960 THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN. May 9, 1913. SOUTH WALES INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERS. A special general meeting of the South Wales Institute of Engineers was held at Swansea on April 29, Mr. Henry T. Wales, vice-president, in the chair. Death of the President. The Chairman moved a resolution expressing deep regret at the loss sustained by the institute by the death of Prof. A. C. Elliott, its president, and offering to Mrs. Elliott and the family the members’ sincere sympathy. Dr. Elliott, the chairman said, was a man of distin- guished attainments in mechanical and other branches of engineering, and was devoted to his work.—The resolution was carried in silence. The Tin-plate Trade: Recent Developments. Consideration was resumed of the paper of Mr. H. Spence Thomas, Melingriffith Works, near Cardiff, on recent developments and other aspects of the tin- plate industry. Before discussion was reopened, Mr. Spence Thomas described the charts in his paper, showing the effect of the U.S.A, tariff on British exports of tin-plates—how since 1910 the exports of American tin-plates tended to run parallel with the gigantic increases in the American tin-plate industry. If this took place—and history had a habit of repeating itself—a recurrence of the terrible times suffered in Wales consequent upon the imposition of the McKinley Tariff seemed inevitable. Instruments for the Scientific Control of Iron, Steel and Tin-plate Works. Mr. Sidney B. Haslam, M.I.E.E., M.I.Mech.E., Cardiff, outlined the contents of a paper on this subject which he has contributed to the Proceedings, and explained the features of lantern slide views of various instruments. He emphasised the importance of ascertaining glosses in annealing furnaces due to faulty temperature and the lack of temperature regulations, and submitted that in measuring these losses “ snap ” tests were of little practical value. What was needed was a continuously recording instrument. Amongst those taking part in the discussion were Messrs. Graham M. Stevenson (Cardiff), J. Williams (Clayton), Frank Nevill (Llanelly), A. Corbin (Llanelly), G. A. Knowles, W. Morgan (Loughor), H. D. Rees, W. A. Channen (Cardiff), and G. Tregoning. THE IRON AND STEEL INSTITUTE. Annual Meeting. The forty-fourth annual general meeting of the Iron and Steel Institute was held in London on the 1st and 2nd inst., Mr. Arthur Cooper, Middlesbrough, presiding. On the opening day the report of the council was presented; it set forth that during the year 108 new members were elected, and the total membership of the institute on December 31 last was 2,119. The accounts showed that the total receipts for the year amounted to £6,483, and the expenditure to £5,793, the excess of income over expenditure being £690. The Chairman presented the Bessemer gold medal for 1913 to Dr. Adolphe Greiner, director-general of Messrs. John Cockerill, Seraing, and a vice-president of the institute, the award being made in recognition of his many services to scientific metallurgy, and of his valuable contributions to the theory and practice of gas engines. Mr. Benjamin Talbot (Middlesbrough) read a paper on “ The Production of Sound Steel by Lateral Compression of the Ingot whilst its Centre is Liquid.”—Mr. Andrew Lamberton (Coatbridge) described a new form of electrically driven, two-high continuous-running reversing mill. The root idea of the new system, he said, is that if in a mill with two rolls arrangements can be made to make the bottom roll the top roll, and vice-versd, then at each reversal of the position of these rolls there will be a pass in the opposite direction. If then a pair of rolls be mounted in circular gables, which are free to rotate in fixed frames or housings, this will afford a continuous running two-high mill, which gives reversals at each pass, on the gables being rotated through an angle of 180 degs.—half a revolution. An interesting point is that in rolling rails and sections it is not necessary to turn the rail upside down to prevent the formation of fins, because the rolls take alternately top and bottom positions, and finning is thereby corrected. A paper on “ The Economy of Dry Blast ” was read by Prof. J. von Ehrenwerth (Leoben); and other papers read included “ Studies in the Cold Flow of Steel,” by Mr. Percy Longmuir (Wortley, Sheffield) ; “Rolling Mill Practice in the United States,” by Dr. J. Puppe (Breslau); and “ Influence of the Presence of Sulphur upon the Stability of Iron Carbide in the Presence of Silicon,” by Mr. W. H. Hadfield (Sheffield). A joint contribution on “The Corrodibility of Nickel, Chromium, and Nickel-chromium Steels” was furnished by Mr. J. Newton Friend, Mr. Walter West and Mr. J. Lloyd Bentley (Darlington). On the concluding day a paper, entitled “ Some Funda- mental Faults of Present-day Furnaces and Their Remedies,” was read by Mr. Alleyne Reynolds (Brighton). In this he described devices for securing correct ultimate combus- tion by means of high-pressure air and of gases. He showed how the heat from the products of combustion can be inter- cepted and imparted to the constituents of combustion, whereby more of the heat of combustion become