966

THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN.

November 8, 1918.

Colliery, Mechanical and Electrical Engineers.

These classes of officials would generally follow the
same educational course as the workmen, concluding
their education by taking the special mechanical and
electrical engineering courses (comprising mathe-
matics, engineering science, engineering drawing,
engineering workshop, chemistry, heat, light and
sound, electrotechnics and metallurgy), running
parallel with the above, and which were necessary to
properly qualify them for their future W’ork, passing
the examinations at the end of each course. There
were two centres, Wigan and Manchester, at which
classes were held to prepare candidates for these
examinations.

One could now begin to consider the student
coming into mining direct from a public school.
Youths who had this advantage would be well advised
not only to matriculate before leaving in order to
obtain entrance to the university, but, if possible, to
stoy on at school for a further year (if by so doing
they became prefects). For those who in later life
were to have the management of men, practical expe-
rience of the traditions of public school control
possessed a very real value.

Surveyors.

Students intending to become surveyors might
either have followed the same educational course as
the two classes of engineers just described, or they
would preferably enter upon their career direct from
a public school through a regular pupilage with a
mining engineer or at a colliery, taking the day
courses in surveying, at either Wigan or Manchester,
which comprised surveying with compass and theodo-
lite, levelling, making and keeping mine plans and
sections, triangulation, traversing, connecting surface
and underground surveys, determination of true
meridian and setting out works, passing the Home
Office examination for the surveyor’s certificate.

Agents, Mining Engineers and Inspectors.

It was, however, to the university or to the tech-
nical college or university rank that we must look
for the adequate training of future managers of the
largest concerns, agents, mining engineers and in-
spectors of mines—men with creative minds; men who
would not merely follow existing practice, but would
be able to cope with new problems and lead in new
lines of advance, and one was immediately impressed
by the inadequacy of the present provision for their
training.

The manager of a large colliery had great responsi-
bilities. He must be able to initiate, consider and
decide upon proposals for working seams that had
hitherto been neglected as unprofitable, and seams of
greater depths, for generating power and distributing
it electrically at distant points, or for the installing
of plant for the distillation of coal and the recovery
of by-products, etc. In fact, the successful develop-
ment of the coal mining industry demanded not only
the expert in various branches of engineering or of
chemistry, but also the manager with a large out-
look, a wide knowledge, and a far-reaching policy.
The control of an industry of this importance not only
justified but demanded an adequate training, since
any failure to make the best use of our mineral
deposits could never afterwards be remedied, and also
because an improvement in mining methods might
give so large a pr | ortionate return.

A future member of this class should remain at a
public school until 18, leaving after passing ;ne
matriculation of equivalent examination. He should
then spend twelve months working underground in
a mine, when he should enter a university or a tech-
nical college of university rank—Wigan or Man-
chester were both available—to take the full-time
degree course. This should embrace mathematics,
physics, chemistry, geology and mineralogy, mining,
mechanical, electrical, civil and chemical engineering,
metallurgy assaying and petroleum refining. He
should spend the greater part of each long vacation,
during his university course, underground on various
kinds of work. He should obtain his diploma at the
end of the second year, and return to the colliery
immediately upon obtaining his degree, or, if he
possessed exceptional ability and remained at college
for another year of specialised post-graduate work,
he should return as soon as this advanced study was
complete. Twelve months at the colliery subsequent
to graduation would being his age to 23, and would
complete his qualification to sit for the first-class
colliery manager’s certificate.

The Duties of Employers.

Employers’ interest in their employees should com-
mence as soon as the latter began work, and it should
be well understood from the outset that promising
youths attending classes in any subject directly or
indirectly connected with mining would have their
fees and, if need be, railway fares refunded on
passing the examination satisfactorily at the end of
the course. This would immediately show which of
the youths, having commenced to work, were desirous
of improving themselves.

The same practice should prevail in the encourage-
ment of the most promising to go forward and obtain
the fireman’s certificate and, later, the second class
certificate as under-manager. These, as they qualified,
should be awarded places as firemen and under-
managers as vacancies occurred.

A system of this kind would provide the local
technical schools with students, the colliery with
promising officials, and enable the students to realise
that those with the highest qualifications eventually
got the best positions.

Another desirable practice, and abundantly worth
while, was to make the qualification for each official
position at a colliery one step in advance of that
required by the law — that is, that firemen must
generally be holders of second class certificates, and
under-managers holders of first class certificates.

Without attempting to draw any hard and fast line,
the speaker said he would let the first class certificate

as a manager avail up to the supervision of 1,000
men; over that number and for assistant inspector-
ships a diploma in mining should be required; whilst
for the larger collieries and for divisional inspector-
ships a degree in mining should be deemed essential
for the holder of the position.

