732

THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN.

April 13, 1917.

follow his employment in the mines. Yet the medical
board took no notice of this, with the result that an unfit
man was rushed into the Army and the nation put to
expense. There had been quite a number of such cases.
—In another case which came before the court, the mili-
tary representative sought withdrawal of an exemption
certificate which had been granted to a man who worked
only 18 out of 50 days that the pit was open. The man
had sustained two accidents, and was paid compensation.
The case was adjourned for a month.

Northumberland and Durham.

An Agent's Retirement—Magistracy for Mining Engineer
—A Putter Fined—Pelton Patriots.

Mr. Walter Smith has retired, at the age of 73 years,
after 35 years on Blyth Quayside as a coal shipping agent.

Mr. R. J. Weeks, mining engineer and agent to the
Bedlington Coal Company Limited, has been added to the
list of Northumberland county magistrates. Another new
magistrate is Mr. J. Gillians, a working blacksmith under
the Ashington Coal Company limited, a member of the
Ashington Urban District Council, and an official of the
Northumberland Colliery Mechanics’ Association.

John Dodsworth, 26, putter, who was fined <£3 at
Chester-le-Street for having attempted to obtain Is. 5d. by
false pretences at Ouston E pit, had been trapped rather
smartly. Several hewers found they were not being
credited with the full amount of tubs they sent to bank,
and, as a result, an extra token was put into the water-
hole'at the bottom of each tub, where it could not be
interfered with after the tub was filled. The next time
these tubs came to bank they had, in addition to the
special token, tokens which purported to show that the
coal had been both put and hewn by the defendant.

Five hundred workers at Pelton Colliery have “joined
up” since the war commenced. Of this number, eight
have won the Military Medal, and one has been awarded
the D.C.M. Four of the Military Medallists or their
representatives have been presented, by their former work-
mates, each with a watch and chain valued at £10. It is
intended to recognise in a similar way distinctions earned
by the other men.

Cleveland.

Mr. Harry Back, secretary to the Cleveland Miners’ and
Quarrymen’s Association, says in his quarterly report that
furnaces will have to be taken off haematite and put on to
Cleveland stone, and in order to meet this change in cir-
cumstances more miners will be required. Mr. Dack
assures the members that the question of imported labour
into the mines is receiving every attention, and he adds :
“ If strangers have to be brought in, many or few, we
have made our position clear that we shall require reason-
able guarantees in reference to wages, and preference
regarding employment for our own men after the war. I
would, at this stage, advise the members not to pass drastic
resolutions at present, but to go on quietly at work, with
this assurance, that should any difficulty arise, calling for
consideration by them, meetings will be held throughout
the district for that purpose.”

Cumberland.

Last week the Whitehaven Colliery Company entertained
the mining and engineering students from the Workington
Technical School at the Wellington Colliery, Whitehaven,
and their new sinkings. The general manager (Mr. R.
Steel) welcomed the visitors, and through his manager
(Mr. Kilpatrick), and engineer (Mr. Parker), organised
the parties, objects of interest to the students being pointed
out and explained, and the comfort of the visitors most
carefully considered. The party, numbering over 30, were
first taken around the Wellington surface plant, and details
of the machinery were explained. They afterwards
descended the Wellington shaft, and were conducted inbye
to special points of interest. The auxiliary fan of Sirocco
type, about two mil^s inbye, erected in the return, and the
new clutch gearing at the haulage junction, greatly inter-
ested the students. On returning to the surface, lunch
was provided, after which a visit was paid to the surface
arrangements at the new sinkings at Nos. 4 and 5 pits.
These are new pits designed to draw 4,000 tons of coal per
day. The shafts are 18 ft. and 21 ft. in diameter, and are
being sunk by Messrs. James Johnson and Son, East
Boldon, who have very successfully employed the cementa-
tion process in these shafts, and kept back the water. The pit
bottom of the larger shaft, which is completed, is 47 ft.
high, and is ready for an installation of hydraulic deck-
ing. The winding engine at the 18 ft. shaft, now in course
of sinking, is the permanent one, and has a pair of 30 in.
diameter by 5 ft. stroke high-pressure cylinders, a 14 ft.
drum, and pulleys 18 ft. in diameter. It is excellently
housed, and, with its 10-ton overhead travelling crane,
attracted much attention.

Yorkshire.

