November 3, 1916.

THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN.

867

COKE OVEN MANAGERS’ASSOCIATION.

The annual general meeting of the Coke Oven
Managers’ Association was held at 'the Grand Hotel,
Sheffield, on Saturday, October 28. Mr. G. Chrisp
presided, and there was a good attendance.

On the motion of the Chairman, a vote of condolence
was passed with the relatives of Mr. Corner, of the
Northern section, who was killed on the works.

The following officials were elected for the ensuing
year :—

Midland Section:—Chairman, Air. G. Chrisp; secre-
tary, Mr. G. H. Lant (succeeding Mr. J. J. Price, who
retires); committee, Messrs. J. T. Price, P. B.
Nicholson, F.C.S., J. W. Lee, F.C.S., B. W. Haigh,

F.	Hadfield, and J. A. Wilson.

Northern Section :—Chairman, Mr. A. H. Middleton;
secretary, Mr. G. A. Phillipson; committee, Dr. G. P.
Lishman, D.Sc., F.I.C., F.R.S., Messrs. W. Diamond,
A. H. Thwaite, N. Clark, E. Bury, M.Sc., F.C.S., and
J. W. Porteous.

Western Section:—Chairman, Mr. E. M. Myers;
secretary, Mr. D. V. Hollingworth, F.C.S.; committee,
Messrs. J. E. Christopher, F.C.S., S. Stonier, and
J. West.

Southern Section :—Chairman, Mr. H. L. Molyneux;
secretary, Mr. T. G. Watts, B.Sc.; committee, Messrs.

G.	W. J. Bradley, E. M. Bowen, and W. Bishop.

The following is a list of the gentlemen who will
compose the general executive council of the associa-
tion :—Messrs. G. Chrisp, G. H. Lant, P. B. Nicholson,
F.C.S., J. W. Lee, F.C.S., J. T. Price, A. H.
Middleton, G. A. Phillipson, Dr. Lishman, D.Sc.,
F.I.C., F.C.S., W. Diamond, E. Bury, M.Sc., F.C.S.,
E. M. Myers, D. V. Hollingworth, F.C.S., J. E.
Christopher, F.C.S., T. G. Watts, B.Sc., and H. L.
Molyneux.

The Chairman remarked that it was well known to
any member of a scientific association that the first year
of its life was usually a strange one; and their asso-
ciation had not been any different from any other ones
in that respect. The rules had been a source of con-
stant trouble, and they were not quite through that
trouble yet. They hoped, however, to get through them
that night. They had instituted a system of reading of
papers and visits which had been well patronised, and
had been very useful and instructive and interesting,
and had been very greatly enjoyed. They hoped to get
the year-book out by January 1. They had finished up
the year with a balance of almost £60. The whole work
of the year was something the council should be proud
of. They had formed sections throughout the country.
They had the northern section, the midland section, the
southern section, and the western section. They formed
the society with an idea merely of having a branch in
that district, but that branch had grown until it was
now a national affair. They had met enthusiastic
support from every district in the country, and this
support was such as to entail a good deal of alteration
in their rules. They had 90 full members, 44 associate
members, and 11 honorary members—a total of 145.
They had a member from nearly every coke oven plant
in the country, and he had no doubt they would include
the remainder in course of time.

Mr. Haigh, in submitting the balance-sheet, said that'
the balance might not be so favourable other years,
because there would be expenses not met with in the
first year. All the expenses of delegates had been up
to the present paid by themselves.

Mr Lee seconded the adoption of the balance-sheet,
which was carried.

The general body of rules was revised and adopted

Erratum.—By a typographical error in the article, “ Coal
Freights to France and Italy,” the freight from Forth and
Fife ports to Nice was given as 67s., instead of 57s., on
p. 816 of our issue of October 27.

