November 10, 1916. THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN 917 At Wednesday’s meeting of the Durham County Council, the resignation of Mr. Thos. Richardson, M.P. for White- haven, was received. It is understood that the pressure of Parliamentary and other public work has caused Mr. Richardson, who is usually regarded as one of the leaders of the Durham miners, to take this step. At the same meeting, the Education Committee’s decision to discontinue granting permission for any scholar to withdraw from attend- ance at school, unless qualified under the terms of the county by-laws, was approved, after an unsuccessful attempt had been made to secure its deletion in so far as it related to boys in industries other than mining. The question as to whether the habit of pit lads riding on tubs justified compensation being claimed in the event of an accident when so engaged, was the subject of legal argument at the Auckland County Court on Tuesday, when George Hardwick, of Witton Park, claimed compensation in respect of the death of his son, Michael, who was fatally injured at Messrs. Henry Stobart and Company’s colliery at Newton Cap on July 17. He had been riding on a tub, which over- turned, and he was so severely crushed that he died the same day. Mr. Heath, instructed by the Durham Miners’ Association, said that, as boys made a regular practice of riding on tubs, and were permitted to do so, the applicant was, he submitted, entitled to succeed. For the respondents, Mr. T. Richardson, barrister, said that the deceased was not driving on the day in question, and that only actual drivers were permitted to ride. Evidence was called to show that the deceased had been “ flatting,” had finished his shift, and was riding out-bye when the accident happened. The fore-overman said that the lad left his work five minutes before the end of the shift. Witness had only seen drivers in charge riding. The boys knew that they had no right to ride except when in charge. The judge held that, at the time of the accident, deceased was doing what he was not employed to do, and that, therefore, the award must be made for the respondents. Yorkshire. At the annual prize distribution in connection with the Hickleton Main Colliery last week, it was stated the war had to a certain extent interfered, but some of the lads had acknowledged the value of the classes in enabling them to obtain promotion. The work of the classes had helped some students to become n.c.o.’s, and one especially had gained the distinction of a captaincy in the Tunnelling Corps. There has been a gratifying falling-off, the last few months, in the number of accidents in the mines of South Yorkshire attributable to negligence. This circumstance was favourably commented upon last week by the Doncaster dis- trict coroner. Lancashire and Cheshire. Sinking operations at Lord Ellesmere’s Bridgewater (Sandhole) Collieries, Worsley, are being pushed forward. Half a dozen haulage boys have recently been killed in coal mines in the Manchester and Bolton districts, the latest victim being John Whitehead (15), of Elsie-street, Farn- worth, who was fatally crushed between tubs last Thursday at Lord Ellesmere’s No. 2 pit, Mosley Common Collieries. Amongst the men combed out of mines in the Manchester and Bolton areas are accountants, architects, bookmakers, boxers, carpenters, painters, plasterers, insurance agents, publicans, etc. North Wales. Simon-Carves Limited, of Manchester, have just com- pleted the cementation of the two shafts of the Llay Hall Colliery, Wrexham, North Wales, where excellent results have been achieved. Both the upcast and downcast shafts, which were originally giving off large feeders of water, have been carefully treated, and the brickwork and tubbing made quite dry. The pumping of the shaft water has now been dispensed with, and the only water now to be handled is that coming from the underground workings. A large saving in boiler consumption, better ventilation, and increased output has been obtained by the improvement, and the work has been carried out without the slightest interruption with the coal drawing. The neighbouring colliery of Rhosddu, owned by the Wrex- ham and Acton Collieries Limited, have just placed a similar contract with Simon-Carves Limited, for the treatment of their shafts, where very considerable feeders of water have been coming from the tubbing. Simon-Carves Limited were also the contractors for the freezing and sinking through the loose grounds for the Llay Main Collieries Limited at their new shafts in North Wales. Notts and Derbyshire. Mr. John W. Chambers, of Chapeltown, who for the last few years has held the position of assistant manager at the Parkgate Drift Colliery of Messrs. Newton, Chambers and Company Limited, has been appointed underground manager of the Tibshelf Collieries, belonging to the Babbington Coal Company, Alfreton. The Midlands. At Sedgley Police Court on Monday, the stipendiary ordered a number of miners to pay damages varying from £5 to £1 for staying away from their work at the Crown Meadow Colliery. In one instance, a road was left standing because one of the defendants did not put in an appearance, while another man left the pit without notice or permission. Several of the men complained that they sometimes had to lose a day’s pay because there was no work for them. The stipendiary said it was impossible for men in these times to plead ignorance of the national necessitities.—A large number of men were convicted at the Shifnal Court, and heavy fines were inflicted. Mr. Crowther Davies (magis- trate) said he had had similar cases before, and they were determined they would, to the best of their power, assist employers to obtain the greatest possible output of coal. In these days it was as much the duty of a workman to put his full nower into his work as it was for the man who was serving his country in bearing arms. Kent. Good progress was again made last week with the deep sinking in No. 2 pit at Snowdown Colliery, the pit being taken down from 2,663 ft. to 2,687| ft., a distance of 24| ft. The sinking was still through clunch and bind. The 6 ft. 9 in. seam was struck at 2,750 ft. in the borehole which proved it, or about 63 ft. lower than the shaft has now been sunk. Sandstone will probably soon be met again, and reduce the weekly rate of sinking. The output of coal at Tilmanstone Colliery last week was 2,526 tons. The amount of coal raised at Snowdown Colliery was also between 2,500 and 2,600 tons, and on one day over 500 tons was brought to bank, which made a day “ record ” for this colliery. The East Kent Colliery Company notified shareholders in June of the desirability of additional capital. A recent circular intimates that the amount subscribed is £5,000, one- fifth of the sum which the directors asked for, Scotland. Colliery Managers and Mr. Smillie — Colliery Flooded— Decreased Fife Shipments—Football and Absenteeism. A meeting of the