November 24, 1916.

THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN.

1021

which Durham died was very difficult to connect with the
old injury, although the doctor thought it probable that the
epileptic fits from which deceased had suffered were due to
the blow, and, although these fits were not the cause of death,
they might have lowered his vitality and indirectly affected
the cerebral blood vessels, so that he became prone to rupture
of a vessel in the brain. In the case of Owen Owens, 30,
hewer at Easington, who was killed by a fall of stone, in
respect of which fatality his widow claimed £271 14s., the
claim had been adjourned to give the owners a chance to
prove that Mrs. Owens’ former husband was still alive. This
the owners failed to do, and the full claim was admitted.
Few of the non-fatal cases call for any detailed mention.
Jos. Hewitt, 15, driver at Marsden, alleged that he sprained
his wrist whilst pushing a tub in April last year, from which
injury he is still off work. The doctor, however, was very
positive that there was no connection between the accident
and Hewitt’s present condition, and the miners dropped the
claim. Matthew Peel, 34, hewrer at Brandon, suffering from
nystagmus, was certified fit for light work in stacking timber
in August last. Peel informed the committee that he was
able and willing to do that work, but that the work given to
him was quite different to that stated in the reference. This
was proved, and compensation at the full rate was awarded.
Geo. Alderson, 72, wasteman and caller, was calling the
workmen at West Cornforth at 2.30 a.m. on August 22, and,
when walking along the road, was knocked down by a motor-
car. The owners refused to pay compensation, alleging that
the owner of the car was the person liable. The claim was
allowed.

Tonnage difficulties at the Tyne were, on Tuesday last at
Newcastle, the topic of discussion by a meeting of local coal
exporters doing business with French and Mediterranean
ports. Merchants are at present experiencing considerable
difficulty in securing tonnage, especially for Italian ports
which come under the restricted freights scheme, and whilst
much of this arises from the general tonnage shortage, the
excessive detention of vessels at discharging ports abroad,
and questions respecting increased insurance demanded for
neutral vessels employed on Allied account, it is affirmed that
the manner in which the Local Coal Exports Committee is
allocating vessels to merchants is responsible, in some degree,
for the hampering of shipments. Under these circumstances,
it is understood that ship brokers are asking to be allowed
to secure their own boats on the open market, afterwards
submitting the fixtures for the sanction of the committee.
It is argued that this course would facilitate business very
considerably, by loosening the red tape which hampers
operations just now.

Cumberland.

The iron ore mines in the Eskdale district which were
closed about three years ago when the old railway, “ Auld
Rattie,” ceased to run, have recently been re-started. There
is a good supply of excellent iron ore, but the chief difficulty
has been the cost of tits removal. The new railway now runs
to Beckfoot, which is only about a mile away, and contracts
have been made with the farmers in the district to cart the
ore from the mine to the station.

Yorkshire.

“A Smokeless Leeds, with a Profit of £500,000 a Year,”
was the subject of an address delivered by Dr. S. F. Dufton,
D.Sc., H.M. inspector of secondary schools in the West
Riding, before the Leeds Luncheon Club on Monday. Mr.
W. D. Helps, a well-known fuel engineer, presided. Dr.
Dufton said his suggestion of a smokeless city and the equiva-
lent of 4s. or 5s. off the rates might make some of the level-
headed Leeds business men smile. The abolition of smoke,
and an enormous cash saving could be brought about by
simply distilling coal before burning it, and at the present
time everything combined to make such a reform practicable.
If adopted throughout the country, there would be a saving of
£100,000,000 per year. Quite apart from the war, the ordi-
nary increase in the price of coal had induced more care in
the use of fuel, and the advent of the simple and convenient
internal combustion engine had created a growing demand
and bigger prices for petrol, benzol, and fuel oil. Dr.
Dufton said our normal import of petrol was 100,000,000 gals,
per year, but we sent up our chimneys at least 500,000,000
gals, of petrol in the form of smoke, and this was only one
of the valuable by-products of coal which were wasted
riotously in the combustion of the open fire grate. At Is.
per gal., this wasted petrol was worth £25,000,000 a year.
The waste in ammonia was still worse, because ammonia
gave out no heat, and as every ton of coal burned might yield
about 2s.‘ worth of ammonia, we sent up the chimney from
£40,000,000 to £50,000,000 worth of ammonia per year. A
quarter of that could be retained by low temperature
distillation.

A committee to deal with absenteeism in West Yorkshire
is being arranged by the Yorkshire Miners’ Association and
the coal owners.