Another thing very much needed in Lancashire,
where mining instruction is left too much to the hap-
hazard choice of isolated towns and urban district
councils, was the appointment of a county organiser
of mining education, whose duty should be to see to
the complete organisation, co-ordination, and linking
up from one centre, such as the county council, of
all the existing means of training in mining, so that
the capable student should be encouraged and led for-
ward from the local classes through the district
college to the diploma and degree course at the
university.

The foregoing suggestions were submitted as being
not only educationally desirable, but commercially
profitable. Employers should appreciate more fully
the value of technical training, and realise that the
young man possessing practical experience and a
knowledge of mining science—thus bringing to his
work a trained mind capable of working out the most
difficult problems likely to arise in his career—was
an asset of national importance and was entitled to
be rewarded for his ability in a manner commensurate
to his worth in the mining industry.

Colliery firms and persons generally interested in
mining would do well to take an interest in the
mining institutions of their district and encourage
their officials to attend the local meetings, take part
in the discussions, and contribute papers; whilst (1)
the founding of scholarships and bursaries, (2) be-
quests to the endowment of a mining chair in
Lancashire, which was much needed, and (3) for the
carrying on of research work in subjects connected
with mining were all suitable ways of assisting in the
educational and industrial progress of the district, as
had been so well done already in South Wales, Leeds,
Glasgow, Newcastle, and Birmingham.

The speaker appealed for a wider outlook in con-
nection with university and higher collegiate students
in mining, and said that the most progressive collieries
should offer facilities for diploma and degree students
to obtain practical experience at their collieries
during the vacation periods. A regular levy of a
very small fraction of a penny per ton on the output
of the area would place all schemes in connection
with both education and research in mining on a
thoroughly sound basis.

The South Wales School of Mines was a praise-
worthy example of what had been done in that
district. It was founded and supported by ovei’ 30
colliery companies having a combined output of over
30,000,000 tons per annum, which, on a levy of 0-10
of a penny per ton, produced £12,000 annually, out
of which sum, besides meeting all charges, they were
able to assist deserving students by providing two
scholarships every year, of the value of £40, tenable
for four years.

This was the only instance where a direct levy on the
coal industry had so far been made for the benefit of
education in this country, but it was an example
worthy of being followed.

The coal owners of Westphalia, bv a levy of one-
sixteenth of a penny per ton on their output con-
tributed over £20,000 per annum to the maintenance
of the Bochum Mining School, and maintained, in
addition, between 20 and 30 preparatory schools
throughout the district.

There was good reason for believing that the
Government would shortly introduce a scheme of
additional scholarships, recommended by the Con-
sultative Committee of the Board of Education,
allocating £100,000 to that object in State-aided
secondary schools, and a further £100,000 for in-
creasing the number of scholarships at universities,
also recommending the granting of scholarships for
research work at universities.

Research.

An important factor in insuring commercial
prosperity was industrial research, and although no
immediate return could he expected on the capital
invested, in the end industrial research, if wisely
organised and efficiently conducted, would pay the
industry and the community abundantly. In Germany
the step which did more than anything else to bring
about the wonderful development of organic chemistry
in that country was the provision that research must
be an essential part in the training of every student
of chemistry.

The importance of research as an essential part
of the training of the man who intended to take up
a technical career had not until quite recently been
appreciated in this country. In Germany, far more
than in any other country, the value of close contact
between the industries and the universities had been
recognised. The majority of the professors were in
close touch with the large works, and spent part of
their time in solving technical questions which they
either initiated themselves or which might be sub-
mitted to them.

This connection between the works and the univer-
sities was of advantage to both; it resulted in the
industry taking a keen interest in and subscribing
liberally to the department with which it was asso-
ciated, while the university laboratories were stimu-
lated by the problems arising from the industry.

In England, in 1902. the National Physical Labora-
tory was established with a grant from tb° Treasury,
and this was almost the first instance of the State
taking part in scientific research in this country. The
Imperial Institute also undertook scientific research
in relation to industries, hut these institutions were
neither burdened with work nor heavily subsidised.

In May 1915, however, the Presidents of the Board of
Trade and Education received a deputation from the
Royal and other learned societies urging Government
assistance for “ scientific research for industrial pur-
poses,” etc. On July 28 an Order in Council was

issued which established the Committee of the Privy
Council for Scientific and Industrial Research and the
Advisory Council, which met for the first time on
August 1.7, 1915.

