1252

THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN.

December 13, 1918.

LABOUR AND WAGES.

South Wales and Monmouthshire.

The situation at Bedwas Colliery was discussed by a
conference of the South Wales miners in Cardiff, on
Saturday, when 195 delegates were present representing*
143,000 employees. It had been alleged that the condition
of the colliery was unsafe, and it was stated in the course
of the proceedings that consideration of the question had
been adjourned from a previous meeting in order that the
delegates might have an opportunity to confer with the
lodges. Representatives of the executive council had
visited the colliery, and had recommended the men to
resume work; but they had refused to do so, demanding
the previous dismissal of overmen and firemen. In the
course of the discussion on Saturday, the delegates from
Bedwas made allegations as to tyrannical action against
them by colliery officials, and stated that the men were not
prepared to work with them any longer. Finally, a resolu-
tion was passed that 10 days notice should be given on
the following Monday to terminate contracts through-
out the whole c al field in support of the Bedwas workmen ;
and that in the meantime the Coal Controller should I e
communicated with Further, an appeal will be issued to
the lodges asking whether they agree to a grant of
<£10,000 being made to the Bedwas workmen.

The executive council of the Federation met on Monday,
and, it is satisfactory to note, took determined action con-
trary to the resolution of the gathering on Saturday. It
was unanimously resolved by the executive that the
carrying out of the decision of Saturday’s conference
“would work grave injustice, in that it would involve the
discharge of certain officials from their employment without
even any specific charge having been made against them
and without any consequent investigation.” Consequently,
the executive regretted “ that we are unable to carryout
the decision of the conference, and determined to cill
another conference recommending it to withdraw the
demand for dismissal of overmen and firemen at Bed wan
other than the two firemen against whom charges have
been made, which charges, the executive council agree,
have been well founded.” The resolution of the executive
stated further, ‘‘the policy of the South Wales Miners’
Federation in reference to appointment of firemen Ly the
workmen and their appointment by the State has already
been accepted by the Miners’ Federation of Great Britain.
The executive council are unanimous in their decision to
bring pressure to bear upon the Miners’ Federation of
Great Britain to secure tee speedy realisation of this
policy.” The new conference has been conven’d for
Thursday, December 19.

The secretary of the Bedwas miners’ lodge has issued a
defence of the men’s action, wherein he places the responsi-
bility for stoppage upon the firemen who refused to work
with the miners after they had made protest against the
firemen alleged to be in fault; and after, as the miners’
secretary states, the workmen’s case had been proved. The
miners’attitude now is that they will not work with officials
who have acted as the firemen have done. The secretary
(Mr. Milson) declares that those men have been condemned
by the central executive, the coal owners, and even by
their own organisation.

The Joint Disputes Committee met on Tuesday, under
the presidency of Mr. Evan Williams, and dealt with
matters which had arisen at Ynysfaio, Llanerch, and
Blaenserchan collieries, in regard to payment of the war
wage. A dispute came from the Penrhiwceiber Colliery,
where a man, not a member of either of the recognised
unions connected with coal mining, had been allowed to
work, and this the men’s representatives regarded as a
breach of the non-unionist agreement. The matter was
referred back to local representatives so that a further
effort might be made to reach a settlement. Similar
reference was made in regard to Pwllbach Colliery, where
the men claimed a “ bridle ” to carry them to and from
their working places.

Miners at the Arael Griffin Colliery, Six Bells, stopped
work on Monday, alleging that gas had been discovered in
an old road, and at a mass meeting they passed a resolution
demanding withdrawal of the firemen. After investigation
it was decided that there was not sufficient evidence to
justify the demand against the firemen; and the men
returned to work on Tuesday’s night shift.

About 1,5(0 men stopped on Friday at the Abergorky
Collieries, resenting the attitude adopted by a fireman,
refusing to work with him and demanding his removal.
Acting upon the advice of their agent, however, they
resumed work on Tuesday, an amicable arrangement
having been made.

General questions relating to the tinplate industry are
to be referred to a joint council which will probably include
representatives of the steel trade as well as tinplaters
proper. The Iron and Steel Trades Confederation, seeking
an additional bonus, as well as an eight hours shift for the
whole of the iron and steel trades of the country, will have
this matter dealt with by the conference at Newcastle, and
by the decision arrived at the interests in tinplaters will,
of course, be directly affected.

