THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN. 345 ______________________________________ February 14, 1913. _________________________________________________________________ the West Yorkshire Coalowners’ Association to meet the unions as a body, Mr. Herbert Smith, president of the Yorkshire Miners’ Association, in the course of an interview, said it was to be regretted that, in spite of every effort, the Coalowners’ Association refused to meet the various societies collectively. He saw no other course now but to advise the men to take one united stand and demand better conditions for the surfacemen generally, and he hoped .that at the conference, which is to be held shortly between the surfacemen and the association, a joint line of action would be decided upon. There was a full attendance of delegates at a council meeting of the Derbyshire Miners’ Association held at Chesterfield on Saturday. It was reported that serious disputes had arisen with respect to compensation claims, two of the most important of which were at South gate and Denby. This is the first time in the history of the association that anything of a really serious nature has been experienced in this particular class of dispute, and it was decided that the officials of the association should be empowered to take legal action if necessary. Diffi- culties with respect to the minimum wage were also reported, and resolutions were passed that drastic action should be taken if necessary to obtain a satis- factory settlement of the grievances. A discussion took place on the banksmen’s question at the Butterley Company’s collieries, respecting the minimum wage and the “ home ” coal question, and it was feared that unless some amicable arrangement was quickly made, stoppages would probably ensue. There is trouble in North Wales between the coal- owners and the firemen at the different collieries, as a result of which the latter, through the North Wales Mining Officials’ Association, have tendered their notices, which should have terminated on Wednesday, the 12th inst„ but same have been postponed for another week. The matter in dispute is that on December 17 the association applied to the coalowners on behalf of the firemen for an increase in wages, and certain othei' privileges. This was duly considered, but owing to the matters being under consideration at the various collieries, the coalowners could not see their way to agree to the association dealing with the matter. Another application to the same effect elicited the same response, with the result that the men decided to tender their notices through the association. The dispute affects the firemen and shotlighters at about a dozen collieries. A joint meeting is to be held at the end of the week, when it is hoped that matters may be amicably settled. The executive of the Yorkshire Miners’ Association, at Barnsley, on Tuesday, expressed the opinion that the question of alleged victimisation under the Minimum Wage Act should be settled, and certain enquiries are to be made and reported upon to the council, who will decide what shall be done. The executive also considered certain suggested amendments to the special rules drafted by the Home Office. The executive were strongly against certain proposed exemptions from the rules, as these, it was thought, would prevent certain pits having two main intakes. As to ambulance work, there was better provision already than was proposed under the special rules. In regard to the dispute at Cleckheaton No. 1 Colliery, it was reported the men had taken a ballot on the question of tendering notices, and it was decided that Mr. F. Hall, M.P., with a deputation, should meet the management with a view of having the matter in dispute submitted to arbitration. Aid. W. M. Wilson, of Alfreton, one of the arbitrators for Derbyshire under the Minimum Wage Act, has given his award upon the dispute at the Morton Colliery of the Clay Cross Company. This is the first award in the county. The Morton men did not return to work at the same time as some other pits in the county after the coal strike, there being another dispute. The pits were, however, open. In time, certain claims for the minimum wage were made on behalf of the men whose earnings fell below the minimum, but the owners disputed the claims on the ground that the men had not made the requisite apportionment of the time the pits were open to claim the wage under Judge Lindley’s award. Mr. Wilson has given his award in favour of the masters. It is stated that in all probability an appeal will be made. Miners’ Federation of Great Britain. The executive of the Miners’ Federation of Great Britain met at the Westminster Palace Hotel, London, on Wednesday, to discuss the Home Office regulations under the new Mines Act, and to prepare their case for the- deputation on the following day to the Home Secretary. Mr. R. Smillie (Scotland), president, was in the chair. The principal business was the discussion of the draft regulations for the working of coalmines under the new Mines Act, as prepared by the Home Office. Deputa- tions from the Mining Association of Great Britain, on behalf of the owners and the Miners’ Federation of Great Britain on