June 28, 1918. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN. 1303 THE COAL TRADE AFTER THE WAR The Report of the Departmental Committee on the Coal Trade after the War * is drawn up on the assump- tion that it is essential in the national interest that the export coal trade, which before the war amounted to about one-fourth of the entire output, should not only be maintained, but that every effort should be made to increase it. The Committee consider it evident that the country’s ability to maintain its export trade in coal, as in other commodities, must depend upon the amount of shipping tonnage at the disposal of the country at the close of hostilities. The military requirements of the Allies have made it im- possible until quite recently to set about replacing in their own yards the normal wastage in mercantile tonnage, added to which are the losses owing to sub- marine warfare. Every possible means should there- fore be adopted for accelerating the construction of new tonnage, but, however quickly undertaken, this cannot make good by the end of the war the deficiency in tonnage which will then exist. Apparently, therefore, it must become a definite part of the national policy to secure to the country enemy tonnage to make good, as far as may be pos- sible, the destruction occasioned in respect of our own ships and those of our Allies; otherwise a con- siderable time must elapse, even if other conditions were favourable, before the export trade could be restored to its normal level. The effect of such a situation upon many very important national in- terests, including the fundamental consideration of employment, requires no elaboration. The German position will not be affected to so great an extent, as a large proportion of the coal exported from Germany is conveyed by rail and in- land waterways. The necessity will also exist for the earliest possible release of ail vessels requisitioned by the Admiralty. The Committee call attention to these preliminary con- siderations as having a most important bearing upon the views subsequently expressed in their Report, and as very largely determining the conclusions reached. Cost of Production. In respect of the cost of production, the evidence from every district of the country indicated that costs under practically every head have been increasing for some years. The increase during the six years before the war was very considerable, wages, materials and legislation having each contributed. From two-thirds to three-fourths of the cost of production is represented by wages, and these in some districts were 15 per cent, to 20 per cent, higher in 1913 than in 1909. Since 1913 the increase under this head has been very great. Some reduction in cost can be effected by improved organisation of the mines and by the more extended use of mechanical appliances, and improvements in these directions are very desirable. The cost of materials will also fall substantially from existing prices, but it seems unlikely that pre-war figures will be reached 'for a considerable time, if at all. For some years after the war the large amount of development and other work which has fallen into arrear will have to be undertaken. Further, in many districts the best and most cheaply worked coal is becoming exhausted, and to maintain output resort will have to be had to thinner, dirtier, and deeper seams. Recent sinkings have been almost invariably to coal at greater depth, where the capital required per ton of coal raised is very much larger than that required for shallower mines, and interest and depre- ciation will necessarily have to be provided upon a much larger outlay of capital relative to the output. The cost of working these mines may also be expected to be high. These facts have led the Committee to conclude that the cost of production will continue to be substantially higher than before the war. Output per Person Employed. As affecting the cost of production, all the witnesses referred to the steady decline in the yearly output per person employed at the mines. In the quin- quennium 1906-1910 the yearly output per person em- ployed underground averaged 340 tons. This output was 360 tons in 1906 and 321 tons in 1913, showing a fall of 11 per cent. This has a very important bearing on the cost of production, and the position demands the very serious consideration of employers and work- men. Whatever the causes of the decline in the out- put per man, such decline affects the country’s com- petitive power in many directions. Every effort, therefore, should be made to increase production in this respect. Any policy involving restriction of output should be abandoned, and the workman should have security that if he increases his output where possible, he shall not suffer for it by any arbitrary treatment of wage rates. This question ought to be capable of solution between the interested parties by reasonable and harmonious methods of negotiation. Whether there is to be a rapid recovery from the devastation of the war or not must largely depend upon our ability to increase production generally per head of popu- lation. In the mining industry there should be the fullest possible co-operation between the employers and workmen, particularly during the years imme- diately following the war, to obtain this result. Distribution of Exports to Allies. The Committee examine in detail the statistics of exports, and state that the exports of coal from the United Kingdom to the Allied countries in 1913 amounted to 33,818,085 tons, including 1,908,201 tons *Cd. 9093. to the Possessions of the Allies, and were distributed as follows : ■— Tons. Russia................................. 5,998,434 • Belgium ............................... 2,031,077 France................................. 12,775,909 Algeria............................. 1,281,664 Other French possessions f......... 233,745 Portugal............................... 1 201,722 Portuguese possessions ........... 387,491 ............... Italy ............................... 9,647,161 ................................. Italian East Africa ...................... 5,3ul Roumania ............................. £51,929 Japan ........................................ 