670

THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN.

April 5, 1917.

want to know what wages they were going to receive.
Some of them had, no doubt, noticed that the minimum
wage which was to be paid to those who laboured on
the land was 25s. a week, and a subsistence allowance
of 2s. 6d. a day when they had to live away from their
homes. Some might think that was an extravagant
wage; he was glad to think he was not one of that
number. He thought, on the whole, it was a very
moderate wage, and he would suggest to Mr. Neville
Chamberlain that, if he approved, they should under-
take to see that the men they sent for training should
receive, say, 25s. a week, and that after they had been
trained they should either be paid the wages which
were paid for labour of a similar kind in the districts
in which they were employed, or, better still, if they
could work it out, that they should be paid on results,
namely, piece-work. He could only say from his own
experience in Scotland as a land agent, and where
they had cut a very large quantity of timber, they
found after a fortnight or three weeks’ training they
had been able to get men who could make a very good
wage indeed by being paid by results—so much a tree.
“We benefited as they benefited,” added Mr. Turner,
and he saw no reason why something of the same sort
should not be carried out under the National Service
scheme. If they would only undertake in their
different counties and districts in England to find the
men who would train the National Volunteers, he
would then undertake, on behalf of Mr. Neville
Chamberlain, to make a special appeal for at least
10,000 men to volunteer for work in the woodlands of
England for the cutting and conversion of timber.

Direct Supply of Pit Props.

Gen. Sir Ivon Herbert, M.P., said he would venture
to ask a question which affected South Wales, where
their position was rather peculiar, because it was in
South Wales that they consumed a very large amount
of timber in the form of pitwood. It had occurred to
him and to others who were interested in colliery pro-
duction and in the production of timber, that if the
two interests could be brought together on the spot,
and deal direct with one another, they would probably
be relieving Sir Bampfylde Fuller of some of his work,
and getting on more rapidly with the objects which Sir
Bampfylde and those interested in colliery and timber
production had in view. He therefore put the ques-
tion, proceeded Sir Ivor Herbert, whether there would
be any objection on his part to their communicating
and dealing direct—that was to say, the owners of
woodlands dealing direct with the association which he
understood had been set up by colliery owners to secure
the supplies of pitwood which they required. In his
own personal experience, he had had several communi-
cations with those gentlemen already, and he knew
they were very anxious to be able to deal with the
owners of woodlands if they possibly could. Another
point was that in Wales they had a sort of idea that
they could manage their own business much better
than any Government department could manage it for
them.

Sir Bampfylde Fuller replied that he was in a very
curious position, because he could not really make any
engagement off his own bat. He would do his best to
facilitate any private arrangement between landed
proprietors and pit owners. He thought that was
most desirable. As a matter of fact, they were in com-
munication now with a certain group of South Wales
nit owners with reference to this particular question.
He understood arrangements had been made to find
the labour—some 3,000 men. If they could by arrange-
ment with private land owners find the timber, cut it
down, and transport it, his authority would be limited
to giving it his blessing.

Sir Ivor Herbert said they could answer for finding
the labour and doing the work if they were only
allowed to carry the thing through, and if they could
have the sympathetic help of Sir Bampfylde Fuller so
as to get over the difficulties which arose from multi-
plication of departments, because, of course, they
would be up against the National Service and other
departments.

The Difficulty of Transport.

The Earl of Ancaster said from his own experience,
which had been considerable, he had discovered that
one of the greatest difficulties in marketing timber at
the present moment was the question of transport. He
did not know whether the Government would see their
way to allow a greater number of steam or motor
tractors or Army horses which might at the present
moment be standing idle, in order to carry the timber
from woods and plantations to the railway station. He
knew in many cases lack of transport had been of great
detriment to wood merchants beginning on woods, and
also to private owners employing their own men, and
cutting down woods and marketing the timber. Was
it possible to some extent to utilise the waterways of
this country? He was prepared to float a good many
trees down the river if he might have the assurance
that when they reached the town where the railway
station was situated they would not be stolen by some-
body who wished them for firewood. He did not think
the trees would suffer any great detriment by the
journey downstream, as he had seen them go over the
waterfalls in Norway a great deal higher than any
waterfall in Scotland. If there was to be a dilution
of labour, he thought they should take a certain
number of trained woodmen, put some 40 or 50 men
under each of them, and put them to the simpler risk
of cutting pitwood.

Sir Bampfylde Fuller said he would go into the
question of waterways, which, he thought, was pro-
bably a matter of great importance. With regard to
the waste of time by tribunals, it seemed that nothing
could be done to stop it, Touching labour, there was

a general idea that man-power was the thing to get.
It was thought that if we could get numbers we could
get results; but, of course, we could not. As Mr.
Harling Turner had said, they had to provide for
training these men, and, of course, when trained, they
would not be fit for the higher fields of forestry. Do
not let them criticise too severely at the beginning; let
them see what they could do. They had to get over
these difficulties somehow.

