129 ________________________________________________________________ _____ January 18, 1918. THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN. I. LOCOMOTIVES. O in. 6-coupled Side Tank Loco., _JL U entirely new boiler, 160 lb. w.p., under rebuild; £3,000. 17 in. 6-coupled Side Tank Loco., 140 lb. w.p., at present under overhaul: £2,000. 12 in. 6-coupled Locomotive, under overhaul; £1,300. I i 12 in. 4-coupled Locomotive, new box and tubes, under overhaul: £1,300. ' 11 in. 4-coupled Loco., by Hawthorn Leslie, with crane attachment. X10 in. 4-coupled 3 ft. gauge Loco., by Hudswell Clarke, ready; £800. H 9 in. 4-coupled 3 ft. gauge Loco., under overhaul; £750. 5 in. 4-coupled 3 ft. gauge Loco., ready; £500. STEAM NAVVIES. Two 12 ton Wilson Steam Crane Type Navvies, under rebuild, very fine machines; £1,600 each. fc-7 ton Whittaker Crane Type Steam Navvy; £1,050. 8-h.p. Ruston Proctor Tower Type Steam Navvy, fine machine; £800. OVERHEAD AND BOGIE CRANES AND GOLIATHS. 15 ton Steam-driven Overhead Crane, 45 ft. span; £650. 15 ton Steam driven Overhead Crane, 34 ft. 5 in. span; £500. pr 10 ton Hand-operated Overhead Crane. 40 ft. 3 in. span; £150. l-‘ Three 3 ton Goliath Cranes, all steel, 19 ft. 6 in. span ; £250 each. C 5 ton Hand Bogie Crane; £250. 2 ton Hand Bogie Crane; £70. JOHN P. WAKE, DARLINGTON. Al. ELECTRIC GENERATORS AND MOTORS. TTigh Speed Generating Set, 50-kw., -LJL 220 volts d c.; £375. Willans & Robinson Engine, Westinghouse alternator, 300-kw., 2,400 volts. Belt or Rope Driven Generator or Motor, by B.T.H., 250-kw„ 500 volts d.c.: £700. 100-h.p. Belt-driven Generator or Motor, 230 volts d.c.; £300. 130-h.p. Series-wound Motor, by E.C.C., 440/500 volts d.c.; £250. BARGES AND LIFEBOAT. Two 80 ton Steel Lighters, 84 ft. 6 in. long, 14 ft. 10 in. beam. Teak Lifeboat, 33 ft. 6 in. long, 8 ft. beam, 3 ft. 6 in. inside depth. STEAM ENGINES. Pair 15 in. Winding Engines, with Corliss valves; £400. Cross Compound Engine, by Hayward, Tyler & Co., cyls. 16 in. and 26 in. by 32 in. stroke; £375. High Speed Compound Vertical Engine, by Robey, 124-b.h.p.; £300. Single Cylinder Horizontal Engine, 18 in. by 26 in.; £130. Marine Type Compound Engine, cyls. 15 in. and 30j in. by 33 in. stroke. BOILERS. Babcock & Wilcox Water-tube Boiler, 150-h.p., 150 lb. w.p.; £450. Several Marine Type Boilers, from 60 to 300-h.p. Two 30-h.p. Loco. Type Boilers. 12-h.p. Loco. Type Boiler. DREDGER. Alluvial Dredger, suitable for tin, gold, etc., 80 ft. long, 5 ft. 6 in. deep, new in 1913. PORTABLE ENGINES. 20-h.p. Double Cylinder Portable, by Barrows, 80 lb. w.p. 14-h.p. Double Cylinder Portable, 80 lb. w.p. Two 12-h.p. Portable Engines, 80 lb. w.p. Two 10-h.p. Portable Engines, 80 lb. w.p. 8-h.p. Portable Engine, by Barrows. 80 lb. w.p. JOHN F. WAKE, DARLINGTON. III. MACHINE TOOLS. 4 0 in. Centre S.S. and Screw-cutting TJuD and Coning Lathe, 12 ft. chuckplate, 60 ft. bed, very massive tool. Horizontal Boring Machine, spindle 5 in. diameter, weight about 25 tons ; £850. Horizontal Boring Machine with two Heads, 4£ in. diameter spindles, weight about 14 tons: £500. Double Headed Milling Machine, by Smith & Coventry. Two Circular Milling Machines, by Ludwig Loewe. Radial Drill, by Smith. Beacock & Tannett, 5 ft. arm; £75. Large Pillar Drilling Machine, 4 in. spindle ; £80. 4 Wall Radial Drilling Machines, by Noble & Lund, 2J in. diameter spindles, 4 ft. 6 in. arms; £45 each. HYDRAULIC PUMPS AND PLANT. 