928 THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN. November 1, 1918. MEAN MAGNETIC DECLINATION at Kew Observatory, Richmond, in Degrees and Minutes, for each Two-hour Interval in the Week October 20 to 26, 1918. Magnetic character. Intervals—Hours G.M.T. t 0h.-2h. 14° + 2h.-4h. 14° + 4h.-6h. 14° + 6h.-8h. 14° + 8h.-10h 14° + 10h.-12h. 14° + 12h.-14h. 14° + 14h.-16h. 14° + 1 16h.-18h. ■ 14° + 18h.-20h. 14° + 20h.-22h. i 14° + 22h.-24h. 14° + Mean for day. 14° + Min. Min Min. Min. Min. Min. Min. Min. Min. Min. Min. Min. Min. Sun., Oct. 20 2 43.5* 48'5* 46'5 45'5 49'5 53'0 52'5 50'0 47'5 45’5 45'5 45'0 48'0 Mon., ,, 21 1 42*5 44'5 46'0 45'0 43'5 49’0 53'5 53'0 52'5 49'0 ' 44'5 j 44'0 47'5 Tues., ,, 22 0 44’5 44'0 45'5 • 45'5 46'0 50'5 54'5 52'5 48'5 47'0 ( 46'0 44'0 47'5 Wed., „ 23 0 46*0 47'5 47'5 44'5 45'5 52'0 55'5 54'0 49'5 47'0 j 43'5 41'0 47'5 Thurs., ,, 24 0 42'5 43'0 44'0 i 45'0 46'0 51'5 54'5 51'5 49'0 48'0 1 47'0 45’5 47'5 Friday, „ 25 1 43’5 45'5 46'5 ; 45'5 44'0 48'5 51'5' 53'5 50'5 48'5 47'0 44'0 47'5 Sat., „ 26 0 44’0 46'0 45'5 45'0 45'0 49'0 52'0 49'5 48'0 47'5 47'0 46'5 47'0 Mean value for Diurnal i n e- lh. 2h. 3h. 4h. 5h. 6h. 7h. 8h. 9h. lOh. Uh. 12h. 13h. I4h. 15h. 16h. 17h. 18h. 19h. 20h. 21h. 22h. 23h. 24h. month. quality (i.e., Oct. 1917 -1’5 -1’4 -1'1 -0'8 -0'8 -1'8 -3'5 -5'1 -4'7 -2'2 + 1'5 +4'4 + 5'5 +5'5 + 4'5 +2'9 + 21 +1'3 + 0'5 -0'1 -0'7 -1'2 -1'5 -1'8 14° 57'5 Oct. T7 departure from Sep. 1918 -1*2 -1*7 -2'4 -2'9 -2'9 -2'9 -3'6 -3'8 -2'3 +0'4 + 4'3 +6'6 + 7'1 +6'3 + 4'8 +2'5 + 0'9 -0'1 -1'0 -1'4 -1'7 -1'9 -1'9 -1'5 14° 48" 6 Sep.’18 mean value for Sep. 1917 -1‘2 — 1’5 -1'8 -2'1 -2'4 -3'4 -5'0 -6'0 -5'1 -2'2 + 2'6 +5'5 + 7'1 4-6’5 + 4'9 +3'2 + 2'0 +1'1 + 0'5 +0'1 -0'2 -0'6 -0'9 -1'2 14° 58''4 Sep.’17 day) The day is counted from Oh. (midnight) to 24h. (mi inight) G.M.T. Character “ 0” means a day wholly free from any but small disturbances. Character “ 1 ” means a day part or all of which is moderately or considerably disturbed. Character “2” means a day part or all of which is highly disturbed. The normal value for an hour is the mean declination for that hour in the month, derived from quiet days only, or from all days excluding those of character “2.” On a day of character “ 0 ” declination at any hour will usually be within about 3' of the normal. On a day of character if 1 ” the departure from the normal will usually not exceed 5', but it may occasionally be as much as 10', or even more. On a day of character “2” the departure from the normal will seldom exceed 20', but departures of 30' or even on extreme occasions of 1° or more may occur. The above values were obtained from measurements made after “ smoothing the curves. * Large disturbances during this interval. Meteorological Office, October 30. be remitted for consideration to the Miners’ Federation of Great Britain. The reply of the workmen’s represen- tatives was that the Miners’ Federation of Great Britain executive had already given it consideration, and had decided that each district should act separately. A pro- mise was, however, made to consider the Controller’s proposal. Later on the executive decided to call a conference of the whole coalfield for Monday, November 4. A deputation from the Colliery Officials’ Union .attended expressing a desire for a working arrangement with the' Miners’ Federation, but the executive council did not see its way to agree; on the contrary, it confirmed a previous decision, which stated that they did not consider any good purpose would be derived from such an arrangement. The executive council of the Enginemen and Stokers’ Association met in Cardiff on Monday, and considered what was described as a Government offer in reply to the eight hour day demand. Mr. W. J. Wathen presided, and it was stated that the Controller had been authorised by the Government to give a guarantee that an eight and a half hours day should be instituted within six months after the declaration of peace. This offer was discussed by the executive, but considered to be unacceptable. It was agreed, however, that the members of the association should have an opportunity of balloting upon this offer, and also upon the advisability of tendering 14 days’ notice in support of the demand for immediate introduction of the eight hour day. The monthly meeting of the Rhymney Valley miners took place at Bargoed on Saturday. It was reported that price lists at the Elliott and New