Mr. Harling Turner said it could be made perfectly
clear that men engaged in forestry were not to be
called up, in the same way as was done in the case of
men employed in agriculture.

Local Assistance.

Mr. H. J. Elwes commenced his observations by
saying how very much he felt indebted, as represent-
ing the Royal English Arboricultural Society, to Mr.
Duchesne, and he had the pleasure of speaking on
behalf of everyone connected with that body. He felt
sure that everybody connected with woodlands would
agree with his testimony to the enormous debt of grati-
tude they owed to Mr. Duchesne for the trouble he
had taken, not only in war time, but for many years
previously, to do everything in his power—and he had
done more than any man in England—to organise and
assist in the very difficult task of bringing out English
timber production on to a more commercial and
economic basis. He could say no two men had been of
so much value, of so much assistance, both on legal
points and on technical points, as Mr. Duchesne and
Mr. Leslie Wood had been to the Royal English Arbori-
cultural Society, and he hoped that their services
would never be forgotten. Mr. Elwes thought they
would welcome with the heartiest goodwill the remarks
of Sir Bampfylde Fuller. The really great difficulty
in all parts of the country where he had recently seen
timber operations going on was not the difficulty of
getting trees cut, but getting them converted and
transported. The English timber trade had been com-
pletely revolutionised, if not destroyed, by the war.
Nearly all the expert men who used to do the work
had been taken by the Army. Enormous quantities of
timber were lying all over England, which was bought
and paid for in some cases a year and a year and a-half
ago, and which could not be moved for want of horses
and men. Even though engines, horses, and men were
available for converting that timber on the ground, or
removing it to where it could be, as a rule, much more
profitably converted, namely, in an up-to-date saw
mill, with proper staffs running day and night, that
timber was wasting and spoiling, and deteriorating in
value every day. The difficulties were not the diffi-
culties of finding the men to cut it, but of finding the
really competent men. He wished to emphasise that
if this business was to be carried on in the way in which
they hoped and believed it would be, it could not be
done without machinery, horses, and competent men to
run it. With regard to the question of pit props, on
which Sir Ivor Herbert had already spoken, they had
already been in communication with the committee
representing a large proportion of the South Wales
coal owners, and they were, he believed, prepared to
deal direct with the owners of woodlands. He had no
doubt the latter would be able to deal with them on a
very large scale if the collierv owners would overcome
the difficulty of transport. If the Government depart-
ment would send them able-bodied men, who were will-
ing, thev would be able—as had, in fact, been proved
—in a short time to train them to cut pit prons, and
supply all the pit props that were wanted, if they
could only get them away. He thought there were
many details which they could only settle in confer-
ence, and if Sir Bampfylde would call them together,
he was sure there were many others who would be able
to help in various ways.

Mr. Godfrey Lipscomb, the president of the Land
Agents’ Society, said he was glad to have an oppor-
tunity of saying a few words on behalf of the society,
because the majority of those present were o-entlemen
interested in the management of land, and. therefore,
well versed in the problems under discussion. That
meeting showed that the land owners they represented
and land agents themselves were only too anxious to
co-operate with the Government in any scheme that
might be put forward in the interests of the country.
They were anxious to know in what direction thev
could help. So far as many of them were concerned,
they had been taking the kind of steps outlined by Sir
Bampfylde Fuller for manv months, and some of them
during the whole course of the war—that was to say,
buying as little foreign timber as possible, using as
much home-grown timber as they could for farm
repairs, and selling all possible timber for pit props.
With regard to the remarks that had been made as to
direct dealing with collieries, he thought it had been
the intention and wish of most land owners to, as far
as possible, dispense with middlemen, and sell pit-
wood direct to the collieries. The difficulty in the
matter which they all met with was, first of all, the
difficulty of depleted staffs for the cutting of pitwood,
and, secondly, the almost impossible task of getting
timber delivered to the collieries, even when only a
few miles away, or to the railway. Those were huge
and practical difficulties which had to be dealt with.
One hoped that the lessons we had learnt in recent
vears would not be forgotten, and that the treatment
in the past of agriculture and forestry would not be
repeated. As the former must be assured of profit,
so the land owner must not be asked to grow timber at
a known loss in the future. The Land Agents’ Society
was onlv anxious to offer on behalf of their chiefs and
themselves every possible assistance to the Govern-
ment.

A hearty vote of thanks was accorded to Sir Bamp-
fylde Fuller for his presence and his address, the

President observing that they would do their best to
assist him in any way in their power in the extremely
difficult undertaking which had been put upon his
shoulders.