800-h.p. Horizontal Engine and Pumps, by Hick Hargreaves, tons per square inch; £1,200. Set Hydraulic Pumps, by Fielding & Platt, steam cylinders 10 in. by 15 in., w.p. 1,500 lb. Set Hydraulic Pumps, by Fielding & Platt, steam cylinders 12 in. by 24 in., 1,500 lb. pressure. Set of Six-throw Hydraulic Pumps; £280. Steam-driven Hydraulic Pumps, 16 in. by 24 in., rams 2£ in. dia.; £350. Electrically-driven Horizontal Pumps : £350. Three Fielding & Platt Hydraulic Single End Punching and Shearing Machines. Hydraulic Accumulator, 30 in. ram, 23 ft. 10J in. stroke. Quantity Hydraulic Pipes and Fittings. JOHN F. WAKE, DARLINGTON. IV. GAS ENGINES. V/Tagnificent 500-h.p. Horizontal Gas IVI Engine, coupled to alternator, 230 volts, 50 periods, £2,500. 110-h.p. Crossley Z E Type Gas Engine and Producer Plant; £650. Two 50 h.p. Premier Gas Engines; £90 each. 80-h.p. Stockport Gas Engine; £150. 80-h p. Crossley Gas Engine and Producer, almost new; £550. RAILWAY WAGONS. 25 12 ton Main Line Coal Wagons, 2 side and 1 end door; £145 each. 5 10 ton Coal Wagons; £120 each. 20 8 ton Coal Wagons; £100 each. 12 4J yard M.S.C. Type Wagons; £45 each. 40 Side Tip Wagons, 3 ft. gauge, steel tops; £32 10s. each. 120 Bogies, 24 in. gauge, steel tops, roller bearings ; £4 10s. each. STEAM WAGONS, TRACTION ENGINES, TRACTORS AND TRAILERS. 5 ton Yorkshire Steam Wagon, 200 lb. w.p.; £500. 3 ton Manns Steam Cart, 200 lb. w.p.; £350. 8 h.p. Foden Traction Engine, 140 lb. w.p.; £550. 5 ton Wallis & Steevens Tractor, 150 lb. w.p.; £400. Two 5 ton Trailer Wagons; £80 each. JOHN F. WAKE, DARLINGTON. J. W. BAIRD AND COMPANY, PITWOOD IMPORTERS, WEST HARTLEPOOL, YEARLY CONTRACTS ENTERED INTO WITH COLLIERIES. OSBECK & COMPANY LIMITED PIT-TIMBER MERCHANTS, NEWCASTLE-ON-TYNE. SUPPLY ALL KINDS OF COLLIERY TIMBER. Telegrams—“ Osbecks, Newcastle-on-Tyne.” ___________________________________________ *** For other Miscellaneous Advertisements see Last White Page. ___________________________________________ AND Journal of the Coal and Iron Trade*. Joint Editors— J. V. BLSDEN, D.Sc. (Lond.), F.G.S, HUBERT GREENWELL, F.S.S., Assoc.M.I.M.E. (At jpreaent on Aetioe Service). LONDON, FRIDAY, JANUARY 18, 1918. _________________________ The London coal trade continues exceptionally busy, principally with the smaller consumers. The arrivals, both railborne and seaborne, are well sustained, and, notwithstanding the severe weather, the depots have been able to deal with the extra pressure. No appreciable change is shown in the coal trade in the provinces. Many of the Northumberland and Durham pits are working irregularly owing to the deficiency of tonnage and railway facilities. The home enquiry fairly well absorbs the output of smithies, coking sorts and household coal. Bunkers are dull. The supply of industrial coal, excepting slack, appears to be sufficient for buyers in the Man- chester district, but house coal does not satisfy the demand. This is in part due to the manfacturers being obliged to supplement their supplies with household sorts. All descriptions are briskly enquired for in Yorkshire, particularly steam coal for manu- facturing purposes. The house coal supply appears to be adequate. Snow increased the railway con- gestion in South Wales, and stoppages of pits are reported. The market is very dull. Until shipping relieves the position an improvement in Scotland is not expected. Very high freights are reported. In Newcastle the scanty fixtures include Gibraltar 100s. and Barcelona 400s. Swansea to Caen (neutral) is 46s. 6d. and 47s. 6d. Coastwise freights, Humber to Thames, touched 22s., and freights to Ireland 22s. and 24s. Coal, coke, and manufactured fuel exports in December' totalled 2,379,595 tons, valued at £3,411,276, compared with 2,782,017 tons, valued at £3,530,760, a year ago. The year’s total amounted to 37,800,705 tons, valued at £51,341,487, compared with 41,157,746 tons, valued at £50,670,604, during 1916. The Commission appointed to investigate stoppages and suggest remedial measures made a report, but beyond a proposed allocation of orders nothing is known. The miners themselves