At Doncaster, when several miners were summoned for
neglecting work, and serious complaints were made of slack-
ing in Yorkshire collieries, it was explained that the miners
had been under the erroneous impression that the officials of
their county association only required them to work five days
a week morning shifts, and four days a week afternoon
shifts, and would refuse to have any dealings with men who
only “ played ” once a week. Officials of the Yorkshire
Miners’ Association strongly repudiated any such statement,
intimating that they expected every miner to work all the
shifts he is physically capable of. It is hoped that the
clearing up of this misunderstanding will prevent any further
slacking.

Lancashire and Cheshire.

The mining classes held at the Walkden Technical School
under the auspices of the Worsley Higher Education Com-
mittee, owing to the sparse attendance, are to be dis-
continued.

Vice-Chancellor Stewart Smith, sitting in the Lancashire
Chancery Court at Liverpool on Tuesday, heard an application
(on petition) for the sanction of the court to an extension
of the memorandum and articles of association of the Hulton
Colliery Company Limited. Mr. Baxter, for the company,
said the object was to enable the company, instead of entirely
selling its products to consumers and gas companies, to
manufacture gas, to generate electricity, and to extract the
by-products. The company was established in the year
1886, and had been highly successful. There were two
collieries, one at Hulton Park, near Bolton, and the other at
Crompton, near Prescot, about nine miles from Liverpool,
which had been acquired recently. For several years the
company’s experts had been conducting experiments with
its coal for the purpose of ascertaining what kind of by-pro-
ducts could be obtained, and the possibility of turning those

to commercial advantage. As a result of those experiments,
the company thought the time had come when they ought to
do what was being done by many other colliery companies,
and extend its operations in the direction of generating and
supplying electricity and gas to local authorities and neigh-
bouring works, as well as for the consumption on their own
premises, and dispose of the numerous by-products. There
was no intention to take up roads or lay mains outside the
company’s works, the local body being prepared to take a
supply of electricity for the company’s gateway into its own
mains. Nor was it proposed to apply for compulsory powers
such as would necessitate an Act of Parliament or an Order
of the Board of Trade, because the company was advised
that it did not come within the Electric Lighting and Supply
Acts.. The application was opposed by the Atherton Urban
District Council and a number of lessees. His Honour said
he must confirm the resolution, but that would not prejudice
the rights of outsiders.

Notts and Derbyshire.

At the annual meeting of branch secretaries of the National
Association of Colliery Deputies in Derby on Saturday last
(Mr. J. Clarke presiding), the general secretary reported that
negotiations were proceeding most satisfactorily for the
amalgamation of their association with the Notts Under-
Managers and Deputies’ Association, and the only issue to
determine was- whether the Notts old-age pension scheme
should be continued. He congratulated the Ripley delegates
on having secured a uniform rate of wages for deputies at
the Butterley Company’s pits. When they were amalga-
mated with the Derbyshire Miners’ Association there would
be no deputies or miners out of the union, especially in face
of the triple alliance. Unanimous approval was given to the
following resolution :—That we approach the Coal Owners’
Association in our area and ask for a minimum rate of wages,
as suggested by the Clay Cross branch, namely—(1) A
minimum basis rate of 60s., plus 10 per cent, per week of
the current percentage and war bonus, to be added or
deducted as per the miners; (2) all overtime to be paid for,
and time-and-a-half to be paid for wrork done between 6 p.m.
Saturday and 10 p.m. Sunday; (3) during sickness full wage
to be paid for three months ; (4) in case of accident, full
wages to be paid for three months, less £1 per week com-
pensation; (5) 10 days’ holiday per year to be allowed, they
.to be mutually arranged; (6) 14 casual holidays to be allowed
each year, these to be balanced against the number of days
overtime worked and the difference to be paid quarterly as a
bonus; (7) better quality of coal to be allowed, and this at
the rate of one ton per month; (8) permission and encourage-
ment to approach the manager at each and any colliery
through the general secretary of our association, and lay
before him any grievance.