Tredegar pits were considered by the workmen to be inadequate, and in many cases obsolete, and that they desired an improvement. Pro- posals to that end had been submitted as to two of the lists, and others were being prepared. The hauliers under the Rhymney Iron Company, it was stated, desired extra payment for training new horses underground, and the matter had been taken up by the workmen’s committee; so that it was now in a fair way for settlement. The agent, Mr. Walter Lewis, gave a warning against “unofficial” reform committees that made their appearance in the dis- trict, no fewer than three “ unofficial ” programmes as to after-war wages having been issued, and he impressed upon the committee the necessity of disregarding these inde- pendent “ moves,” and to support the regular officials. The joint sub-committee of the Conciliation Board which was appointed to prepare rules and regulations for the joint pit committees to deal with absenteeism and improve the output, met in Cardiff on Friday, these committees having been projected in order to make operative the arrangement between the Government and the Miners’ Federation of Great Britain. Mr. Evan Williams pre- sided, and discussion centred upon the powers which these committees should exercise. It was desired by the work- men’s representatives that the committees be able to deal with any conditions of employment which affected the output, this involving criticism or interference with the management. The employers’ representatives, on the other hand, objected very strongly to this requirement, and made a proposal that such matters should be outside the powers of the committees. Agreement proved to be im- practicable, and the committee separated without reaching any result, the issue being one upon fundamental principle. The Committee on Production has received a statement from representatives of the Iron, Steel, and Metal Dressers Trades’ Society that an advance of wages should be given to men employed at the Cardiff-Dowlais iron works of Guest, Keen and Company. They wish to have the base rate of 4s. 2d. raised to 5s. per day, and claim also that this union should be recognised in the works. The Com- mittee has not yet given its decision. The Joint Committee of the Conciliation Board which deals with disputes met in Cardiff on Tuesday. Reports were presented as to workmen having stopped without proper notice, and the employers’ representatives stated that they were determined to prosecute in certain cases which were mentioned, namely, Mardy, Gwauncaegurwen, and the Great Western collieries. A report was made as to the dispute at the Tredegar Company’s pits concerning the regulation for piecework colliers unloading rubbish in their working places, and the right of men to call a member of the workmen’s committee to the working place for the purpose of investigation. It was agreed that this matter should go to one of the miners’ leaders (Mr. Hodge) in order that he should consult the Tredegar men in reference to it. Federated Area. A strike of deputies at the Tibshelf old collieries spread, on Friday, to Nos. 3 and 4 collieries of the same firm (the Babbington Coal Company), which owns a number of pits in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. Men and boys, numbering about 2,000, were thrown idle, with an attendant loss of 3,000 tons of coal daily. North of England. A.t a special delegate meeting of the Durham County Colliery Enginemen’s, Boiler Minders’ and Firemen’s Association, Mr. M. Westgarth presiding, the following resolution was carried : “ That we, the delegates at this special council assembled, commission the executive com- mittee to accept the offer of the owners to give immediate relief to stationary boiler firemen by reducing the hours of their work to eight per shift, with a basis wage of 3s. 6d. per day, and to firemen who continue to mind boilers, their wages to continue at 3s. 9d. We regret the owners’ refusal to give a definite promise that after the war eight hour shifts shall be conceded to all our members, and in the event of the owners not giving a satisfactory answer to the requests which shall be made at the meeting promised, the committee must call at once a special delegate meeting to otherwise deal with ,the question.” There voted in favour of the resolution 388 out of a possible 431. The Northumberland Miners’ Association has nominated Mr. Geo. H. Warne, of Woodhorn, for