trans- missible from the fuel to the object to be heated. He main- tained that by working one of the furnaces so that the flame at its entrance into the furnace is maintained at 1,600 degs., the calorific intensity is maintained high, and thus the heat absorption capacity is also maintained at a high figure, admitting of a large gas consumption and small radiation loss. The charge may be so superheated that the chemical reactions when they occur do not absorb heat or, at any rate, not to such a degree. Thus more rapid working and much better dioxidation become possible, producing not only economies in fuel and repairs, but admitting of the production of steels of far better quality. The reading of a paper by Dr. W. Rosenhain, jointly con- tributed by himself and Mr. J. C. W. Humfrey, on “ The Tenacity, Deformation and Fracture of Soft Steel at High Temperatures,”, gave rise to an interesting discussion con- cerning the hard Beta iron theory. Another aspect of the subject was opened in a paper by Prof. Carpenter on “ The Critical Ranges of Pure Iron, with Special Reference to the A 2 Inversion,” in which he argued that the idea of Beta iron as an allotropic iron must be abandoned. Other papers included “ Chromeferous Iron Ores of Greece and Their Utilisation,” by Mr. H. K. Scott, and “A New Method for the Accurate Determination of Phosphorus,” by Mr. C. H. Ridsdale and Mr. N. D. Ridsdale (Middles- brough). The Andrew Carnegie gold medal was awarded to Dr. J. Newton Friend (Worcester) for his investigation on the corrosion of iron and steel. Mr. Arthur Cooper, president, occupied the chair at the annual dinner at the Hotel Cecil on the evening of the 1st inst. Among those present were Sir H. Llewellyn Smith (Permanent Secretary to the Board of Trade), Mr. Adolphe Greiner (vice-president and Bessemer gold medal- list), Lord Airedale, Sir Alexander Henderson, Mr. C. B Stuart Wortley, K C., M.P., Mr. R. A. S. Redmayne (H M. Chief Inspector of Mines), Sir George Askwith (Chief Indus- trial Commissioner), Lord Giantawe, Sir Robert A. Hadfield (past president), Mr. J. H. Plummer (president Dominion Steel Corporation, Canada), Mr. J. Rossiter Hoyle (Master Cutler of* Sheffield), Sir Archibald Geikie, Sir H. Frederick Donaldson, Sir George Gibb, Sir John S. Randles, M.P., Sir Henry Norman, M.P., and many foreign and colonial delegates. The autumn meeting is to be held this year at Brussels, and next year in Paris. LONDON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE; REPORT OF COAL SECTION. The annual report of the London Chamber of Commerce, submitted to the annual general meeting of the members, held recently at Skinners’ Hall, over which Lord Desborough presided, contained an account of the action taken under the Chamber’s auspices in the interests of those engaged in the coal trade. The Coal Trade Section, of which Mr. John Chapman is chairman and Mr. G. C. Locket deputy chair- man, repotted as follows :— Purchase of Fuel under Specification.—Following previous action, the Section further considered what steps should be taken regarding the anomalous and unfair conditions inserted in many of the forms of tender and specifications issued by municipal and other bodies to coal contractors, and steps were taken to call the attention of the proper authorities to the matter. Owing to the occurrence of the coal strike in the early part of the year, some delay ensued but at a meeting in June a draft circular was prepared, together with a copy of various objectionable clauses, for issue to the members. As, however, it was then learned that the Association of Municipal Engineers had under consideration the modifications of the conditions embodied in forms of tenders and specifications, it was considered desirable to defer action until after the recommendations of that body had been received and considered. Foreign Coal Contract Forms.—Further consideration was given to this matter, the general opinion being that nothing practical could be done unless a depot owners’ association was formed. The possibility of the formation of such an association will require attention in the near future. Miners’ Strike.—Correspondence took place with the Milan Chamber of Commerce as to the effect of this strike upon the coal shipments to Italy. Grimsby Coal Exports.—The following is the official return of the quantities of coal exported from Grimsby during the week ended Friday, May 2:—Foreign: To Ahus, 1,410 tons; Antwerp, 591; Bergen, 1,496; Cronstadt, 6,521; Dieppe, 1,269; Drammen, 2,545; Esbj-irg, 1,328; Gothen- burg, 2,205 ; Helsingborg, 2,290; Kallundborg, 1,100; Malmo, 3,418; Rostock, 1,167; Rotterdam, 767 ; Ronne, 774; Stocka, 2 217; Trelleborg, 1,470; and Trondbjam, 1,987. Coastal—To Hayle, 765 tons; London, 220. Total, 32,555 tons foreign, and 985 coastal, compared with 26,629 and 1,630 tons respectively for the same period last year. MINING AND OTHER NOTES. The annual meeting of the Yorkshire Coal Exchange was held at the Metropole Hotel, Leeds, on Tuesday. The annual report, presented by the secretary, Mr. E. J. Fenton, stated that the facilities for the conduct of business on the Exchange were now much greater than were previously enjoyed, the appreciation of