3,652 Total to Allies and their possessions ... 33,818,985 Germany’s Coal Trade. No special consideration need be given to Germany’s trade with enemy and neutral countries, as it may be assumed that it will be continued on pre-war lines. As regards Allied countries, the quantity of German coal supplied to them in 1913 was 11,920,000 tons, and of coke 4,027,000 tons, equal in crude coal to 6,712,000 tons—a total of 18,632,000 tons. Deducting from this the quantity Germany received from the Allies, 9,380,000 tons of coal and 519,000 tons of coke, equal in crude coal to 865,000 tons—a total of 10,245,000 tons—it will be seen that the exports from Germany to the Allied countries exceeded her imports from them by 8,367,000 tons. (It is assumed that 100 tons of coal produce 60 tons of coke.) Should the Allied countries desire to dispense with German coal, they will require 8,387,000 tons to replace it, and it is unlikely that this amount could be made up for many years by an increase in production in Russia, Belgium and France; so that there would appeal’ to be sufficient outlet for some time for an expanding British output. On the other hand, if left with these 8,387,000 tons to dispose of, Germany could exercise a tremendous competitive pressure against British coal in the Scandinavian and Dutch markets', seeing that the amount in question represents two-thirds of the imports of coal into those markets from the United Kingdom in 1913. Value of Our Export Coal Trade. The coal, coke and manufactured fuel exported from the United Kingdom was valued at £53,659.660 (f.o.b.) in 1913, and represented over 10 per cent, of the total value of the domestic produce exported. The. im- portance of the export coal trade in relation to the total value of the domestic produce exported to various countries in 1913 is shown in the following table: — Value of c-'al, Total value of Per- Countries to which coke and domestic centage exported. manufactured produce value fuel. exported. of coal. £ £ Russia ............. 4,440,831 ... 18,102,683 ... 24*5 Sweden ____________ 3,256,337 ... 8,220,386 ... 39’6 Norway ............ 1,572,812 ... 6,147,422 ... 25'6 Denmark .......... 2,178.002 ... 5,792,257 ... 37*6 Germany __________ 5,345,732 ... 40,677,*'30 ... 13T Holland ____________ 1,269,536 ... 15,429,144 ... 8’2 Belgium ____________ 1,176,501 ... 13,239,733 ... 8'9 France.............. 8,2^'1,997 ... 28,932,988 ... 28'7 Spain .............. 2,085,829 ... 7,851,574 ... 26'6 Italy................ 7,159,415 ... 14,610,057 ... 49'0 Brazil .............. 1,900,920 ... 12,465,115 ... 15'2 Argentine Republic.. 3,191,900 ... 22,640,921 ... 14’1 Uruguay............ 672,066 ... 2,916,422 ... 23'0 Summary of Recommendations. The following summary of recommendations is given in the Report: — 1. That the policy of the country be directed towards maintaining and, if possible, increasing the export coal trade. 2. That all restrictions on the free export of coal im- posed during the war, including the present system of export under licence, should be removed as soon as pos- sible after the termination of hostilities. 3. That in order to promote the interests of foreign trade, not only in coal but in other commodities, shipping in enemy hands should be made available for the immediate use of this country and her Allies at the close of hostilities. 4. That on the termination of hostilities all men who prior to the war were employed in colliery work should be released from military duties at the earliest possible moment, and that every effort should be made by coal- owners to reinstate these men as rapidly as it is practicable to do so. 5. That the attention of coal owners be directed to the desirability of introducing, wherever practicable, the most up-to-date appliances for increasing the output per person employed. 6. That the miners in every coal field should be en- couraged to raise the individual production of coal; that any restrictions in operation affecting output should be withdrawn, and that arrangements should be made to en- sure to the workmen the full reward of increased effort. 7. That a statutory tribunal be set up having powers— (1) To enforce the granting of wayleaves, both under- ground and surface, where unreasonably withheld, and to determine the conditions upon which they shall be granted. (2) To consider applications for, and if so advised to enforce, the granting of facilities to mineral workers or lessees for the erection on land adjoining col- lieries of coke ovens, by-product plants, chemical works and workmen’s houses, and for the treatment in such plants and works of coals raised at such collieries or elsewhere, and to fix the conditions (including compensation and tenure) upon which such facilities shall be granted. 8. That the law relating to surface support be remedied so as to secure that there may be as little loss of coal as possible in connection with the support of land, buildings, public works, railways, canals, etc. 9. That coalowners, exporters, and shippers interested in special markets should co-operate to prevent these markets from passing out of British control, and to secure satis- factory discharging, landing, and transport facilities for British coal in foreign countries where these are in- adequate. 10. That an investigation should be made into the character of the plant in operation and the facilities afforded at all home ports used for the shipment of coal with a view to bringing them up to the highest level of capacity and efficiency. 