behalf of the men have already been received by the Home Office on that subject of the general regulations. The executive went through the revised regulations and decided to bring a number of matters before the Home Secretary with a view of securing further amendments. The executive also decided to ask the Home Secretary at the meeting to carry the appeal in the Somerset eight hours case to the House of Lords as the final court of appeal, or, failing that, to amend the Eight Hours Act with respect to connivance on the part of the management in breaches of the Act. In the action brought by the Home Office against the management of the Braysdown Colliery for breach of the Act by permitting men to work in the pit for more than the legal eight hours, the magistrates at petty sessions imposed a fine; but on appeal, the quarter sessions quashed the conviction on the ground that there was no evidence of connivance. The Home Office appealed against this decision; but it was upheld in the Divisional Court. A deputation from the executive of the Federation had a joint meeting afterwards with the executive of the Labour Party on the Mines Nationalisation Bill, adopted by the annual conference of the Federation, in Swansea, last October. The Bill has been approved by the annual conference of the Labour Party, and it is now proposed to introduce it in the House of Commons next session. The members for mining constituencies and the other Labour members will ballot for the Bill. The Home Secretary (Mr. Reginald ^McKenna) received the deputation at the Home Office yesterday. The proceedings, which were private, occupied about two hours. The following official report was issued to the Press:—“Mr. Robert Smillie, speaking on behalf of the deputation, referred in detail to the particular regu- lations to which exception was taken. Various points were discussed and consideration was promised to be given to the arguments raised.” At a meeting of the executive, held at the West- minster Palace Hotel, London, yesterday, a resolution of condolence was passed with the families of the 14 men who were killed, and of sympathy with the three men injured in the pit sinking disaster at the Ruff ord Colliery, Mansfield, the property of the Bolsover Colliery Company. Mr. H. Smith (Yorkshire) and Mr. S. Kenyon (Derbyshire) were appointed to represent the Federation at the public enquiry into the cause of the disaster. Forest of Dean. The Dean Forest colliery employers have made an offer to the men with regard to the working hours on Saturday. What the men’s representatives asked was that the employers should concede at least an hour, enabling them to leave the pit at two o’clock. The owners have offered to allow them to leave at two o’clock, but if that were done payment would be made for seven hours’ work only. Scotland. A special meeting of the Scottish Coal Trade Conciliation Board was held on the 10th inst., Sheriff Glegg presiding. The meeting was called to consider a question of interpretation of rules. At a previous meeting of the board the miners’ representatives objected to the application lodged by the coalowners for a reduction of miners’ wages on the ground that the application had been made while the Board had under consideration a claim by the men for an increase of wages. The claim of the coalowners, it may be recalled, followed upon an application on behalf of the miners for an advance of 25 per cent, in wages on the basis prevailing in 1888, which is equivalent to about Is. per day. The coal- owners’ application sought to reduce wages by 12J per cent, on the 1888 basis, or about 6d. per day. The men’s representatives questioned the competency of the coal- owners’ claim until their own application had been disposed of, and it then became necessary to nominate an independent chairman, and Sheriff Glegg was accordingly appointed. At the close of the meeting it was intimated that Sheriff Glegg had decided that the claim by the coalowners had been competently made within the rules of the Board, and would require to be dealt with by the Board in due course. It has been arranged to bold another meeting of the Conciliation Board in Glasgow on Monday next. On the 6th inst. the annual meeting of the Asso- ciated miners of Clackmannanshire was held at Alloa* The report showed that the membership totalled 1,207. The six weeks’ strike had entailed an expenditure of nearly £4,000, and the solicitor’s business account, with outlays, amounted to £202 2s. 9d. The capital of the association, which at the beginning of the year stood at £5,041, has been reduced to £1,707. On the recom- mendation of the board of management, Mr. James Cook, J.P., was appointed permanent secretary and agent of the association. TKE IRISH COAL TRADE. Thursday, February 13. Dublin? The coal trade upon the whole continues to be very active, although the milder weather which set in this week may cause a falling off in demand for household qualities. Steam coal is difficult to obtain, as owing to the recent storms colliers have been unable to reach the port. For the past week or two the shipping traffic has been much inter- rupted in consequence of labour troubles on the quays; and it is feared that