advocate a week of five turns instead of six, but owners do not favour the proposal, although it is stated the Controller would not object, provided Admiralty pits were not interfered with. The Minister of Munitions has fixed the maximum price of ironstone mined in specified Midland districts at 3s. 9d. per ton, f.o.t. at mine or quarry. A provision is made regarding wage increases. An explosion occurred on Saturday in the Minnie Pit of the Podmore Hall Colliery, Halmer End, Staffordshire, owned by the Midland Coke, Iron and Coal Company. The number of deaths is believed to be 160. _________________________ It is not possible this year to discuss The Coal the coal export trade for 1917 with Export Trade any precision, because the statistical ill 1917. information is not available* In every respect the past year has been a remarkable one, for which no parallel can be found; nor, it is to be hoped, are such conditions likely to recur. For, even if the war should be prolonged beyond present expectations, it is legitimate to conclude that the worst phases of the abnormal conditions arising from the world war will not be repeated. The tonnage problem, it is true, has not yet been solved, and will remain for a long time one of the principal factors in the situation; but this difficulty will tend to become less acute as the measures taken for its amelioration progress. The scarcity of tonnage has been due not only to the unprecedented demands upon it for the transport and maintenance of our armies abroad, but also to secondary influences which have diminished the efficiency of our mercantile fleet, whether by means of the loss of vessels by enemy action, or by the longer duration of voyages incidental to the convoy system. Added to this, time has been lost owing to congestion at the ports of discharge and other causes. All these things have combined to create a situation which has often been acute, but which, in spite of all difficulties, has been met with a greater degree of success than could reasonably have been anticipated. Let us first survey briefly the main facts of the position. In the summer of 1916 the phenomenal rise in freights led the Government to take action, and a limitation scheme was adopted for the French ports from Calais to Bordeaux. This was extended in the autumn to the French Mediterranean and Italian ports. These schedule rates were from five to seven times the pre-war levels, and still it was found necessary in January 1917 to increase them so far as neutral vessels were concerned. So shy were neutral shippers that advances of 20 per cent, for French Channel and Atlantic ports, and 50 per cent, for French and Italian Mediterannean ports failed to attract them, and in February the rates were still further increased to 50 per cent, in the first case and by 12s. per ton in the second case ; and again in April a further 12s. per ton was allowed for ports in Northern France and 18s. for the Bay of Biscay. While neutral vessels were thus liberally treated, all Allied vessels worked at the schedule basis. It was, of course, not possible to control freights in the case of neutral vessels trading with neutral countries, and on this account it was found necessary to issue an order that no coal should be sent to Spain except in Spanish vessels. This led to a serious condition in that country, where a coal famine forced up freights to Barcelona to a figure which raised the price of coal to £20 per ton, to the exclusive benefit of the Spanish shipowners. These freight troubles were, of course, altogether beyond the control of colliery owners, whose main difficulty was to get the coal away from the pit banks. There was, in fact, much loss of time arising from this cause, and the situation was further complicated by