Iron Output of Normandy.—The British Consul-General at
Havre reports that the iron mines and blast furnaces of Caen
(Normandy) are at present being worked by the Government,
and that the industry which was languishing for many years
past is now most flourishing. In 1900, during the period of
greatest stagnation, the production of the local mines reached
only about 142,000 metric tons of iron ore, as compared with
12,000,000 metric tons produced by Lorraine, though the
Normandy ore is richer than that of Lorraine. In 1909 the
German Thyssen interests obtained a foothold in the industry;
thenceforward, considerable German and Dutch capital was
invested therein. On June 1, 1914, the number of mining
concessions was 21, of which 12 were being fully worked,
producing annually 750,000 metric tons of iron ore. New
plant of the most modern and powerful kind is being installed,
and the railway authorities are doing everything in their
power to assist the development of the industry. The output
of iron ore in this district has now reached over 1,000,000
metric tons annually.

LABOUR AND WAGES.

South Wales aind Monmouthshire.

The special conference called by the South Wales Miners’
Federation to deal with the difficulty of the Conciliation
Board procedure, and also to discuss the question of income-
tax and that of the price of food, took place in Cardiff on
Monday. There were over 300 delegates present, represent-
ing 155,000 members. Air. James Winstone, the president,
was in the chair, and he referred to the Army and Navy
engaged in defending the national interests, and said there
was another army—one to which the Government had not
given the protection they were entitled to have. This was
the industrial army, who should have been safeguarded
against exploitation by those in possession of the means to
produce wealth, and those having control of food supplies.
He had seen it reported that the profits of the shipping
industry, which in 1913 were 20 millions sterling, had risen
in 1915’to £250,000,000, and that a steamer paid its entire cost
in two voyages. This money had been extracted from con-
sumers by the ship owners, who enjoyed the protection of
the Navy. Having touched on the question of income-tax,
Air. Win stone referred to the allegations of the employers as
to absenteeism, and, whilst urging that every step possible
should be taken to prevent all avoidable absenteeism, he
repudiated the figures published by the employers concerning
unavoidable absenteeism, stating that it was not a true indi-
cation of the position.—A resolution was passed, and ordered
to be forwarded to the Miners’ Federation of Great Britain,
urging repeal of the enactment of income-tax on wages; the
re-establishment of the £160 basis; and an extension of allow-
ances for children and other dependants.—The treasurer, Mr.
Alfred Onions, gave the report from the executive council as
to proceedings in reference to the wage rate. The workmen,
he said, had failed to secure the 12| per cent, advance, not-
withstanding an ascertained increase in the selling'* price
during the quarter ended June of Is. 11 Jd. per ton. The
general opinion was in favour of asking the Government to
investigate. — This report stated that the council had had
before it the return of the joint auditors of a further increase
in the average selling price of coal in the quarter ended
September to the extent of 7d. per ton, and adding this to
the Is. 11 ^d. shown in the June quarter, it made a total of
2s. 6Jd. per ton, for which the workmen had not been able
to secure any advance in wages. The workmen, therefore,
were not receiving wages equivalent to prices in the same
proportion as had been the case under any of the previous
agreements. The council assumed that the independent
chairman, in rejecting the men’s application for an increase
on the June prices, had been influenced by the ex-parte
statement of the employers as to the alleged increase in the
cost of production; and the council, therefore, immediately
approached the owners with the request that a joint audit
of the cost of production should be taken. The council now
made application for 15 per cent, increase in wages, based
upon the further increase in price of coal, and considered
that in the interval between the application being considered
by the employers and the date when the change should
become operative, the council should ask the Government to
allow them to put before it the inequitable conditions pre-
vailing, with a view of securing that the workmen should
be assured that the relative position of employers and men
which existed under the former agreement should be main-
tained.

Mr. Finlay Gibson, secretary of the Coal Owners’ Associa-
tion, has published a letter, in which he sets forth that “ in
1902 the owners offered to allow Sir David Dale to appoint
an accountant to verify the figures as to the increased cost
of working, and report to him for his own information; and
a similar offer has been repeated to each independent chair-
man of the Board within the last 12 months.” He adds :
“ The owners are again prepared to allow the independent
chairman to appoint a chartered •accountant to satisfy him
that the figures put forward by the owners correctly repre-
sent the working cost of the collieries.”