Among other questions agitating the tinplate trade is
the position of men from the works who, being engaged on
munitions at a distance from home, had a subsistence
allowance of 17s 6d. per week. By December 14 this
allowance would, in the ordinary course, terminate; and
representations are being made on behalf of these men,
that so long as they have to live away from home the
allowance should be continued.

The coal trimmers at Cardiff, dealing with the question
of Saturday’s cessation of work, have passed a resolution
that, considering the reversion to pre-war conditions, the
time has arrived when they should re-establish the Satur-
day one o’clock finish. A conference both of trimmers and
tippers have therefore passed a resolution recommending
the men to cease work on Saturday, December 14, in order
that all may be free to attend mass meetings on Sunday to
decide the future policy.

The Joint Board of Colliery Examiners and Employers
discussed the wage agreement at a meeting held in Cardiff
on Saturday, and disposed of the difficulty which had
arisen concerning the payment for Sunday work. The
precise terms of the agreement arrived at have not been
disclosed ; but it is understood that a satisfactory result
has been attained and that the formal agreement has been
signed. The employers will make payment on or before
December 21 as from September 2. The question of the
wages of shopmen has not been settled, but will be dealt
with at the next meeting.

The workmen employed at the Abergorky Collieries
(United National), Treorchy, resumed work on Tuesday
after a stoppage of three days, owing to a dispute between
a fireman and the workmen. The number of workmen
involved was about 1,500.

North of England.

At the annual council meeting of the Durham Miners’
Association, held last Saturday, the following officials were
re-elected: President and compensation agent, Jas.
Robson; general secretary, T. H. Cann; insurance and
financial secretary, Wm. Whiteley; general treasurer,
Thos. Trotter; committee secretary, W. P. Richardson;
and joint committee secretary, Jos. Batey. A resolution
was adopted urging the Miners’ Federation to demand that
when the Peace Conference meets its deliberations shall
be published daily in the public Press, so that the workers
of Great Britain may see and know what exactly is being
done in their name, believing that the future peace of the
world and the welfare of humanity will depend entirely
on the kind of peace about to be made. A claim by
Bert Kelly, formerly a clerk in the miners’ offices at
Durham, whom, being a conscientious objector, the
council some time ago declined to reinstate in his em-
ployment, was made for “ sacrificed ” allowance, but was
rejected. . On the motion of Mainsforth and Washington,
it was decided strongly to protest against the exceedingly
high price of foodstuffs, and to request the Food Controller
to reduce the prices at the earliest date as being the only
method of staying the industrial unrest throughout the
Empire. The council, as representing 120,000 miners,
pledged itself to support in every way possible the Labour
candidates for the Parliament in the county.

A somewhat extraordinary strike has occurred at
Easington, where the miners, after working a fortnight’s
notice, have laid the pit idle not because of any dispute
with their employers, but because of the refusal of some
of the men to pay a levy decided upon by the Durham
Miners’ Association some time ago to relieve some members
who, by a decision of the union, were thrown on the
association’s funds for a short while. The strike is result-
ing in a loss of £1,000 per day in wages. The Dean of
Durham (Bishop Welldon) has offered his services as arbi-
trator, but the offer was declined by the men.

The Northumberland coal owners and the Miners’ Asso-
ciation are contemplating making arrangements, for a.
shorter working week for surface workers, following on
the agreement recently arrived at between the Coal Con-
troller, the Mining Association of Great Britain, and the
Miners’ Federation. Under the new scheme the men will
work 49 hours per week, as against the 53 hours at present
worked by the colliery mechanics, for example. The re-
duction will come into force with the first pay in the
new year.

A meeting of colliery mechanics held at Bedlington
Station decided to protest against the acceptance by the
Miners’ Federation of a 49 hours week for surface workers.

The report of the Cleveland Miners’ and Quarrymen’s
Association for the quarter ended September shows a
membership of 8,700, of whom 833 are on active service.
During the quarter the sum of £353 5s. 4d. was paid for
sending members, their wives and families to hospitals,
infirmaries, homes, etc,, for special treatment in cases
of illness or accident.

Cleveland mine owners and representatives of the Cleve-
land Miners’ Association have had a conference to con-
sider the question of hours of surface workers, and have
arranged a further meeting to be held on Monday,
December 23. In the interval the men’s representatives
will visit the various lodges and secure information as
to local circumstances.

Federated Area.