the position of secretary of the Miners’ Federation of Great Britain, the election of whom is to take place next month. Recently 150 putters at Ry hope Colliery, who laid the pit idle for a week, were ordered to pay damages amount- ing to £2 per man. The executive of the Durham Miners’ Association thereupon gave the Ryhope miners permis- sion to take a strike ballot, with a view to geeting various grievances dealt with. By 653 votes to 321 the men de- cided to strike. Since then, however, negotiations have taken place which lead to the hope that an amicable settle- ment may be come to without recourse to the strike weapon. The threatened strike at Ellington Colliery, Northum- berland, has been averted by the management agreeing to five o’clock as the time limit for turning out coal. At recent meetings of the executive committee of the Northumberland Miners’ Association the following de- cisions were come to : To ask the committee of the Miners’ Federation to approach the Coal Controller regarding the increasing prices of explosives, pick shafts and other tools, with a view to having the prices of these things controlled so as to pre ^ent any further rise; to inform Newbiggin Branch that the Coal Controller was being communicated with regarding the workmen’s sugges- tion to change their shifts from a three-shift to a two- shift system; to point out to Bedlington and Algernon branches that negotiations regarding war wage for over- time were now proceeding between the Miners’ Federa- tion Committee and the Coal Controller; to decline the suggestion of Bomarsund Branch to take steps to have blasting off the solid permitted, there being a standing decision of the association against this procedure; to inform Old Delaval Branch that, in face of the associa- tion’s decision, the executive committee could not agree to female labour on the surface such as was stated to be employed at the colliery, and to write to the management of the pit requesting the removal of such labour; to ask all the branches to inform the executive committee as early as possible of the employment of female labour at any of the pits; to decline to take a part in any of the projects of the Colliery Officials’ Association; to allow the workmen at Whitechapel Colliery, Bardon Mill, to establish a branch of the association, with the understand- ing that, aj, opportunity offers, the association will endeavour to improve their working conditions; and to refer the question of organising more of the small col- lieries in the county to the Northumberland Mine Workers’ Federation. At Whitehaven Police Court, on Thursday, Mr. W. H. Chapman, on behalf of the Whitehaven Colliery Com- pany, asked for and obtained the withdrawal of the summons against between 200 and 300 employees for absenting themselves from work without notice, as an arrangement had been come to, the employees concerned agreeing to forfeit <£1 each. Kent. Representatives of the boards of directors of Tilman- stone, Snowdown and Chislet collieries and delegates of the Kent Miners’ Association conferred last week on the dispute concerning the wages of the surface men at the collieries, which was the subject of the recent threatened strike. The conference was held at Canterbury. Forest of Dean. Very drastic action is being taken by miners in the Forest of Dean, no fewer than 6,000 men threatening a strike on account of one man, who was refused reinstate- ment at Norchard Colliery after having been charged with a breach of the regulations and convicted of an offence under the Mines Act. To bring about an agreement, Sir Guy Calthrop, the Controller, paid a visit to the district on Saturday, attending a conference of employers and workmen’s leaders. The demand of the latter was that the man in question should be restored to his work in the Norchard Colliery; and the suggestion, after consultation with the employers, was that they should give him choice of employment at four other collieries. The local miners’ agent, however, declared that nothing less than reinstate- ment of the man would satisfy the workmen, they being determined that he should regain his position at Norchard. Sir Guy Calthrop, who was much disappointed, declared that the employers had shown a most conciliatory spirit, and that there was nothing further he could do. The notices given in by the workmen terminated on Saturday, but it was understood that they would work through this current