A considerable amount of enterprise is foreshadowed in
the South Yorkshire coal fields after the war, and progress
in regard to several new prospective collieries in the Don-
caster area will be effected as soon as the necessary labour
can be released. One of the first pits to proceed to sink-
ing will be the Markham Main, at Armthorpe, some 2^
miles from Doncaster, where the preliminaries are already
advanced. The South Yorkshire Joint Lines Committee
have just linked the site of the colliery up with their line.
The Armthorpe pit will be the nearest one to Doncaster,
and will work the coal under the racecourse. Another
colliery to go forward after the war will be that at Firbeck.
There will be important developments at what is known
as the “ German ” colliery at Harworth, now in the posses-
sion of Messrs. Barber, Walker and Company, of East-
wood, Notts, and Bentley; and rumour hints at a pair of
shafts at Barnby Dun, Blyth, and other places, to say
nothing of the projected new pit at Finningley.

Lancashire and Cheshire.

The Earl of Ellesmere is having improvements effected
at the Crook Street colliery sidings (L. & N. W. Rly.),
Bolton, plans for new sheds having been passed by the
Bolton Corporation.

Notts and Derbyshire.

Many miners in Nottinghamshire desired to be relieved
from the operation of the Daylight Saving Act, and inter-
views have taken place between representatives of the
employers and workmen on the subject. As a result, a
joint letter signed by the chairman of the owners’ asso-
ciation and the workmen’s agent was sent to the four

railway companies which run workmen’s trains, asking
them if they would alter the times with a view to giving
the relief desired. The reply from the railway companies
stated that it would not be possible for them to give effect
to the request. Therefore the miners will evidently have
to accept the Daylight Saving Act, and make the best of it.

The Midlands.

Absenteeism in South Staffordshire — Motors for Canal
Boats.

A report from the committee appointed to deal with
absenteeism in mines in the South Staffordshire district
has been issued by Mr. S. Edwards (miners’ agent for the
Old Hill district), in which it is pointed out that the con-
ditions which prevent the miners at some pits working a
full week have contributed in the past to a big percentage
of absenteeism. As a result of the working of the pit
committees, this had been reduced from 15 per cent, to
about 5 per cent., and up to the present it had not been
necessary to impose any fines, the warnings given having
proved effective. Mr. Edwards adds that the scheme has
led to a much better feeling between the employers and the
miners. In the past, much of the absenteeism was due to
the fact that the prevailing conditions in the pits had
caused employers and men to set their backs against each
other, but now fewer complaints were received from men
who had to return home because the management was
unable to find work on certain days. He expresses the
view that the committees should be continued after the
war.

A public trial has been made on the Birmingham Canal
between Aston and the locality of the Hamstead Colliery
of the loose motor engine for individual canal barge pro-
pulsion, referred to under this column in last week’s issue.
Three boats, containing in all about 100 tons of coal, were
brought from the Cannock Chase coal field into the
Birmingham consuming area. Only one detachable motor
was used, and the barges travelled at the rate of about six
miles per hour, as compared with the general horse-drawn
rate of progress of 2| miles. Thus three boats were con-
veyed in almost less time than it would have taken a single
boat to make the journey. The trial was considered quite
successful by the colliery management and coal factors who
witnessed it. The motor is placed on the cabin of the
boat, and drives the propeller, which is-fixed at the end of
an arm extending beyond the tiller. The motor and its
apparatus can be transferred from one barge to another in
about 12 minutes. Messrs. Coggins and Arthur, coal con-
tractors, are associated with this system, acting in conjunc-
tion with Mr. A. E. Hooke, motor engineer, Erdington,
near Birmingham.

The annual report of the North Staffordshire Coal and
Ironstone Workers’ Permanent Relief Society shows an
increase of 455 during the year. The sum of £1,132 was
paid in weekly allowances arising out of fatal accidents,
and £1,883 in connection with other accidents. The
expenditure decreased by £151. In 1914 the non-fatal
accidents numbered 29 ; in 1915 they were reduced to 25 ;
and in 1916 they were further reduced to 22. The society’s
actuary reports a surplus of £8,161, after providing £5,000
to meet depreciation of investments.

Scotland.

Mine Managers and Sup er annuation—United Collieries—
A Contract Case — Association of Mining Electrical
Engineers.

Over 500 allotments have been taken up by the miners in
Kelty district. The ground has been put in order by the
Fife Coal Company Limited.