At the meeting of the Federation executive, an answer
from the Home Office was read concerning the position of
miners released from military service in order to increase the
output. A large number of men have been put into the
Army Reserve and sent back to the pits, and the question
that had to be dealt with was as to their status : were they
to be regarded as civilians or still under military regula-
tion ? The secretary of the Federation read a letter from the
Home Office, in which the following statement was made :—
” A miner who is released from the Army and placed in the
Army Reserve, Class W, is, so far as regards his employ-
ment, in all respects in the same position as a miner in
civil life, and is at liberty to move from any colliery at which
he is working to any other colliery in ’the United Kingdom,
so long as he informs the officer in charge of records of his
whereabouts, so that the military authorities may keep in
touch with him. This has been definitely agreed to by the
War Office. He is also in the same position as a miner in
civil life as regards lost time; and the colliery officials should
not treat him differently. It is, of course, important that
he and all other miners should work all the time they possibly
can. It is not necessary, I think, that the certificate the
miners possess should be amended, as no objection will be
raised by the military authorities to the men moving from
colliery to colliery.”

In the latter part of last week from 1,200 to 1,300 miners
at Blaina, who had been on strike because of dissatisfaction
with the lamps, resumed work.

At the Arrow Patent Fuel Works, a deputation of
employees waited upon the directors to submit a request for
increase of wages; and it was agreed that 12£ per cent,
advance should be made. Adding this to previous advances
during the war period, a total of 45 per cent, is shown.

The Enginemen, Stokers, and Craftsmen’s Association held
its quarterly meeting in Cardiff on Saturday, and a report
was presented showing a large increase in membership, which
now totals nearly 7,000, the financial position being corre-
spondingly improved. To-day (Friday) a meeting with
employers’ representatives takes place, to dispose of questions
at issue.

North of England.

The Northumberland Aliners’ Association has decided to
postpone the further consideration of the question of absen-
teeism among workmen at the collieries in the county until
after the whole subject generally has been discussed at a
special conference of the Miners’ Federation of Great Britain,
to be held in the course of the next two or three weeks.

At a meeting of the Cumberland Coal Conciliation Board
at Workington, Mr. W. Graham presiding, the application
of the workmen for Is. a day advance on the standard wages

of day wage men, underground and surface men, was referred
to a special committee. The Board, upon the application for
a similar increase in the rate paid to hewers brought from
the face to work shift work, or in abnomal places, arrived
at no decision.

Some time ago, coal shippers complained to the Newcastle
Chamber of Commerce that the shipment of coal at some of
the local ports was being seriously minimised by the dis-
inclination of the trimmers and teemers to work sufficiently
long hours. The men denied that theirs was the blame, but,
anyhow, this matter is now being adjusted. The Biyth
trimmers and teemers, after consultation with the North-
Eastern Railway officials, have agreed to work from 6 a.m.
until 5 p.m., the time to be extended, where necessary to
complete the loading of a vessel, until 6 p.m. It has been
further agreed that, during the winter months, when ship-
ping is likely to be delayed by stormy weather, the trimmers
and teemers will work on Sundays upon the loading of all
classes of vessels, instead of only upon Admiralty work. At
the time of writing, the agreement only affects the port of
Blyth, but there is little doubt that it will be extended to
all local ports at which similar delay is complained of.

On Monday last, Mr. James E. Tully reported to the
North of England Steamship Owners’ Association that the
trimming committee had come to an agreement with the
trimmers’ representatives for an additional war bonus of 12J
per cent, on the trimming charges, making a total war bonus
since the commencement of the war of 32£ per cent. As the
previous general meeting had only authorised an increase of
10 per cent., (he asked for approval of the extra 2| per cent.
The association concurred.	•

Northumberland colliery mechanics, deputies, and engine-
men were granted, last Saturday, an advance of lid. per day,
as from October 30. Firemen received an increase of 19
per cent.

Scotland.

In the Scottish collieries recently, there has been a ten-
dency on the part of some of the colliery managers to increase
the number of men on the “ make-up ” system of payment.
This is being resented by the men, who feel that this is
simply an attempt on the part of these managers to keep
down wages to 'what is known as the standard wage, and,
at the same time, reduce working costs.