Scottish branch of the National Associa- tion of Colliery Managers was held on Saturday evening in the Heriot-Watt College, Edinburgh. Mr. J. Buchanan, Woodhall Colliery, asked if there was any intention on the part of the council to contradict the statement which Mr. Smillie had made to the effect that there had been a con- siderable loss of output through lack of facilities on the part of colliery managers. To his (the speaker’s) mind, a statement of the kind Mr. Smillie had made was a down- right insult to as patriotic a body of men as were to be found in the country. Colliery managers had done as much for the country in the present crisis as any miners’ leader, and, personally, he resented the insinuation very keenly indeed. — Mr. J. Boyd (Kilsyth) said he had heard Mr. Smillie make the remark which the previous speaker had rightly objected to. Notice ought also to be taken by the association of the statement made by Mr. Stephen Walsh, M.P., to the effect that when a miner, by dint of his exer- tions, produced an additional ton of coal, the manager was speedily on the scene with an intimation that the tonnage rate would be reduced to the extent of 3d. or 4d. He had felt aggrieved that there was no one in that huge conference who was in the position to defend the colliery manager from these attacks and insinuations. — The chairman affirmed that colliery managers were firmly imbued with the idea of main- taining and, indeed, increasing the output. It was nonsense at this time of day to say that managers would throw obstacles in the way of coal getting. Mr. Smillie’s state- ment had been carefully considered by the council of the branch, and they had come to the conclusion that it was one which called for an emphatic public protest from the colliery managers of Scotland.—The meeting unanimously passed a resolution warmly protesting against the reflection Mr. Smillie had passed on colliery managers generally. The management of the Donibristle Colliery, Fifeshire, has been unable to drain the water out of the Earl’s Court mine. The continued wet weather flooded the workings, and the ordinary pumping machinery has not been able to cope with it. It is understood that the mine will be shut down for a considerable time. The shipments of coal at the Fife ports are very low at present. As exported mineral is bringing very much higher prices than coal sent to the home markets—high as the latter prices are—the falling-off in the export is said to be due to the scarcity of steam tonnage. With the strong demand for coal in the home markets, all the pits are kept at work, with the exception of one or two collieries in the west of Fife, such as Rosebank, where the men often of late have been getting only about half-working time. Complaints are being made by coal masters throughout Stirlingshire that on Saturdays, when any important football match is taking place in the neighbourhood, practically 50 per cent, of the workmen employed in the colliery are absent from their work. They suggest that, in their opinion, it may be possible for the workmen to be allowed to start work on such occasions one hour sooner in the morning. Returns from all the collieries throughout Midlothian and Haddingtonshire show that 17 districts out of 20 have accepted the recommendation put before them by the Lothian Miners’ Association to have no further dealings with the doctors by payment of weekly subscriptions through the colliery offices, but to have instead a fund contributed to and managed personally by the colliery workmen, from which the medical attendance accounts rendered by the doctors will be met. Two shale miners pleaded guilty at Linlithgow Sheriff Court to a charge of having matches in their possession in Rosshill Shale Mine, Dalmeny. Sheriff Macleod said he had threatened before to send men guilty of this offence to gaol. He repeated that warning. Meantime, he would deal with these cases by a fine of £2. At the Justiciary Appeal Court, Edinburgh, William Hutton appealed against his conviction by Sheriff-Substitute Umpherston, Dunfermline, on a charge of having, in October 1915, falsely claimed compensation under the Workmen’s Compensation Act from his employers, the Oakley Collieries Limited, in respect of an injury by accident, alleged to have been sustained by him in the previous September. The nature of the injury sustained was said to be “ bruised side.” The Sheriff-Substitute decided that the injury was caused by falling from a wall when seeking a wasp’s nest, and sentenced Hutton to 60 days’ imprisonment. This con- viction was quashed by the Appeal Court, which ordered pay- ment of 10 gs. expenses, holding that the Sheriff-Substitute did not find it proved in fact whether the accident in the pit took -dace or not, and that the narration of the evidence was quite consistent with the appellant having been injured by the falling stone in the pit. Sir John Wilson, presiding at the annual meeting of Wilsons and Clyde Coal Company in Glasgow, said the output of their collieries individually had not been main- tained, owing to the miners lying idle and taking too many holidays. The Scottish miners had obtained the largest rise in the United Kingdom since the war, the result being tha-t the general average of every person, including boys, work- ing underground, was Ils. per day. Pit committees should have power to fine those who, without sufficient cause, went idle. If miners would work as they did when there was no war, more than double the nation’s additional requirements would be produced. The Minister of Munitions has established a central clear- ing house organisation in the Ministry, for the purpose of bracing and registering machinery which is idle oir about to become idle. INDIAN AND COLONIAL NOTES. Africa. South African Coal Trade.—The coal trade of South Africa during the first six months of the year has shown a normal increase, despite the war, and at the time of writing may be regarded as being more promising than in any future period of its history. If we take the figures of the output of sale- able coal in the Transvaal Province, we find that for the six months ending June 30 last the total coal sold reached 2,919,105 tons, as compared with 2,739,234 tons during the six months ended December 1915, an increase of 179,871 tons. Regarding prices, however, there is practically no change, the average selling price at the pits in December and June last being 4s. 4d. per ton. It is pleasing, however, to know that since Junie 30 last, when many low-priced contracts expired, there has been a marked stiffening in prices. In the Province of Natal, which ranks second to the Transvaal as a coal producing province, a similar encouraging state of affairs exists. During the six months ending June 30 last the total saleable coal output reached 1,494,134 tons, as com- pared with 1,238,730 tons for the preceding six months, but what isi equally encouraging is the fact that the average selling price at