the fighting men in the field and our Navy,

standing shoulder to shoulder, and having done our bit
to work the nation through to complete success.

Mr. A. F. Pease, M.P., in moving a vote of thanks
to the Prime Minister, uttered a ward of warning, that
because at times there might be delays in dealing with
the coal at the pits from the point of view of distribu-
tion, the miners must not assume that coal is not
wanted. The whole country at present was working at
breaking strain, and unavoidable delays occurred which
made the carrying on of the coal trade very difficult at
times.

The motion was seconded by Mr. Stephen Walsh,
M.P., and carried with acclamation.

A vote of thanks to the chairman was also carried.

COAL CONCILIATION BOARD.

A meeting of the Coal Conciliation Board for England
and North Wales was held at the Hotel Cecil yesterday,
when the men’s representatives made proposals for a
further, increase in wages. The wages paid to the miners
in the Conciliation Board area are at the maximum per-
centage under the new agreement, which is for a period
of three years from May 1, 1915, and, in addition, a
war bonus of 15J per cent, is being paid under the
Asquith settlement, to meet the higher cost of living.
The continued rise in the food prices, and the advance
of wages granted in the other coal fields, have caused a
demand for higher wages in the English coal field, and
these proposals were informally submitted at the meet-
ing by the men’s representatives, for the consideration
of the coal owners at the quarterly meeting of the
Conciliation Board. Mr. F. J. Jones, Yorkshire
(president) was in the chair, with Mr. Stephen Walsh,
M.P., in the vice-chair, and a full attendance of mem-
bers, including Sir Thos. Ratcliffe-Ellis and Mr. Thos.
Ashton, the joint secretaries.

Mr. Stephen Walsh, M.P., presented the men’s case
for an advance in wages. He pointed out the serious
increase which had taken place in the cost of living
since the agreement was signed, and how the workmen
in the other mining districts in the country, who were
working under agreement without a maximum percen-
tage, had received compensation for high prices in the
form of very substantial increases of wages. The pro-
posals for an increase to meet the higher cost of living
were made as a request for consideration by the coal
owners, and not as a demand, as there was a desire on
the part of the men to observe honourably the obliga-
tions into which they had entered by their own signed
agreement. There was no intention on their part to
break any agreement, but the exceptional circumstances
which prevailed justified a review of the wage position
by the coal owners.

The Chairman said the coal owners’ section of the
Board recognised and appreciated the manner in which
the men’s proposals for an increase of wages had been
presented, and promised that it should have proper con-
sideration by the general body of coal owners in England
and North Wales. It was only right to point out that
there had been a very serious increase in the cost of pit
timber, and everything else required to work the
collieries, and that many collieries were finding it
exceedingly difficult to meet these increases in cost of
working. Indeed, the coal owners at their own meeting
had considered as to whether they should follow the
example of South Wales and other owners in making an
application to the Board of Trade under the Price of
Coal (Limitation) Act for an increase in colliery selling
prices, but from a desire to do their part in helping the
country in the present crisis, they had refrained from
taking any action in this direction, though they con-
sidered they would be completely justified in asking for
such an increase in selling prices.

TRADE AND THE WAR.

The Board of Trade has ordered the winding up of the
United Carborundum and Electrite Works Limited,
machinery agents, Apollo Works, New Southgate; and
Kampe and Company, machinery merchants, 2, Sandland-
st-reet, Holborn, London.

The British Electrical and Allied Manufacturers’ Associa-
tion announces that the Board of Trade has granted to the
association a temporary special licence to import insulating
materials in certain classes which are included in the list of
prohibited imports. Electrical manufacturers, whether
members of the association or not, can avail themselves of
this licence by making application to the secretary of the
association.

Basic slag, copper wire, and cables containing copper, are
among the new headings added to the schedule relating to
prohibited exports.

The London Gazette of October 24 announces that the
following limited liability companies have been struck off the
register? and are dissolved :—B. S. Boring Syndicate, Becker
Steel Company, Bohemian Coal and Iron Mining Company,
Calasnarra Iron Mines Syndicate, Cardiff-Rochefort Colliery
Companv. Denaby Main’ Colliery Company, Furnace Coal
and Brick Companv. Monk's Ferry Steam Coal Company,
New Brunswick Shale Lands Exploration Syndicate, Ottetrs-
pool Coal Docks, Rainsforth Colliery Company, Rapid
Boring Company (Brejcha system).

The Acting British Consul at Colon reports that; construc-
tion work on the permanent coaling plants at the terminals
of the Panama Canal has advanced to such a point that
their completion will require only a few more months. The
various coaling companies which have applied for storage
space have been notified of this fact, and requested to state
their nrecise requirements for space, in order that the Panama
Canal Administration may proceed with the assignments of
space and the granting of revocable licences.

A Saskatchewan company contemplates the erection of
plant for making briquettes from lignite. Manufacturers of
such plant may obtain the name and address on applying to
the Commercial Intelligence Branch of the Board of Trade,
73, Basinghall-street, London.