At a largely-attended meeting of the Scottish Mine
Managers’ Association, held in Glasgow, the names of 20
new members were put forward. A proposal to affiliate
with the Under-Managers’ Association was discussed, and
approved. The chairman said that the salary question was
only part of their programme, and he saw no reason why
colliery managers should not have a superannuation scheme
instituted for their benefit.

The collieries under the control of the United Collieries,
Glasgow, are doing well. Some of the coal fields are
becoming exhausted, but there are still large areas of coal
which have not been touched. It is stated they will be
able to maintain their output in the future, and even to
increase it. The dividend paid for the past year on the
ordinary shares is 17^ per cent., as compared with 10 per
cent, for the previous year.

The outstanding new limited companies in Scotland for
the first quarter of the year includes Messrs. Barr and
Thornton, coal masters, Glasgow, with a capital of
£160,000.

In the Scottish Law Courts, the judge, Lord Anderson,
has granted decree for £2,763 in favour of Messrs. Newton,
Chambers and Company Limited, Thorncliffe Iron Works
and Collieries, near Sheffield, with all law expenses. There
were counter-actions between Messrs. Dickson and Mann
Limited, Bathville Steel Works, Armadale, and. the colliery
company. Messrs. Dickson and Mann sued for payment
of two sums : (1) £1,063, and (2) £257. The first amount
was the balance of the purchase price of certain coal wash-
ing and silt recovery plant; and the second sum was balance
for spare parts. Messrs. Newton, Chambers and Company
admitted these sums were due if there had been no breach
of contract, but contended that there was breach of con-
tract.

Mr. John Rodney, manager of Polton Colliery, belong-
ing to the Lothian Coal Company Limited, has been
appointed general manager in the Hamilton district to the
Udston Coal Company. Mr. Rodney is therefore return-
ing to the district where he acquired his earlier mining
experience.

At the annual meeting of the West of Scotland branch
of the Association of Mining Electrical Engineers, held in
Glasgow on Saturday, office-bearers were appointed for
the ensuing session as follow : President, Mr. H. A.
McGuffie; vice-presidents, Messrs. A. Smellie and F.
Anslow; auditor, Mr. Wm. Jarvie; treasurer, Mr. C. E.
Hart; secretary, Mr. D. Landale Frew, 45, Hope-street,
Glasgow ; sub-editor of Transactions, Mr. D. Connacher;
councillors, Messrs. A. McPhail, A. Napier, Wm. Barr,
and Wm. Thomson. Mr. C. E. Buyers, of Glasgow Cor-
poration Electricity Department; read a paper on “ The
Application of Electric Converting Machinery to
Collieries.” Before the meeting the members visited the
Osborne-street station of the city’s electricity department,
where modern converters of the self-synchronising type
have been installed’.

THE FREIGHT MARKET.

In view of the chopping and changing that has taken
place thus far with reference to coal freights for French
and Italian ports, he will be a, mental prodigy who, at the
end of the war, will be able to give a strictly accurate
coherent account of the processes whereby the outward
freight market was “messed up” during the war. The
latest intimation is to the effect that rates on neutral
shipping from this country to North French ports not
south of Brest are advanced by 12s. per ton, which since
the year started, is an increase of 50 per cent., plus 12s.;
to Bay ports south of Brest the advance is to be 18s. per
ton, an increase, during 1917, of 50 per cent, and 18s.;
whilst for French Mediterranean and West Italian ports
the schedule of maximum rates is to be abandoned alto-
gether, and the local committees are to ask reliable brokers
to obtain best offers for consideration by the Inter-Allied
Chartering Executive. All charters are to be fixed through
local committees. Altogether, it is a weird business, and,
in view of the constant muddle which has attended the
efforts of the authorities to “regulate” rates of freights,
it would perhaps be as well to refrain from comment or
prophecy. On the face of it, the alteration, being all on
the side of the ship owners, should result in their bring-
ing forward for charter such vessels as they have with-
held so far; it may be, however, that even these latest
fancy figures will not satisfy those who are profiting by the
manner in which the British Navy is protecting the mer-
cantile marine of the Eastern Hemisphere.

In view of the Easter holidays, it was not to be. expected
that there would be any considerable show of fixtures this
week. The expectation has not been falsified. Most of
the vessels fixed up have been for French Atlantic ports
with coal, coke, and pitch, at the schedule rates obtain-
able for neutral and Allied shipping respectively.