At the meeting of the Council of the Derbyshire Miners’
Association at Chesterfield, on Saturday, the election of
officers was announced as follows: President (unopposed),
Mr. W. Sewell, of Halfway; vice-president, Mr. Enoch
Overton, Bolsover; executive, Messrs. J. Randle, Morton;
A. Hancock, Tupton; J. E. Kirk, Manners; W. Musson,
Copnice: S. Bunting, Markham; W. Dawes, Beighton;
S. Woodhead, Barlbro’; J. T. Squires, South Wingfield;
F. F. Bolstridge, Blackwell; W. Taylor, Ripley; B. Lee,
Bolsover; and J. Wilcox, Warsop Main. It was unani-
mously decided to ask the miners to support the following
Labour candidates in the Parliamentary election : Mr.
Frank Hall, Clay Cross; Mr. Frank Lee, North-East
Derbyshire; and Mr. G. Oliver, Ilkeston. A grant of £60
is to be made to the testimonial fund for Mr. T. Ashton
upon his retirement from the secretaryship of the Miners’
Federation.

Scotland.

Complaint is made by the miners employed at Lochead
Coal and Fireclay Company’s works regarding the non-
payment of war wage for the idle day taken on November
12. In the case of coal miners, instructions were given to
pay the war wage for idle time on that date, but fireclay
mines are under the Ministry of Munitions, and it appears
no instructions have been issued by that Department to
the firms controlled by them.

Iron, Steel and Engineering Trades.

Messrs. Price, Waterhouse and Company certify that for
the two months ended October 31 last the average net
selling price per ton of manufactured iron sold by firms
associated with the Board of Conciliation and Arbitration
for the Manufactured Iron and Steel Trade of the North
of England was £15 6s. 3-69d., as compared with
£14 Ils. 9-96d. for the previous two months. The plates
sold totalled 11 tons odd at £15 10s. per ton, as against
nil; the bars, 7,649 tons at £15 6s. 0-82d., as against 6,178
tons at £14 Ils. 7-5d.; and the angles, 71 tons at
£16 Ils. 3-18d., as against 145 tons at £15 0s. 6-42d.—
a total of 7,732 tons, as against 6,324 tons. Under the
sliding scale there will be an advance of 9d. per ton on
puddling, and 74 per cent, on all other forge and mill
wages as from December 2, but in accordance with the
Ministry of Munitions lines of settlement on January 3
and February 20 last, this advance will merge into the
12^ per cent, and the 7| per cent, bonus granted under
those settlements.

The Cleveland Ironstone mine owners and representa-
tives of the Cleveland Miners’ Association met this week
to consider the question of surfacemen’s hours, and it was
arranged that a further meeting on the question be held
on December 23. In the meantime the men’s repre-
sentatives will visit the various mining lodges and explain
the matter, and also seek information from the men as to
local circumstances.

Arrangements have been made for a conference between
representatives of employers’ organisations in England and
Scotland, together with representatives of the Iron and
Steel Trades Confederation and the Amalgamated Steel
Workers of Scotland for the purpose of considering the
establishment of an eight hours day throughout the steel
trades.

North Staffordshire Institute of Mining Engineers.—A
repoit of the proceedings of the North Staffordshire Insti-
tute of Mining Engineers is unavoidably held over until
our next issue.

THE AMERICAN COAL TRADE.

r During the period following September 28 the output
of soft coal declined steadily. For the week ended
November 9 (the latest statistics available) th© tonnage
produced amounted to 10,409,060 net tons, which is
considerably lower than the output for the corresponding
period of 1917 (according to Coal Age, November 21).

Instead of arousing consternation, this state of affairs
has barely awakened the interests of the bituminous
coal consumer. The continued decline in the output
will have a decided tendency to tighten the market.

True, stocks of bituminous coal now in the hands of
both dealers and consumers are larger than ever before
in the history of the trade, but any number of things
are likely to happen to remove this advantage. The
existence of large stocks in the hands of consumers has
led to embargoes and the closing of a number of mines.

In the Now England States the signing of the
armistice led to an aftermath of cancelled Government
contracts, the suspension of orders for various materials,
the elimination of night work and oveitime, and in
quite a few instances the closing down of entire plants.
The industries thus affected, in order to prevent
repetition of last winter’s conditions (when they found
it difficult to obtain an adequate fuel supply), this year
over-estimated their requirements and stocked up with
coal accordingly. New England, therefore, now finds
itself with a twenty weeks reserve of soft coal, and is
out of the market for the time being, if not virtually for
the rest of the coal year.

