14 THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN. January 3, 1913. 13s. ; 100,000 tons of coking coals were sold to Italy over 1913 at Ils. 6d. per ton f.o.b., and Ils. 9d. per ton was paid for a slightly better quality. Contracts for small parcels of unscreened bunkers were made at 12s. 6d. f.o.b. South Dock shipment for September to December, also several large contracts over 1913 at 12s. 6d., and 50,000 tons of blastfurnace coke brought 23s. delivery Tees-side works over 1913. September.—Further contracts for 25,000 tons bunkers at 12s. 6d. over 1913, large sales of blastfurnace coke took place at 26s. to 27s. delivered west coast, 100,000 tons unscreened coking coal sold for delivery over 1913 to Porto Ferrajo at prices ranging from 12s. 9d. to 13s. f.o.b. ; also about 15,000 tons ordinary bunkers at 12s. over 1913 ; 20,000 tons unscreened bunkers at 12s. to 12s. IJd., and further 5,000 tons for delivery in October at 12s. 6d., and 6,000 tons at 12s. 6d. January to June 1913; 30,000 tons furnace coke sold at 27s. delivered Workington. The Paris, Lyons and Marseilles Railway is said to have bought 100,000 tons coking smalls at about 13s. delivery 1913, and the Gothenburg Gasworks con- tracted for 26,000 tons special Wear gas at 18s. 7Jd. c.i.f. Gothenburg. October.—Sale of 90,000 tons coking unscreened at 13s. ; the Paris-Orleans Railway arranged for 250,000 tons of coking unscreened at from 12s. to 12s. 9d. f.o.b. according to quality; 10,000 tons unscreened bunkers sold for early delivery at 13s. to 13s. 3d. The French Transatlantic Company contracted for 50,000 tons good unscreened bunkers at 12s. 9d. to 13s., delivery over next year, and 10,000 tons best gas was sold at 13s. 6d. November-December shipment. A large quantity of blastfurnace coke has been sold for delivery at Middlesbrough upto June 1913 at a price which leaves 22s. 3d. at the ovens and a further quantity to the west coast at 23s. at the ovens; 50,000 tons of bunkers have been sold at 13s. for delivery over next year. November.—It was reported that the London Gas Company bought best gas at 14s. ; 50,000 tons of first- class coking coals brought 14s., over 1913; the Berlin Electric Lighting Works contracted for 20,000 tons of good unscreened gas at a delivered price to about 15s. for the coals; the Stockholm Electric Works bought 20,000 tons of Lambton steam smalls, but the price did not transpire; the Paris, Lyons and Marseilles Railway Company bought 24,000 tons of coking unscreened at 14s. f.o.b., shipment 1912; the Helsingfors Gasworks have. contracted for 10,000 tons special Wear gas at 14s. 6d. f.o.b., delivery 1913, and for delivery between January and June 20,000 tons of second gas description at 14s. 3d. f.o.b. The North-Eastern Railway were reported to have renewed several engagements at about 2s. 6d. advance on current contract prices. The Malmo Gasworks have bought 23,000 tons of Londonderry Gas at 23s. c.i.f., delivery 1913. The Palermo Gasworks have contracted for 30,000 tons of unscreened at 13s. 7|d. f.o.b.; and the Zeebrugge Cokeworks have bought 50,000 tons coking coals at 14s. 6d. to 14s. 9d. f.o.b., shipment January to March. Gas Coals. Gas coals varied as follows during the year:— Bests. 8. d. s. d. 8. d. s. d. January 14 6—15 0 July .. 13 0—13 6 February 15 0—15 6 August .. 12 6—13 0 March—no sales owing to September . .. 12 6—13 0 strike. October .. 13 0—14 0 April 16 0—17 0 November . .. 13 9-14 0 May 14 3—17 0 December.... .. 15 0—17 6 June 13 3—13 6 Seconds. January.... February . March—no April May June 8. 13 13 sales strike. 15 12 11 d. s. d. 0—14 0 6—14 6 owing to 0—16 0 6—16 3 0—12 0 July August September .. October November . December 8. .. 10 .. 12 .. 12 .. 12 .. 13 .. 15 d. s. 6—11 0—12 0—12 6—13 3—13 0—16 d. 0 6 6 6 6 0 Specials. January... February March—nc April May June 8. 15 17 > sales strike. 20 15 13 d. s. d. 6—16 6 0—17 6 owing to 0—22 6 0—17 6 6—14 6 | July August September . October 1 November . December.... 8. .. 14 .. 14 .. 13 .. 14 .. 14 .. 16 d. s. 0—14 0—14 6—14 0—15 6—15 0—17 d. 6 3 3 0 6 6 Coking Coals. Prices during the year were:— Unscreened. 8. January 14 February 13 March—no sales strike. April 16 May 11 June 10 d. s. d. 0—15 0 6—16 0 owing to 0—17 0 0—15 6 0—11 0 July August September . October November . December.... 8. .. 10 .. 11 .. 12 ... 12 ... 14 ... 15 d. s. 3—10 6—12 0—12 6—14 3—14 0—16 d. 9 9 6 0 9 6 Smalls. s. d. s. d. s. d. s. d. January . 