11. That statistics of the trade in British coal, and coal in competition therewith in foreign markets should be obtainable month by month by those interested in the export coal trade, along with any information available showing the trend of British trade in coal in such markets, and suggestions as to how this trade may be developed. ___________________________ MINING INDUSTRY AND MILITARY SERVICE. At Tanfield Tribunal a hewer, 27, who came before the tribunal as Grade 1, stated that he had an ailing wife and five children, the eldest of whom was only six. years of age. Besides this he had a conscientious objection to taking human life. Mr. Braidford, a member of the tri- bunal, stated that the man was No. 5 in the ballot, but the National Service people said he was Grade 2, and was not required for the Army. Then, after another man had been put in his place, this man was called up. The speaker ’phoned the authorities at Newcastle, and was told that the man had not been called up. He replied that he held the papers in his hand, and was. then told that the man, being Grade 2, was not required. The man held a Grade 1 card, however. The case was ad- journed for enquiries, and possibly for a medical re- examination of the man. At the same session a Clough Green putter, 19, Grade 1, was applied for by his father, who stated that they had three acres of land and three greenhouses to look after, and were in a difficult position through loss of workers. The lad was putting in 90 per cent, of his spare time on the land. The son appealed also as a conscientious objector, and the father submitted the lad would be doing work of national importance by continuing his land wrnrk. The appeal was dismissed. Tn the case of a Tanfield Lea putter and hewer, 22, Grade 1, it was stated that two sons had been killed in action, and the young man was the only son left at home. The father was an old man. The National Service repre- sentative said he was instructed that the tribunal should not take comparative reasons into account. These reasons should have been given to those responsible for taking the colliery ballot. The man’s mother stated that she bad another civilian son, married and living at Stanley. The younger one had stated his willingness to go if he could save his brother, but as he was living elsewhere that was of no use. She did not see why her last son should be sacrificed. In the first ballot he came out 72nd; then he was nut into the second ballot and came out 45th. The case was dismissed, but recommended for the consideration of the colliery officials, and the mother was advised to see the colliery manager at once. The mother asked for an appeal from the county tribunal, and said she would fight it out. A Burnopfield tree feller, 26, Grade 2. whose firm, it was stated, supplied collieries and railway companies with timber, was granted exemption until October. At Durham County Appeal Tribunal the National Service representative appealed against conditional exemption granted to a Hetton hewer, 30, with a family of five. The exemntion had been granted on domestic grounds, the local tribunal being of opinion that vounger men could be found with less domestic responsi- bilities. The chairman of the colliery recruiting com- mittee attended on behalf of the local miners’ lodge, and asked the appeal tribunal to confirm the exemntion. The men could not understand why the National Service repre- sentative should annlv for men with large families. They were asked to find 156 men from their collieries, and could do so. Judge Greenwell remarked that if the colliery was prepared to find a substitute, that was satis- factory. The case was adjourned pending the finding of a man in respondent’s place. At Newcastle, a coal merchant, 34. Grade 1, applied for exemption, and said that soon after the outbreak of was his three brothers, who were working partners with him. joined up. leaving the business in his charge. Un- fortunately, two of them had been killed, and the third was now serving in Egynt. He supplied the artisan class in Elswmk district with coals’. Two months’ further exemption was allowed. ____________________________ Trading with the Enemy.—-The Controller of the Foreign Trade Department has issued a.new consolidating list (No. 56a) of over 3,500 persons and firms of enemy nationality or enemy association with whom persons in the United Kingdom are forbidden to trade. Copies of this list can be obtained, price 6d., from the Superin- tendent of, Publications, H.M. Stationery Office, Imperial House, Kingsway, W.C. Industrial Reconstruction Council.—The new offices of the organisation are at 2 and 4, Tudor-street, E.C. 4. The work has been reorganised and divided into sections, superintended by sub-committees. Mr. Ernest J. P. Benn remains chairman and administrative chief, Sir Alexander Roger is in charge of the membership section. Dr. William Garnett and Mr. Emil Davies control meetings, and Sir Herbert Nield, K.C.. M.P., is Parliamentary repre- sentative. The council is also extending the work "of propa- ganda through other organisations, and is now prepared to send sneakers to anv societies to lecture or initiate dis- cussions upon the various aspects of the Whitley Report. Applications should be made to the secretary, who would also be glad to supply literature for distribution. Queensland’s Mining Industry.—According to the annual report of the Under-Secretary for Mines of the State of Queensland for 1917, the value of the mineral output for the year was £3,905.830. or about £7,800 less than that for 1916. Although market prices were very favour- able, the scarcity of suitable labour in the remote dis- tricts, industrial disputes, and the high cost of materials and transportation prevented a larger output. There was an increase in the value of some of the minerals produced, but not sufficient to counter-balance the decline in the production of gold. There was a considerable increase in the coal output, in consequence of the general improve- ment in trade. There was also an increase in the value of the molybdenite produced. The prevailing prices have been obtained for wolfram than heretofore. The market for,copper at a fixed rate has been assured for a definite period, due to the British Minister of Munitions having contracted for the entire output to June 30, 1918. The total expenditures of the department amounted to £40,090. Among the items were : Deep sinking. £17,440 : aid for prospecting, £6,600 : improvement of roads to mineral deposits. £2,227 ; advances under the Mining Machinery Act. £945 : and purchase of boring plant and boring for oil at Roma, £3,450. Sixteen new mines were opened during the vear. and eight that had been closed down for extended periods were re-opened, while twelve dis- continued operations.