These extraordinary conditions prevail not only on the
Atlantic seaboard, but in the Middle West as well.
Many mines in Illinois were working only two or three
days during the past week, and a number of operators
report that they contemplate shutting down entirely, as
there is no market for their product. Naturally here
too the mine workers are dissatisfied. Only the filling
of orders for railroad coal keeps certain mines in the
Middle West working anywhere near full time, and even
the demand for this fuel is growing less vehement.

Operators are hopeful that the Government’s pro-
gramme for the gradual transition of the country from
a war to a peace basis will be carried out without any
undue disturbance to industry.

An earnest appeal has come from many factors in the
coal industry that the Fuel Administration be kept alive
at least until the end of the coal year if not for a longer
period, instead of having its functions end with the
signing of the peace pact. This would mean, of course,
the maintenance of Government prices, the retention of
the salient features of the zoning system, and the
general control of the production and distribution of
coal as in the months gone by. This centralised control
would undoubtedly work out for the best interests of
all concerned. To restore the competitive features of
the coal market at this time would work irreparable
injury to dealers who have large stocks of unsold coal
on hand, while the elimination of the zoning regulations
would mean that coals from the east would again move
to the interior and strangle local operations, as of yore.

During the week ended November 9 the production of
anthracite is estimated at 1,587.000 net tons, an increase
of 87,000 net tons as compared with the week preceding.
The total production of hard coal from April 1 to
November 9 is estimated at 62,176,000 net tons,
704,000 net tons behind last year’s output for the
corresponding period. The steam sizes of anthracite
continue to move slowly, while the effoits to supply the
domestic sizes proves unavailing beceuse the output of
anthracite continues to grow steadily smaller. In the
opinion of some operators it will be some time before
sufficient hard coal will be mined to care for the normal
demand.

The cessation of hostilities is likely to cause a decline
in the coke market. Some consumers predict a decline
of as much as 1’50 dols., which would make furnace
coke 4'50 dols. Consumers will have a lever in negotia-
tions, as there is the alternative of contracting for the
first six months or the whole of 1919 or of buying from
hand to mouth.

It is doubtful whether the Fuel Administration will
set any minimum prices on coal and coke.

The Coal Shortage.—Owing to a printer’s error, some
figures relating to the coal output of this year were
attributed to 1916 in the article on “ The Coal Shortage ”
in our last issue. The other particulars in the article
properly indicated the present year and the percentage of
decline in the coal output.

Cleveland Ironstone.—At the meeting of the Lancashire
Branch of the British Foundrymen’s Association, held
in Manchester on December 8, a paper was read by Mr.
S. G. Smith on “ The Smelting of Cleveland Ironstone.”
He said the raw ore contained about 28 per cent, of iron,
but calcination increased the amount to 40 per cent. The
carbonic acid, water sulphur and volatile matter were
driven off and the ferrous oxide changed into ferric oxide.
Durham coke was used for smelting; it was partly bee-
hive oven coke, but chiefly retort oven coke, because
of economy in production and the by-products obtained.
In a beehive oven coal would yield 60 per cent, of coke
in 70 to 80 hours; in a by-product oven it would give
70 to 75 per cent, of coke in 25 to 30 hours. A ton of
coal coked in a retort oven yielded 22 to 25 lb. of sul-
phate of ammonia, about 4 per cent, of tar, and also
gas for oven heating, steam raising and lighting purposes.
As a rule the pig iron was made by means of hot blast,
which was much more economical than the cold blast.
The saving in fuel was said to be 14 cwt. of coke per
ton of pig iron produced. The capacity of a modern
furnace would be about 30,000 cu. ft. The time taken
in reducing the ore would depend upon the blast pres-
sure and other circumstances, but a fair estimate would
be that 46 to 50 hours were occupied from the time the
charge was put into the furnace until it was tapped on
to the pig bed. How to obtain different grades of iron
was known to those engaged in the business, but from
time to time unexpected results occurred which were not
always explainable. The balance sheet of a Cleveland
furnace producing No. 3 iron was as follows : Calcined
ironstone, 48 cwt.; product No. 3 pig iron, 20 cwt.; lime-
stone, 12 cwt.; product, slag or cinder, 30 cwt.; Durham
coke, 20 cwt.; product, waste gases, 130 cwt.; hot blast,
100 cwt.