At an early date the Council realised that they must
set up a series of strong standing committees to assist
them in surveying the field of research, in construct-
ing panels of referees, and in dealing with appli-
cations for grants. In the first year three standing
committees were set up—one in engineering, one in
metallurgy, and one in mining.

These committees advised the Council on researches
relating to engineering, or mining, or metallurgy, as
the case might be. Gradually the number and scope
of these committees would extend.

The Government had placed a fund of £1,000,000
at the disposal of this new department to enable it
to encourage the industries to undertake research.

A series of researches under the Coal Conservation
Committee had been proposed, in order to introduce
systematic economy in the use of fuel. The utilisation
of peat, conditions in hot and deep mines, mine
rescue apparatus, and the preservation of timber
underground were also subjects which were being
dealt with.

The Council thought that the best results would be
obtained by the formation of associations for research
for each industry, the contributions of the members
towards the cost of research being in proportion to
their size, whilst the Government subsidy would
provide the balance.

The policy of the research department was there-
fore to delegate industrial research to the industries
themselves under carefully selected committees of
direction, consisting of leaders of the particular
industry, men of science, and representatives of the
skilled workers, the State providing assistance, for
a period at least, at first.

In this direction the coal owners of South York-
shire had established at Doncaster a station for
research in mining, which was already doing valuable
work.

The speaker made an earnest appeal to the coal
owners’ associations and the mining community
throughout the country to realise the need and take
an immediate and active part in this national move-
ment for ensuring that the highest education neces-
sary in mining should be available, that research
should become a regular and increasing feature, and
that both should be systematically endowed with
adequate funds.

With the co-operation of employers, individually
and by their association, Miners’ Federation, county
council and the local education authorities, Lan-
cashire would again place itself in the front as a
pioneer in mining education as in 1857, when it
founded the first provincial mining school in Britain—
the present Wigan Mining College.

An interesting discussion on Mr. Pickup’s address
ensued in which Mr. S. C. Laws, M.A., the principal of
the Wigan Mining and Technical College (who pre-
sided), Conn. A. Guest (vice-chairman of the Wigan
Education Authority and a member of the Wigan
College Governing Body), and Messrs. E. B. Naylor,
A. M. Stone and R. W. Corless took part.

The proceedings terminated with a cordial vote of
thanks to Mr. Pickup for his interesting and in-
forming address.

COAL SUBSTITUTES IN FRANCE.

The coal crisis and consequent check to transport
have necessitated the research for coal substitutes of
all kinds, and particularly the development of the peat
industry.

Peat is found in France over large areas, the thick-
ness of the deposits varying from 2 to 15 metres ; and
where it occurs in the neighbourhood of large industrial
centres it may help to replace coal, the calorific value
being about half that of the latter fuel.

Trials with peat are being made at Bouchet, Moulin-
Blanc and Pont-de-Buis powder factories, the last-
named works recovering peat from a drained bog, so
that the turves can be stacked at once, thus saving
storage room.

Three mixtures of peat and other fuels have also
been found satisfactory. The first mixture consists of
six tons of fresh peat, one ton of sawdust, one
ton of coal dust, and factory waste. As a bind,
wet peat is added in the mixer, and the briquettes
are left to dry until they contain no more than 30
per cent, moisture. In this condition they have
proved quite serviceable for heating several types of
boiler, including the Niclausse, Babcock and Wilcox and
Bietrix and Lefevre semi-tubular boilers. On an
average, the briquettes have a steam-raising power
equal to four-fifths of ordinary coal.

At the Pont-du-Buis works simultaneous trials' with
peat and coal on a larger scale have given interesting
results. The boilers are of the Babcock type, with
mechanical grate, forced draught, and a steam production
of 4,500 kilogs. per hour at a pressure of 12 to 13 kilogs.
The peat (mossy and of medium quality) used contained
30 per cent, moisture. The boilers were fired with
varying proportions of peat and coal, according to the
percentage of moisture in the former, the maximum
amount of peat used being 90 per cent. With this
proportion a steam pressure of about 12 kilogs. was
maintained in one experiment with as much ease as
by means of good coal alone. It is found that
the same result as furnished by 100 tons of coal can be
obtained by substituting a mixture of 20 tons of coal
and 185 tons of peat (with 30 p^r cent, moisture), a
saving of 80 per cent, of coal being thereby effected.

At the Moulin Blanc factory, peat with 30 per cent,
moisture has been successfully tried in the nitric acid
furnaces, the peat fires maintaining a more regular
temperature than other fuels. The consumption is
three tons of peat as compared with two tons of coal.

Investigations are also being carried out with peat
for gas-producers supplying gas engines.