February 1, 1918. THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN. 233 For Sale.—500-kw. Direct Steam-driven Electric GENERATING SET, consisting of 800-i.h.p. Davey Paxman Peache high-speed totally enclosed vertical three-throw crank tandem Com- pound Engine, coupled to 500-kw. 500 volt direct-current multipolar shunt- wound Generator by E.C.C.; in excellent condition, for immediate delivery. JOSEPH PUGSLEY & SONS LTD., Cattybrook Ironworks, Lawrence-hill, Bristol. Green’s Fuel Economisers for Sale, 224 pipes, in three groups, 160 lb. steam pressure;. complete, and in thorough order.—HELLE WELL & CO., Royal Exchange, Manchester. II 1 V 1 THE @ For BELTS, ROPES, & WIRE ROPES. W MAXA LIO., 43, Cannon St., London, EC. J J. W. BAIRD AND COMPANY, PITWOOD 'IMPORTERS, WEST HARTLEPOOL. YEARLY CONTRACTS ENTERED INTO WITH COLLIERIES. OSBECK & COMPANY LIMITED, PI ' -TIMBER MERCHANTS, NEWCASTLE-ON-TYNE. SUPPLY ALL KINDS OF COLLIERY TIMBER. Telegrams—“ Osbecks, Newcastle-on-Tyne.” Bitt Joint, Editors— J. V. ELSDEN, D.Sc. (Lond.), F.G.S. HUBERT GREENWELL, F.S.S., Assoc.M.I.M.E. {At present on Active Service). ' LONDON, FRIDA F, FEBRNARY 1, 1918. The London coal market continues brisk. The volume of trade doing at the depots is largely influenced by the shortage of labour, but the tonnage arriving is satisfactory. All descriptions of coal are freely offered at minimum prices in Northumberland and Durham, owing to the continued scarcity of vessels. Coking coals, smithies and household coal are in good home demand. The Lancashire market is quiet and steady, with a better supply of industrial coal. All classes of fuel are eagerly sought in Yorkshire, but not much is available, and only small stocks of house coal are on hand against any sudden pressure. Reports of the usual kind are still received regarding the Midland coal trade. Stoppages are unavoidable in South Wales, owing to the now familiar difficulty of transport. There is a firm demand for house coal, and also for gas-producing qualities, supplies of which are short. The outlook in Scotland is practically unchanged. The Shipping Controller announces that he has approved schedules of maximum freights of coal, ore, and limestone carried coastwise This schedule is due to come into operation to-day (Friday). Prof. W. Frecheville will deal with “ The Development of the Mineral Resources of the Empire ” at a meeting of the Royal Society of Arts, London, on February 6, commencing at 4.30 p.m. At a meeting of the Midland Institute of Mining, Civil and Mechanical Engineers in Leeds, yesterday (Thursday), a paper on “Face Conveyors,” by Mr. H. C. Jenkins, was read. A report will appear in our next issue. Freight rates are strongly maintained, except for Sweden, and the fall there is expected to continue. Tyne to London is quoted 21s., Lisbon 115s., Gibraltar 100s., and Barcelona 400s. The position in South Wales is still a difficult one for shippers, inasmuch as the tonnage scarcity is continuous, although arrivals improved recently. The Controller of Coal Mines informed the council of the South Wales Miners’ Federation that he could not agree to a working week of five days for general application. He added that he would call a confer- ence to consider the difficulty of short-time working. Delegates representing collieries in all parts of the country attended a national conference convened by the Miners’ Federation of Great Britain, in the Central Hall, Westminster, yesterday (Thursday), for the purpose of considering the proposed combing- out of 50,000 Class A men from the mining industry. The conference failed to agree, and adjourned until February 27. In the House of Lords the Non-Ferrous Metals Industry Bill passed through Committee yesterday (Thursday). A sort of deadlock now exists between the Amal- gamated Society of Engineers and the Government relative to man-power. One question at issue is whether the Government shall meet the delegates of the A.S.E. in a separate conference. The Ministry of National Service Man Power has just issued an explanatory and memorandum and a new schedule Protected of protected occupations for men Occupations, employed on Admiralty, War Office or munition work, or in railway workshops. The new schedule comes into force this day, and is actually a revised edition of the list introduced last May, to replace the former system of badges and trade cards. The schedule covers a number of sections, embracing all the letters of the alphabet from A to R, in which are comprised all occupations deemed to be essential in the sense that a certain number of men of military age and fitness must be retained in connection with them. The principle which has been adopted is based upon what is defined as a clean cut in each group of exempted trades by fixing a definite age below which all medically fit men will be called up, irre- spective of any claims to indispensability. This is undoubtedly a wise course, as it avoids all argument as to what persons are or are not necessary to be retained in their civil occupations. A new Bill is to be passed forthwith giving legal sanction to the pro- posed increase in the Army ; but it is not to be supposed that the schedule itself will be in any way affected by the passing of the Military Service Bill, as it is perfectly within the power of the Government to proceed with the revised schedule without any further sanction than it now possesses. The trade unions have virtually agreed to the proposal, with the solitary exception of the Amalgamated Society of Engineers, which has adopted a hostile attitude towards the proposal to recruit more men from their hitherto privileged ranks. A section of this society— we think only a small number—are threatening open rebellion to the Government if they persist, and are talking of a down-tools policy if the Bill is not with- drawn. There is also some sectional opposition in the ranks of the coal miners, the influence of which will have been more definitely manifested before these lines are published. It is not our intention at the present time to dwell upon the influence which these sectional threats will exert either upon the nation or upon the large body of loyal and right-minded members of these societies who do not approve of the undignified position which their comrades have assumed in connection with this affair. The nation is fighting for its future life and prosperity, for all that a nation values as having any worth. The