13 0—13 6 July 10 0—10 3 February . 12 0—15 0 August 11 3—12 0 March—no * sales owing to September ... 11 6—12 0 strike. October 12 0—13 6 April 15 6—16 0 November ... 13 6—14 6 May 11 0—15 0 December ... 15 0—16 0 June 10 3—10 6 Bunkers. The changes in prices during the year were as follow:— Foundry, s. d. 8. d. 8. Furnace. d. s. d. 8. Gas. d. s. d. January... 18 0—18 6 . .. 17 0—17 6 ... 15 0—15 6 February 18 0—19 0 . ... 17 0—17 6 ... 15 6—17 0 March April 30 21 0—32 0—21 6 6 . Strike prices. ..19 0—20 0 ... 17 6—18 0 May 22 0—24 0 . ... 19 0—20 0 ... 18 0—22 6 June 22 0—23 0 . .. 19 0—19 6 . ... 18 0—19 0 July 22 6—23 6 . .. 20 0—20 6 ... 18 0—19 0 August ... 22 6—24 0 . .. 20 6—22 0 . ... 18 6—20 0 September 23 0—24 0 . .. 21 0—22 0 ... 20 0-21 0 October ... 24 0—26 0 . .. 22 0—24 6 ... 21 6—22 6 November 27 0—28 0 . ... 25 0—27 6 ... 22 6—23 6 December 28 0—34 0 . ... 27 0—30 0 ... 21 6—23 6 Coal Shipments. The coal and coke shipments during the 12 months ending December 31,1911-12, are as follow :— Unscreened bunkers during the year were for— Ordinary Kinds. s. d. s. d. s. d. s. d. January . 11 6—12 0 July .. 10 0—10 6 February . 13 0—17 6 August .. 10 6—10 9 March .... 25 0—40 0 September . .. 11 6—12 6 (owing to strike) October .. 12 6—13 9 April 15 0—16 0 November . .. 13 6—14 0 May 11 3—15 3 December . .. 14 0—17 0 June 10 0—10 3 Bests. 8. d. s. d. 8. d. s. d. January . 12 0—12 6 July .. 11 0—11 6 February . 14 0—18 0 August .. 11 3—13 6 March—no sales owing to September . .. 12 6—13 0 strike. October .. 13 0—14 3 April 17 0—17 6 November . .. 14 0—15 0 May ....... 12 0—15 9 December . .. 15 0—25 0 June 12 3—12 9 Specials. s. d. s. d. 8. d. s. d. January.... 13 0—13 6 July .. 12 6—13 0 February . 18 0—19 0 August .. 12 6—14 0 March—no * sales owing to September . .. 13 6—14 0 strike. October .. 14 0—15 0 April 18 0—18 6 November . .. 14 6—16 0 May 14 0—16 6 December.... .. 20 0—30 0 June 13 6—14 0 Coke. 1911. 1912. January ... 349,125 ... ... 379,677 February ... 328,783 ... ... 420,712 March ... 425,246 ... ... 23,153 April ... 385,769 ... ... 223,093 May ... 436,732 ... ... 479,542 June ... 394 681 ... ... 390,923 July ... 392,934 ... ... 449,951 August ... 386,767 ... ... 462,110 September ... ... 432,421 ... ... 401,755 October ... 406,070 ... ... 420,917 November ... 460,382 ... ... 422,109 December ... 424,426 ... ... 390,000 4,823,336 4,464,000 The collieries in the Sunderland district are working at full pressure. With increased loading facilities already provided, and other up-to-date improvements which will shortly be in operation with respect to coal shipments, the future of the port is very encouraging. Freights. Freights during the year have maintained a high average, and shipowners have been reaping a truly rich harvest. As compared with 1911, the increase in coal freights has been at least 25 per cent., and in some cases as much as 50 per cent., and the present outlook is bright. LANCASHIRE AND CHESHIRE. Notwithstanding the disturbed state of almost every branch of the labour department during the second half of the year 1911, the coal trade of 1912 opened with a distinct promise of a better demand and higher prices, the only overshadowing feature being the threatening attitude of the workers in the industry consequent upon the demand for a minimum wage. Opinions vacillated as to whether the threatened stoppage would actually occur, and even until the last moment there were those, full of experience in business matters, who strongly held the opinion that there would not be any stoppage. As events, however, proved, they were entirely wrong, and the strike, which began on March 1, lasted until the middle of April. The various industries of the country had provided themselves, during the long warning they had had, with far more fuel than they were credited to have, and during the six weeks stoppage many works were enabled to keep on the major part of the time. More work requiring fuel as its basis was carried on than prior to* the strike would have been thought possible. In the Lancashire district many manufacturers, from ona source and another, and by ekeing out their stocks with fuel of a more or less doubtful quality, managed to work throughout the stoppage, and considering the length of the strike there was very little real distress in the colliery districts. All sorts of substitutes were called upon to do duty for the