week. On Saturday morning the employers, with the managers and workmen’s leaders, met, and were addressed by the Controller, who pointed out that the out- put of the Forest of Dean was less by 3,000 tons per week, and that it was urgently necessary this should be increased. According to information tendered him, Mon- day was the worst day of the week for absentees, although it followed the week-end rest, and he appealed to the miners on patriotic grounds to remedy the difficulty. The executive of the Miners’ Federation of Great Britain decided yesterday (Thursday) to recommend the miners to accept the proposed compromise regarding the dispute in the Forest of Dean. Scotland, The executive of the Fife Miners’ Association have decided that instructions be given to the British Miners’ Federation to immediately enter into negotiations with the Coal Controller with regard to the claim of 5s. in- crease lodged some time ago on behalf of the Scottish miners. A claim on behalf of members of the Winding Engine- mens’ Association—locomotive men and others—who do week-end work for the coke plants, to the increased wage rates granted to coke workers, was presented by the representatives of the association to the coal owners at a meeting at Workington last week. It was decided to refer the matter to a joint committee. At Auchengeich Colliery, Chryston, Lanarkshire, a dispute has arisen regarding the wages of the surface workers. The question is to be allowed, meanwhile, to lie in abeyance until it can be dealt with nationally. Two or three points of difference which have cropped up at Hamilton Palace Colliery, in the Bothwell district of Lanarkshire, have been referred to the Lanarkshire Disputes Committee of the Conciliation Board. A section of the miners claim to have a full day’s wage made up to them on account of the manager failing to provide a drawer in sufficient time to take away the day’s output. Further, the manager refused to pay more than the usual drawer’s wage for any man transferred from the coal face to do drawing. Messrs. David Still (Ayrshire), Joseph Westwood (Fife) and J. B. Fotheringham (Fife) have been selected from amongst 39 applicants as political organisers to the Scottish Miners’ executive. At Blackrigg Collieries, West Lothian, the miners have been successful in securing the substitution of weekly pays for fortnightly settlements. This has been a bone of contention amongst the men for a long time. The medical practitioners in the Stirling district are putting forward a claim for an increase in the contri- butions for attendance on the dependants of miners and other colliery workers. Messrs. John Clements and Patrick Power were recently appointed to make a special inspection of Orbiston Colliery, Bellshill. The report of the inspectors shows that matters are in a fairly satisfactory condition, and that no inflammable gas was discovered in the mine. In the Kilwinning district of Ayrshire there is consider- able dissatisfaction because of the reorganisation of pit- head work. At a meeting of colliery clerks, held in Edinburgh on Saturday, it was agreed to form a Lothians branch of the Scottish Colliery Clerks’ Association. Mr. S. Ashen- burst, Musselburgh, was appointed president, and Miss Craig, Waverley View, Millerhill, secretary. Inland Revenue Report.—The 61st annual report of the Commissioners of Inland Revenue for the year ended March 31, 1918, states that gross receipts totalled £542,546,621. The income tax (and super-tax) realised £263,365,067, and the excess profits duty (and munitions levy) £227,011,249. The excess mineral rights duty (Budget estimate £100,000) amounted to £280,000. Prices of Sulphuric Acid.—An Order will be issued by the Minister of Munitions fixing as from November 1 new maximum prices for sulphuric acid in place of those fixed by the Order dated May 10, 1918. Any communi- cation in reference to the new Order should be made to the Director of Acid Supplies, Ministry of Munitions, Department of Explosives Supply, Storey’s-gate, West- minster, S.W. 1. Workmen’s Compensation.—This (Friday) morning the executive of the Miners’ Federation of Great Britain met Sir George Cave at the Home Office and asked for a further increase in the compensation paid under the Workmen’s Compensation Act to men who are totally inqapacited, in addition to the increased percentage given under the recent Amending Act, so as to meet the increased cost of living.