The Leadhills Mining Company, after at first refusing to
meet a deputation of the workers, have given an increase
to the miners of 2s. 6d. Four months have elapsed since
the claim on behalf of the workers was made.

The dispute between the doctors and miners of Fife still
remains unsettled. Despite the fact that the doctors inti-
mated the cancelling of the 1913 agreement, and of the intro-
duction of charging private fees for workers’ dependants,
several colliery companies retained the usual medical contri-
butions. This week those collections have ceased to be made
in those collieries. Several meetings of the workers have
been addressed on behalf of the doctors.

An agreement has been come to whereby females employed
at the Scottish collieries will receive Id. for every 3d. granted
as an increase to the miners; this increase to date from
August 22 last. Previously the females only received Id. for
every 6d. increase.

The Scottish Coal Trade Conciliation Board met at Glasgow
to discuss the miners’ claim for a further advance of 25 per
cent, on the 1888 basis, equivalent to Is. per day. This is
the eighth application since the -war began. The advances
already obtained aggregate 3s. per day, and have raised
the nominal day’s wage from 7s. to 10s. No agreement was
reached, and the meeting adjourned till November 14.

Iron, Steel and Engineering Trades.

Representatives of the Amalgamated Society of Railway
Vehicle Builders, Wheelwrights, Carpenters, and Mechanics
have met representatives of the Lancashire and Cheshire
coal owners tin conference, and it has been decided that a
further war bonus of 2s. a week shall be conceded to the
colliery tradesmen in the area. This addition makes the
total war bonus being paid 8s. 6d. per week above pre-war
rates of pay. The advance, according to the terms arranged,
will take effect from the 20th inst. The officials of the society
have also met the representatives of the Lancashire wagon
builders in London, with the result that an improved piece-
work list of prices has been negotiated and agreed upon, the
employers having also conceded an additional war bonus
payment of 2s. per week.

As ja result of arbitration between the employers and engi-
neering trades unions in Wolverhamption and district, the
Committee of Production have awarded a general advance
of 3s. per week on all time rates, including those of bonus
and pieceworkers, and an advance of 2} per cent, on all piece-
work prices. The award is to come into operation on the
first full pay-day after October 24. The award affects
practically the whole of the Black Country.

Mining in Queensland.—A feature of the new machinery
installed in the Queensland collieries in 1915 was the number
of oil engines used for driving fans, etc., in shafts situated
some distance from a steam plant. The oil engines intro-
duced were of 90 horse-power capacity. In the collieries
fans are now generally employed for ventilating and other
auxiliary purposes underground; only in antiquated places
is ventilation provided by furnaces. Considerable complaint
was made last year by the managers of the coal mines in
Queensland with regard to the quality and soundness of the
explosives used. In the Mining Report it is stated that 135
miss-fired shots were reported. It appears that only part
of the explosive detonates, the remainder burning in the
hole, and filling the shafts with dense noxious fumes.

Middlesbrough Iron and Steel Shipments.—Shipments of
iron and steel from the port of Middlesbrough during October
were not heavy, but they fulfilled expectation by totalling
92,018 tons, of which 53,610 tons were pig iron, 4,522 tons
•were manufactured iron, and 33,886 tons were steel. The
clearances of 53,610 tons of pig iron compare favourably
with the 44,969 tons despatched during the previous month,
and the 61,815 tons shipped in the month of October last
year. Of the pig iron loaded last month, 53,291 tons went
abroad, and 319 tons went to coastwise customers. France
was again the largest receiver, taking 40,930 tons, whilst
Italy was second with 6,421 tons; Spain received 3,000 tons,
and the United States of America 2,000 tons. Of the manu-
factured iron shipped last month, 1,739 tons went to foreign
ports, and 2,433 tons coastwise, India being the largest buyer
with an import of 651 tons; and of the steel cleared 33,561
tons went foreign and 325 tons coastwise. France was the
heaviest importer of steel, receiving 27,415 tons; other prin-
cipal customers were India 2,521 tons, and Italy 2,017 tons.