which was fully proved by the large attendance weekly, and the fact that the membership had increased from 482 to 512 during the year. The committee had appointed an arbitration committee, under whose direction a set of rules had been compiled, and an arbitration panel would shortly be formed, from which arbitrators might be selected in connection with any dispute that might arise. An advisory committee had also been constituted to deal with matters affecting the general interests of the members, such as railway charges, delays to traffic, and any question upon which members might desire assistance and support. Mr. John S. Charlesworth (Messrs J. and J. Charlesworth Limited, Wakefield) was elected president for the coming year, in succession to Mr. Thomas Whittaker (Messrs. Michael Whittaker Limited, Leeds). Mr. James Tangye, of Aviary Cottage, Illogan, Cornwall, one of the founders of the firm of Messrs. Tangyes Limited, Cornwall Works, Smethwick, left property of the gross value of £13,161, with net personalty £12,188. The annual report of Dr. A. B. Dunne, the medical officer to the Bentley-with-Arksey Urban District Council, is of special interest, as it deals with one of the new colliery districts in the Doncaster area, which is controlled and managed by its own authority. The doctor says:—“Over- crowding undoubtedly exists. Everywhere the same tale is told; people cannot get houses.” In 1901 the population was only 2,403, and last year it was 8,389, the increase in the last year being 1,739. The chief occupation is coal- mining—over 2,000 of the residents being employed at the Bentley Colliery, whilst many others work at the Brods- worth and Bullcroft collieries. The district is level, and much of it lies below the 25 ft. contour line. The doctor points out the importance of this, as now that coal is being worked under the parish subsidence of the surface will take place more or less rapidly, and will of necessity interfere with the drainage levels. The number of houses in the district is 1,939 occupied, nine being unoccupied, and 230 houses were built during the year. The type of house is of the artisan class, with two rooms and offices downstairs, and three upstairs, at rents varying from 7s. to 7s. 6d. a week clear of rates. A vigorous inspection of the houses in course of erection is being made, and in some cases difficulty has been experienced in getting the provisions of the by-laws complied with. A new industry has sprung up at Coxhoe (co. Durham). Fifty years ago there were numerous collieries in the neigh- bourhood of Coxhoe, including South Kelloe, Cassop Vale, Bowburn, Crow Trees, and Coxhoe or Joint Stocks. It has now been found that there is some value in the old pit heaps, and steps are being taken to utilise them for fuel in the production of electricity and also for manufacturing purposes. At Cassop, preparations are being made for the purpose of removing the old pit heaps adjoining Cassop Vale Pit. At South Kelloe heap, a number of men have been employed for the past few weeks, the “rubbish” being carted to Kelloe Colliery, loaded into trucks, and conveyed by rail to the Electric Power Works, at Carville, near Durham, where it is used for firing for the production of electricity. At Bowburn Old Pit, near Coxhoe, the owners (Messrs. Bell Brothers Limited) have tried the experiment of having truckloads despatched to their brickworks in the Port Clarence distiict for firing purposes. The electric supply committee of the Birmingham City Council, in a report issued last week, recommends the spending of £500,000 upon the provision of a new power station and electric supply plant. The ultimate capacity of the new station will be 100,000 kilowatts. A representative meeting of the members of the coal trade of Hull and district was held last week at Hull with the object of establishing a branch of the Coal Trade Benevolent Association at Hull, which, in conjunction with the Sheffield branch and one to be formed at Leeds, will be worked collectively as the Yorkshire branch of the associa- tion. On the proposition of Mr. E. J. Adderley (chairman of the Humber Coal Exporters’ and Shippers’ Association), seconded by Mr. R. Stonehouse, supported by Mr. E. Ohlson, Mr. R. W. Moorby, and Mr. Milner (president of the Hull Coal Merchants’ Association), it was decided to form a Hull branch of the association. Messrs. Adderley, Lutze, Bell, Bradley, Ohlson, Regan, Moorby, Stonehouse, Milner, Mun gall, Williams and Marshall were nominated to form a committee. Mr. W. T. Marshall (of Hull) presided. Since the mining population came to the Doncaster district much has been heard concerning jerry-building, and the erection of houses in the colliery centres in which flagrant breaches of the by-laws have been detected. The Bentley Urban District Council have just taken drastic steps to demonstrate that they mean to enforce their building by-laws at any cost. Last July they passed plans for a firm of builders to erect four six-roomed houses on Askern-road, a district in which dwellings are in great demand. The plans submitted were quite in accordance with the by-laws, but during the building of the houses the surveyor to the Bentley Council (Mr. B. G. Whitley)