The Midland branch of the Association of Mining Elec-
trical Engineers held the first meeting of the new session at
the University College, Nottingham, on Saturday. Mr.
E. E. Beadsmore, of Pinxton (vice-president) was in the
chair, owing to the absence of Mr. L. G. F. Routledge, of
Eastwood (president), who is on active service. Prior to
the election of officers for the ensuing year, the chairman paid
a tribute to the president, who had occupied the position for
three years, and to the hon. secretary (Mr. E. R. Hudson)
for the valuable services they had rendered to the branch.
Officers were elected as follow :—President, Mr. A. R. Davis,
Mansfield; vice-presidents, Mr. F. Church, Tibshelf, and
Mr. C. J. Fox, Beeston; hon. secretary and treasurer, Mr.
E. R. Hudson, Ilkeston. Branch council : Mr. F. W.
Rowley, Eastwood; Mr. W. Wyness, Clipstone; Mr. J. E.
Humble, Warsop; and Mr. E. E. Beadsmore, with the
president, vice-presidents, and secretary, ex-officio members.
Auditors, Mr. F. Smith, Pinxton, and Mr. F. W. Rowley.
Three new members were elected. It was announced that
the association had awarded a prize to Mr. R. A. 'Sheldon,
electrical instructor at the Nottingham University College
(who is a member of the branch), for his paper on “ Elec-
tricity as a Haulage and Winding Powrer in Mines,” which
he read during last session at a joint meeting of the branch
and the Nottingham Society of Engineers. It was decided
to hold the next meeting at Mansfield. A discussion took
place on a paper, entitled “ Some Electrical Troubles and
their Remedies,” by Mr. Thomas Anderson, a member of
the West of Scotland branch.

The Midlands.

The annual business meeting of the South Staffordshire
and East Worcestershire Colliery Under-Managers’ Associa-
tion was held at Dudley on Saturday. A short summary of
the year’s work was given by Mr. A. E. Fellows (secretary),
showing that the meetings had been successful from the
social and educational standpoint. Members had been
brought into closer contact, and had been able to exchange
views on colliery management, which had been helpful to
them. It was decided that in future representatives of the
Press should be invited to the meetings. The following
officers were elected :—President, Mr. T. Tranter; vice-presi-
dent, Mr. B. Haynes; treasurer, Mr. A. Cartwright; 'secre-
taries, Messrs. A. E. Fellows and W. Garratt. A strong
working committee was also" elected.

Kent

Tilmanstone Colliery output of coal last week was over
2,600 tons.

Hard stone bind was mainly encountered in the deep sink-
ing in No. 2 pit at Snowdown Colliery last week, and the
distance sunk during the wrnek was 20 ft.—from 2,706 ft. to
2,726 ft. The 6 ft. 9 in. seam was struck at 2,750 ft. in the
boring, and, with anything like good fortune, it should be
opened out in the deep sinking this week end or early next
week, as 24 ft. of sinking will reach that depth. The open-
ing out of this seam, and the result of the tests of the coal
in bulk, are looked forward to with very great interest
throughout the coal field. The analysis of the borehole
sample was excellent, but the most important point is whether
it is a hard, good travelling coal. Should it prove so, it would
be of the utmost value to the coal field. From the 4 ft. 6 in.
Beresford seam at the Snowdown Colliery a weekly output
of well over 2,500 tons weekly is being maintained, and
finds a ready demand.

Scotland.

Forming a Colliery Managers' Union—Question of Mer-
chants' Remuneration—Naked Lights—Action Regard-
ing Railway Charges.

Mr. John Paul, general manager of Lochgelly Iron and
Coal Company, has been elected Provost of the Burgh of
Lochgelly.

In connection with the claim by the Leadhills miners for

an increase of Is. per day, the manager has met the depu-
tation, and has pointed out that the firm could not give any
further concessions.

The opening meeting for the session of the East of Scot-
land branch of the Association of Mining Electrical Engi-
neers was held on Friday evening of last week at
Dunfermline, when Mr. N. A. Wilkie, one of the agents
of the Fife Coal Company, delivered the presidential address.

A largely attended meeting of Scottish colliery managers
was held on Saturday in the Christian Institute, Glasgow,
when it was unanimously agreed to form a Colliery
Managers’ Union. The new organisation is to be on lines
similar to the Colliery Under-Managers’ Association, and
aims at an improvement in the status and remuneration of
its members.

Archibald Laird Robertson (50), miner, Charles-street,
Kilsyth, was instantly killed in St. Flannan’s Colliery, while
two other workmen sustained minor injuries at the same
time. The men, who were preparing a seat for an electric
engine, had been blasting previously, and had gone back to
see if the roof required propping, when a fall of debris took
place.

The stormy nature of the weather had an adverse effect
upon the Fife coal shipping trade, and this was accentuated
by the occurrence of official darkness, which practically
reduces the tides to one per day, so far as arrivals of sail-
ings are concerned. The value of trade done shows a heavy
shrinkage in exports, the combined shipments from Methil
and Burntisland having dropped to 38,827 tons, as against
51,831 tons for the previous week.