In connection with colliery requirements, the lion,
secretary of the English Forestry Association informs
us that he is desirous of ascertaining the wants of
individual collieries, and will do his best to put them
into communication with, estates on which there is
available timber.

NEW COALING PLANT FOR DURBAN.

On February 9 the new coaling plant erected by
Messrs. Fraser and Chalmers to the order of the South
African Railways Administration was formally
opened, in the presence of a large company of the
leading citizens of Durban and Johannesburg. The
company were entertained to luncheon at the Marino
Hotel, where interesting speeches were made. The
Mayor (Mr. J. H. Nicolson) presided, and he was
supported, at the top table, by Sir W. W. Hoy, Sir
Thomas Hyslop, Sir J. Liege Hulett, Sir Marshal]
Campbell, Sir A. K. Murray, Mr. James Henderson,
M.L.A., Mr. W. F. Johnstone, Capt. Sa Carneirio,
Mr. W. H. Haig, Mr. R. H. Wisely, Mr. D. A.
Hendrie, Mr. J. H. Taylor (Mayor of Maritzburg),
and Mr. W. J. O’Brien; while at the end of the three
tables were Mr. C. G. Smith, Mr. D. Calder, and
Mr. Walter Greenacre.

The following account is condensed from the South
African Mining Journal: —

The luncheon over, the loyal toast was heartily
drunk, and the Mayor of Durban then proposed
“ Success to the New Coaling Plant,” and in doing
so stated that such an occasion could not be allowed
to pass without expressing the town’s indebtedness to
Messrs. Fraser and Chalmers Limited for giving them
the opportunity of celebrating the opening of the new
coaling plant, which was a very fine installation for
Durban. They had always realised the importance to
South Africa, he added, of its coaling industry, not
only from the commercial point of view. But the war
had emphasised the importance of large supplies of
coal being available, and they therefore welcomed the
establishment of a coaling plant of this description,
because they realised that one of the important factors
in the prosperity of Durban was the prosperity of the
coaling industry. They regarded the installation of
this new plant as a step forward in the march of
progress that the port was making. They were glad
that day to have with them Sir Thomas Hyslop, one
of the Railway Commissioners. He had been telling
Sir Thomas Hyslop that Durban did not see as much
of the railway authorities as it would like. The
Mayor also welcomed the inland visitors, and in pro-
posing the toast, he coupled with it the names of Sir
Thomas Hyslop and Sir William Hoy.

Sir Thomas Hyslop, in replying, told the company
that it had been a great pleasure to him to accept the
invitation of Messrs. Fraser and Chalmers Limited to
open the new coaling plant, which was now almost
completed. He was sure that they had all been
delighted with what they had seen of the new coaling
appliance, and that they were well assured that it
was well constructed. It certainly seemed to Sir
Thomas that the plant worked very well in the demon-
stration which was given in the morning, and it pro-
mised to meet all expectations. Looking back to the
time of the Anglo-Boer war, he added, they could not
fail to be gratified at the enormous advance made in
the harbour of Durban. As they all knew, at that
time the mail steamers and smaller steamers lay out-
side the harbour, and cargo and passengers were off-
loaded into tugs and lighters. But now the mail
steamers and larger steamers came inside, and
off-loaded alongside the wharf. That was undoubtedly
an enormous advance. He attributed this advance
partly to the great increase in the coal industry at
the port. They would remember that about the year
1905 the mail steamers had commenced to come inside,
and it was found that the old method of coaling by
basket was inadequate for the then requirements, and
designs were got out for a coaling plant which was
erected in 1907. This had done excellent service
during the last 10 years. In passing, he would like
to say that whatever was said in these times about the
Natal Parliament being a Parliament of farmers,
attention was paid to the wants of Durban', and the
result of this development was seen when Natal came
into the Union. Then Port Natal was the premier
port of the Union, and it continued to-day to be the
premier port of South Africa. The development of
the coaling trade had been so great that it was con-
sidered that further developments should be made.
He added that before the first coaling plant was
erected, the coal loaded at Durban amounted to
847,000 tons, whereas last year (10 years later) it had
risen to 1| million tons. This showed that it had
considerably more than doubled in 10 years. About
1913 tenders were called for for a new coaling plant,
which was designed partly to take the place of the
old one in case anything should go wrong with that,
and partly as an extension. Messrs. Fraser and
Chalmers Limited secured the contract for the plant,
and it was intended to have been erected in 1915, but,
owing to the outbreak of the, war, and the premises
of Messrs. Fraser and Chalmers Limited being requi-
sitioned by the Imperial Parliament, it was impossible
to commence the work then. Fortunately, however,
the plant had now been almost completed, and they
had every reason to thank Messrs. Fraser and
Chalmers Limited for the work they had done. Also