whole Empire is united as it never has been before in the aim and objects of the present war, in which more than three-fourths of the civilised world are on our side. The whole country, with negligible exceptions, has freely offered its services for the efficient conduct of the war, and if certain men of military age have hitherto been left in civil employment it has been because their services have been considered to have been more valuable in this capacity than in the ranks of the Army. A protected man has no moral right to immunity from military service if he can be more profitably employed in fighting than in industrial work. The responsibility for deciding where a man’s services can be best utilised does not rest with the individual himself, but depends upon the Ministry of Munitions on the one hand and the Recruiting Department of National Service on the other. The so called “ red card ” and “ black card ” have been issued solely with regard to the degree of eligibility of the workman, and these scheduled occupation certificates are by no means certificates of exemption under the Military Service Act. Probably much of the opposi- tion which has been displayed to any revision of these certificates has arisen from a misconception as to their meaning. Some of the holders of these privilege cards have held the opinion that they have been granted permanent exemption, which the Govern- ment now threatens to withdraw. This is not the case. These exemptions have never been more than temporary; and as the time has now arrived when more men must be found to fill up the gaps in the ranks of our fighting forces, all right-thinking men will acquiesce in the very reasonable proposals now made to accomplish this object. The main features of the new scheme are of the simplest and fairest character. Only men medically classified as Grade 1, i.e., fit for general service, will be recruited. With the exception of certain classes of men engaged upon urgent Admiralty work, the minimum age of protection is fixed at 24. In some occupations, however, not scheduled, where men older than 32 have hitherto been exempted, recruit- ment will be liable up to the full military age. There is also to be considered the further question of dilutees. The trade unions have urged that men who have entered their present occupations since August 15, 1915, should be released for military service before the skilled men are recruited. This seems to be a reasonable proposal. Without making any aspersions upon the later additions to the ranks of privileged occupations, many of whom joined before the Conscription Act, and not necessarily with the intention of getting beneath the “umbrella” for evasive purposes, it is only fair that these men should be called up before those who are undoubtedly of longer standing. But it is not easy to say what constitutes a “dilutee,” and the trade unions themselves are not in agreement upon the definition of the term. The test of date of entry is perhaps the only practical one that can be applied ; but even this test has been obliged to be modified in certain cases where industries have greatly expanded in consequence of conditions arising from the war. This question of dilutees has been especially conspicuous in the coal mining industry : and, as a matter of fact, the urgency of maintaining the output of coal in the earlier stages of the war, when the ranks of mining labour had been seriously depleted by the splendid response of the miners to the call of their country’s need for fighting men, made the accession of these new comers undoubtedly welcome. Many of them can now better be spared than the older hands, and if their services are required in the Army more urgently than in the mines, we believe that their sense of patriotism will help them to make any sacrifices that may be entailed. Although this country in the year Machinery 1914 found itself lamentably unpre- Of Re- pared for war, there is good reason construction' to believe that excellent progress is being made in our preparations for peace. And even should this event be still far off, the intervening period will not be too long for the perfection of our plans to meet it. For the problems to be solved will be both numerous and difficult, as may be judged by the outline given last week by the Minister of Reconstruction at a conference held at the India Office. To deal with the questions that will arise, no fewer than 87 commissions and committees have been already appointed. To some of these we will briefly refer for the purpose of indicating the nature of the work which is being taken in hand. Perhaps the most important of these bodies is the Commercial and Industrial Policy Committee, which is considering the conclusions reached at the Economic Conference of the Allies, commonly known as the Paris resolutions. It has, perhaps, been too hastily assumed in some quarters that the programme set out on this occasion has already become a dead letter. This is by no means the case, and we are glad to see amongst the members of this committee the names of Mr. Adam Nimmo and the Hon. Sir C. A. Parsons, to mention only two of the 21 members sitting under the chairmanship of Lord Balfour of Burleigh. Amongst the questions under the consideration of this committee are the following:—(a) What industries are essential to the future safety of the nation, and what steps should be taken to maintain them ? (3) What steps should be taken to recover home and foreign trade lost during the war, and to secure new markets ? (J) To what extent and by what means the resources of the Empire should be developed ? (^) How the sources of supply within the Empire can be prevented from falling under foreign control ? In connection with these important subjects the committee has already presented an interim report as a Parliamentary Paper on Imperial Preference [Cd. 8482~j, while a final report is in the hands of the Prime Minister, and in due course will be available for discussion. Another important committee, which has also presented its report, deals with Trade Relations after the War. Its terms of reference were “ to investi- gate the general questions of trade relations after the war, with a view to the successful promotion of British trade, and also with the object of devising measures for the prevention of the effective resump- tion of Germany’s policy of peaceful penetration.” It is particularly satisfactory to know that this