Representatives of the Scottish coal merchants and factors
met the Scottish District Coal and Coke Supplies Committee
in Glasgow on Monday, to discuss the Board of Trade repre-
sentations in regard to the remuneration charged by mer-
chants. It was agreed to appoint a representative com-
mittee to consider the whole subject without delay and report
to the district committee, with a view to a further meeting.
The position of coal hawkers was also considered.

Messrs. Speirs Limited, 13, Blythswocd-square, Glasgow,
specialists in timber framed buildings, whose system of con-
struction has been introduced for workshops and stores at
many of the more modern collieries throughout Scotland, have
been chosen as contractors, for the re-building of Dixmude
and other towns in Belgium which have been devastated
by the war. The choice of the “ Speirsesque ” type of build-
ing construction in Belgium is the outcome of a Light Build-
ings Exhibition recently held in Paris.

For leaving a canister containing 4 lb. of compressed
powder by the side of a roadway underground, John
Cumming, miner, Cowdenbeath, was at Dunfermline Court
fined £2, or 20 days’ imprisonment. It appeared Cumming
was proceeding to his working place, when he encountered a
fall. He left his canister at the side of the road, and went
to sea the oversman. The oversman, when he saw him,
told him to go home, with the result that he forgot his
explosives. The Sheriff remarked that there was nothing in
a pit that a person should be more careful with than
explosives.

The management of Wilsons and Clyde Company’s Miln-
wood Colliery intimated by notice at the pit bank that naked
lights were to be substituted for safety lamps, and that a
reduction of l|d. per ton would take place in the ton rsttes.
The miners, while preferring the naked lamps, refused to
accept the reduction. The union officials met the manage-
ment, and it agreed to make no change meanwhile. The
general manager is now insisting on the change taking place,
holding that when safety lamps were introduced an increase
in ton rate was granted.

A complaint from Ayrshire is being made against the unfair
share received by that county of the high-priced shipping coal.
The complaint states :—“ Prices for land sale coal are fixed
by the Price of Coal (Limitation) Act at 4s. a ton above the
prices of 1913. For shipping coal there is no restriction,
and very high prices have been got—at times nearly 30s. a
ton more than for land sale. In order to secure that every-
body did not sell all his coal at the high prices for shipping,
leaving none for the ordinary wants of the country, the Board
of Trade appointed a committee of coal masters to allocate
the quantity of shipping coal which, each district should send.
Presumably, they expected that this committee would act
fairly by everybody, and wmuld see that each colliery got its
fair share of the high-priced shipping coal. Unfortunately,
however, the coal masters forming the committee took a
wrong view of their position. Instead of looking on them-
selves as being impartial judges, each man apparently has
acted as a delegate for the district by which he was appointed.
Out of the committee of five, there are three Fife coal
masters, and Fife has secured a lion’s share of the high-
priced stuff—so much so that for the month of August
Fife’s average price is nearly 4s. above that got in Ayrshire.”
The result is that several Ayrshire pits are losing money.

The First Division of the Court of Session disposed of a
re-claiming note for the defenders in the action by the North
British Railway Company against the Niddrie and Benhar
Coal Company for £533, which was alleged to be due in
respect of the carriage of coal from Niddrie to South Leith,
North Leith, and Granton for shipment. Pursuers stated
that from 1913 the rate in the company’s wagons was 9fd.
per ton, and traders’ wagons 7fd. The defenders resisted
payment, on the ground that by arrangement between the
parties entered into in October i912 it was agreed that the
rates for coal to Leith and Granton for shipment should be
reduced to 9|d. and 7|d. respectively. The sum sued for
represented the difference between these rates. The
defenders stated that the pursuers were anxious to enter into
an agreement with the defenders to induce them to refrain
from supporting the Bill promoted to authorise the construc-
tion of railways in the Lothians with the object of securing
cheaper railway rates. In their answers, the pursuers stated
that the reduction in 1912 was from ll|d. and 9|d. to 9|d.
and 7|d., and that in consequence of increased cost of work-
ing, railway companies in Scotland and England put
increased rates in operation as from July 1913. the increase
in the case of defenders being |d. per ton. The pursuers
denied that they were anxious to enter into an arrangement
with the defenders in 1912 as alleged, and maintained that
there was no stipulation in that agreement that the rates then
fixed were to continue for 10 years, as contended by defenders.
Lord Hunter had granted decree for the sum sued for, with
expenses. The Division adhered to that judgment, with
additional expenses. Their lordships held that the clause on
which defenders founded contained no reference -to the time
during which the reduced rates were to continue, and that
otherwise it was unlikely that the railway company would
stereotype the rates as was contended by the defenders.