Homewards, there is no change in the River Plate rates,
these remaining at 135s. from up-river and 130s. from
down-river ports to the United Kingdom. At the United
States, the rate for coal from Virginia to the River Plate
has advanced by 2s.- 6d., being now quoted at 102s. 6d.
On account of the Wheat Committee, 30s. is quoted from
the Northern Range to United Kingdom or France, with
160s. indicated for net form business to Liverpool from the
Northern Range. At the Far East, Saigon-Haiphong to
Marseilles or French Atlantic with rice has advanced^ by
5s., to 325s. To the same discharging ports from Madras
with kernels, 400s. is quoted; Calcutta on jute basis for
Geno& is steady, at 280s. Bombay to United Kingdom is
unaltered, at 240s. Kurrachee to United Kingdom has
fallen 10s., being now listed at 225s. The Mediterranean
ports are very firm, with a good demand for boats, and
with full rates offered.

Tyne to Bay port, 1,500, 90s., pitch; Dieppe, 550, 46s.,
coke; Dunkirk, 180, 43s., coke; London, 1,000, 21s.;
North French Range, 700, 45s., coke; 240, 43s., coke;
Rouen, 900, 46s., coke; 500, 54s. 6d., coke,'neutral; 800,
50s., pitch; Iceland, 900, 102s. 6d., two voyages.

Cardiff to Bordeaux, 1,600, 34s.; Caen, 1,000 and 1,300,
57s. 6d., coke; 900, 24s.; 800, 36s., neutral; Cherbourg,
1,200, 23s. 6d.; Honfleur, 5,000 and 1,000, 23s.; 600,
35s. 6d., neutral; 600, 36s., neutral; Rouen, 1,300 and 500,
57s. 6d., coke, neutral; 1,800, 1,500, and 2,200, 24s. 6d.;
1,500, 36s. 9d., neutral; 600, 38s. 3d., neutral.

Swansea to Belfast, 600, 15s.; 120, 15s. 6d.; Caen, 800,
36s.

Hull to Rouen, 1,600, 41s. 3d., neutral.

Mersey to Huelva, handy boat, 75s., April.

Imports of Coal at Barcelona.—Shipments of coal from
the United States to Barcelona, as well as from Great
Britain and North-Western Spain, decreased in 1916, com-
pared with the previous year. In 1914 only 33,717 metric
tons of coal were received at Barcelona from the United
States, but early in 1915 the Spanish transportation tax
and Customs duty on coal of foreign origin were removed,
with the result that 112,971 tons of American coal were
discharged at this port during the year. In 1916 a lack
of bottoms became an obstacle to heavier imports.

Coaling After the War.—An important point in regard
to international trade relations after the war was referred
to at a meeting of the directors of Glasgow Chamber of
Commerce last week by Mr. F. C. Gardiner, the vice-
president, who, reporting on the recent meetings of the
Associated Chambers of Commerce in London, mentioned a
proposal to debar enemy steamers from using coaling
stations of the British Empire for a period of five years
after the war. Mr. Gardiner devoted his remarks princi-
pally to a consideration of the position of German vessels.
He said that at the meetings referred to, the Glasgow repre-
sentatives took exception to the proposal that “for five
years after the declaration of peace no enemy steamers be
allowed to use coaling stations of the British Empire.”
Assuming that only foreign coaling stations were referred
to, it seemed a very questionable step to impose a condi-
tion of that nature. He pointed out that it would not
affect the Atlantic or South American trade, but only the
East and Australian trade, With steamers coming from
Japan, the ordinary course was to coal in Japan, then fill
up again in Dutch territory, and in the ordinary course
again at Port Said. A steamer coming from Australia
would bunker in Newcastle or Sydney, and at Colombo. If
a law was passed as suggested, German vessels would
require either to coal fully at these points or to lay down
foreign coaling stations of their own. The obvious reply
to their laying down stations of their own was that there
was no territory on which they could place the stations.
It would not be impossible for Germany to get coaling
stations somewhere in Greece and also in the South of
Spain. They would serve to brin^ these vessels right home,
and the obvious disadvantages in such a development on
the part of Germany was that if unhappily war broke out
again Germany would have large stores of coal on neutral
territory which we could not touch. It appeared to him
that it would be very foolish on our part to force them
into that position, and at the best the condition, if we did
impose it,, was a mere pin-prick, and was not dealing with
the thing in any drastic or business way. Whether German
tonnage should be dealt with in a drastic way he did not
for. a moment discuss. Mr. Gardiner added that the pro-
vision was ultimately deleted from the resolution.