usual article, and in the case of the household consumption there is no doubt that it has, suffered since in consequence of alterations that the householder made then and has since continued. House Coal. With regard to household coal, the mild weather of January operated in the earlier stages against any marked demand, though prices were steady at 14s. 6d. to 15s. for the best, 12s. 6d. to 13s. for medium grades,, and 11s. for kitchen coals, all into wagons at the pit. By the middle of the month, however, the situation had entirely changed, and an inordinate demand set in for fuel, not for immediate consumption, but to provide against the threatened stoppage, and on the 18th house- hold prices were advanced by Is. 8d. per ton. This pressure continued and was accentuated throughout February. During the last week in February another Is. 8d. was put upon prices in order to get the order book out of its bewildering state. With the end of February work ceased, and between then and the middle of April prices advanced, for the small quantity that was available for distribution, from something like 30s. in the early days of March, until just before the recommencement of work minute quantities were doled out in some of the towns at all sorts of prices, up to as high as 4s. or thereabouts per hundredweight. With the commencement of work prices reverted to those in force at the end of February, and early in May these were reduced by a full 2s. 6d. per ton, bringing them to something like 15s. 6d. for the best, 14s. for second qualities, and Ils. 6d. for kitchen coals; indeed, reductions were made by some proprietors to the extent of 3s. 4d. per ton and continued at that throughout the summer. In June the trade continued fair, as, in addition to the usual consumption, the various merchants and dealers owning wharves set about replacing some of the stocks in the naturally entirely depleted yards, and this throughout the summer, and allied to the wet weather, helped to keep the household trade on a better level than would otherwise have been the case. July, August and September passed without any change in prices, although in August another buying period set in by the householder for fear of a change in prices, and during the latter part of that month and September, orders poured in far in excess of what could be promptly met, and took the proprietors well into October before they had recovered the leeway caused by the artificial demand. On October 1 winter prices were instituted, being in this case an advance of lOd. or Is. per ton, leaving prices at 16s. 3d. for best, 14s. 6d. to 14s. 9d. for good medium grades, with 12s. 3d. for kitchen coals. As a consequence of the activity of August and. September the trade in October and November was unusually quiet, and retailers were loud in their com- plaints that nothing like an average delivery was going forward. A reduction, however, was felt to be quite out of the question, as this inevitable recoil had been fore- seen, and it was not until the early part of December that it could be said that orders for household fuel were coming in that took away the fuel as fast as it was^ raised and the trade had got on to what might be termed its winter delivery. Steam Coal. Throughout the whole of the year, of course elimina- ting the enforced stoppage, the demand for screened coal for forge and manufacturing purposes has been upon a full basis, it being many years since so much fuel has been required for these two purposes. In January prices w$re from 10s. 6d. to Ils. At the- restart in April, when prices fell to something like their proper proportions, 13s. to 14s. may be said to be the figure. In May it had got down to 12s. 6d., and in June was more like Ils. to 12s. Prices steadily hardened as the year advanced, and 12s. in September was about the ordinary figure. The close of the year shows the activity unimpaired, and 12s. 6d. is about the average price. For bunker coal there was only a moderate pressure in January, with prices varying from Ils. to Ils. 3d. for the ordinary grades to Ils. 9d. to 12s. for the better qualities ; but towards the end of the month, with snow and fog making railway transit very difficult, and over all the threatened shadow of a stoppage, prices advanced to 12s. 6d. for ordinary to 13s. 6d. for the best. February brought better working conditions for the railways, but, notwithstanding this, prices continued to