unless there is a settlement, the coal trade will be adversely affected. There is no change in quotations, viz.:—Best Orreil, 27s. per ton; best Arley, 26s.; best White- haven, 25s.; best Wigan, 25s.; best kitchen, 23s.; best Orreil slack, 21s.; house coal, retail, Is. 5d. to Is. 7d. per sack; best coke, from 23s. to 25s. per ton; steam coals, from about 21s. per ton upwards; Irish coals, at Gracefield, Queen’s County, from 6s. 8d. to 21s. 6d. per ton at the pit- mouth. The coaling vessels arriving during the week amounted to 48, as against 41 the week previously, chiefly from Garston, Ayr, Newcastle-on-Tyne, Newport, Preston, Maryport, Swansea, Troon, Whitehaven, Point of Aire,West Bank, Liverpool and Irvine. The total quantity of coal discharged upon the quays 22,250 tons. Belfast. Coal of all qualities continues to be in good demand, and there is no change in prices of the better descriptions, although a firm tone is maintained. In some of the inferior sorts an advance of 6d. per ton has been made since last week. Quotations in the city are as follow .-—Giant’s Hall Arley coal, 26s. 6d. per ton; Hartley, 25s. 6d.; Wigan, 24s. 6d.; Orreil nuts, 25s. 6d.; Scotch house, 22s. 6d.; Orreil slack, 22s. 6d. Good supplies have been coming in, although stocks are not heavy, cargoes arriving during the week being chiefly from Ayr, Garston, Glasgow, Troon, Partington,. Workington, Girvan, Burryport, Campbeltown, Whitehaven, Ellesmere Port, and Cardiff. Freights are keeping very high. Between January 16 and February 1 the total number of coaling vessels entering the port amounted to 105. ___________________________ THE BY-PRODUCTS TRADE. Tar Products.—The market is quiet, generally speaking. Pitch is about the firmest product; benzols steady. Naphthas firm. Creosote unchanged. Crude carbolic is again the turn easier, but crystals are unaltered. Nearest values are:— Benzols, 90’s ................................. Do. 50’s................................. Toluol............................................................................... Carbolic acid, crude (60 per cent.) ........... Do. crystals (40 per cent.).................. Solvent naphtha (as in quality and package) ... Crude ditto (in bulk) ........................ Creosote (ordinary qualities).................. Pitch (f.o.b. east coast) ...................... Do. (f.a.s. west coast) ...................... Do. (gas companies)....!..................... 104 to 104 /10 /10J 1/114 to 2/ /6J /34 48/6 to 49/ 46/6 to 48/ 50/ [Benxols, toluol, creosote, solvent naphtha, carbolic acids,, usually casks included unless otherwise stated, free on rails at makers* works or usual United Kingdom ports, net. Pitch f.o.b. net.] Sulphate of Ammonia.—Quiet but steady is about the position of affairs. For forward £14 10s. is required for May/June and half-a-crown more for March/April deliveries. Otherwise prompt prices are firm, especially in the North. Nitrate of soda is still advancing. Closing prompt prices are:— London (ordinary makes)............ £13/12/6 ............................ Beckton...................*......... £14/ Liverpool.......................... £14/7/6 Hull .............................. £14/6/3 Scotch ports........................ £14/10 to £14/12/6 Nitrate of soda (ordinary) per cwt. ... 12/1| [Sulphate of ammonia, f.o.b. in bags, less 24 per cent, dis- count ; 24 per cent, ammonia, good grey quality; allowance for refraction, nothing for excess.] _________________________________ Mr Edison Awarded a Prize for a New Miners’ Lamp.— On January 23, at the American Museum of Safety, Mr. Thomas Alva Edison was awarded the Rathenau medal awarded annually by the Allgemeine Electricitatz Gesell- schaft (A. E. G.) for the best device or process in the electrical industry for safeguarding industrial life and health. The invention for which the medal has been given is a portable electrio lamp for miners. In the Edison storage battery, which of course is the main part of the lamp, the elements, nickel hydroxide and iron oxide, in a potash solution are encompassed by a strong, niokelled steel container. The outlet is at one end of a steel tube which extends downward from the top of the container to within a half-inch of the top of the electrolyte. This tube has such a conformation on its bottom as precludes escape of the solution, even when the cell is violently shakenand inverted. When the cell is laid on its end, or on its side, the tube is still above the solution. The approved construction consists of grounding the positive terminal of one cell to its can, grounding the negative terminal of the Other cell to its can, then connecting the two cans together electrically. Owing to a phenomenon in polari- sation of the can inside surfaces, the battery of two cells, thus connected, has an E.M.F. of the ccmbined E.M.F.’s of the two cells. The battery of two cells, thus connected, may be placed in a steel container without the introduction of any insulating walls. The only attention necessary consists of charging, replenishing the electrolyte with distilled water to make up for decomposition when over-charged (all cells in such service are constantly subjected to overcharge) and keeping the exterior clean.