the restriction of exports to neutrals, for which licences were only sparingly granted. Colliery owners interested in the export trade were further affected By the fixing of limitation prices for all coals supplied to the Allies, and they were not allowed in these cases the authorised advance of 2s. 6d. per ton granted in September. Exporters were also met by official edicts of various kinds. Thus at the beginning of the year a stringent embargo was placed upon coal shipments to Norway ; and although this was relaxed in February, the result was to hamper business. The Government also determined that competition in the export trade was inadvisable, and no exporting firm was allowed to cater for new business. It is interesting at this stage to examine some of the results which followed from these restrictions. In South America, which country in normal times relied almost entirely upon British coals, the gas works were driven to carbonise large quantities of wood. In some cases coal was procurable from the United States, but the freights were almost prohibitive. In France many towns were obliged to curtail their gas output, or even to cease production entirely. Even Paris found itself within measurable distance of a stoppage of gas and electricity works, and the position was only alleviated by the recall of miners from the fighting line to augment the production from French coal mines. In Italy, where a coal crisis had been threatening since pre-war days, the price of coal has advanced to 220 lire per ton, and it is still on the upward grade. In consequence of this, many gas works have closed down, and others are carrying on precariously by carbonising local lignites. These are only a few of the many hardships which have resulted from the disturbance of the British coal export trade. Export restrictions have operated unequally in the different coal fields of this country. In Fifeshire the prohibition of shipments to Norway was severely felt in’ the early part of the year, although the situation was relieved somewhat by some good orders from the Swedish State Hail ways. It is notable that the exports from this country are less by 1,259,095 tons than in the previous year, and as there was also a decline- of 647,765 tons from the Lothians, the aggregate loss of trade from East Scotland was nearly 2,000,000 tons. In West Scotland, on the [other hand, there was a gain of 435,335 tons, and for the first time in its history the port of Ayr reached the figure of 1,000,000 tons. The Tyne shipments, as shown by the returns of the Tyne Improvement Commissioners, also show reductions as compared with 1916. The figures for 11 months are as follow:— 1917 1916 (11 months). (11 months) Cargo coal ..... 9,310,819 .... 11,863,160 Bunkers ...... 992,530 .... 1,395,897 Coke ......... 625,109 .... 820,452 _________ Total.... 10,928,458 14,079,509 It is noteworthy, however, that the effect of the scheduled rates has been more noticeable in the case of Northumberland than Durham, in the former a decline of 2s. per ton being shown on the average selling price, whereas in the latter practically the same figure as in 1916 has been maintained. In the case of the Humber ports the chief business has been done with the Allies. In the early part of the year the position was anomalous, inasmuch as it was possible for neutrals to purchase steam and other coals at prices for shipment which were lower than the maximum price for the Allies. In consequence of this, the Coal Controller in July made an Order which fixed the Allies’ maximum as the minimum for neutral buyers. On the whole, although figures are not available, it is expected that the exports from this district will be about 12 to 15 per cent, below those of 1916. The total for the year is expected