1074

THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN.

May 23, 1913.

vessel, from 5s. to 30s., but the charge in no case is to
exceed Id. per ton for coal and coke on the smaller quantity
actually separated, subject to a minimum payment of 5s.
for each levelling, except for slag, the minimum payment
for which will be 10s. A payment of 5s. to be made for
Bach diagonal levelling which comes up to any part of the
deck, and 5s. for cleaning in between decks. These charges
apply both to self-trimming and ordinary vessels.

Speaking at Stalybridge recently, Aiderman Farr, of
Mossley, said the Gras Committee could buy coal to such
advantage that, if they chose, they could supply ratepayers

with coal at 25 per cent, cheaper than the ratepayers were
paying for it. Whereas the committee could buy the best
coal at 14s. per ton, some of the worst house coal was being
retailed in the district at j£l to 24s. per ton. He thought
they should emulate the example of Huddersfield, where
the Gas Committee not only engaged in gas making, but in
delivering coal to every householder in the borough who
wanted it.

The Askern Coal and Iron Company are taking steps to
provide for the big population which is assembling as the
result of the opening out of their pit. They announce that
they require the construction of 1,000 houses in the vicinity
of Askern during the next 18 months; furthermore, that
they are prepared to guarantee a rent for each house per
annum. Askern is already equipped with up-to-date
sewerage works, arrangements for town planning are
proceeding, and the colliery company have an excellent
supply of water. They are also in a position to dispose of
a limited area of land at .£100 per acre, on which not more
than 20 houses per acre are to be built. It is estimated
that during the next few years 4,000 men and boys will be
required to work the pit. Only a few days ago, at a Local
Government enquiry at Rossington, on the other side of
Doncaster, it was given in evidence that the company, who
are sinking the pit there, are also providing for 1,000 houses.
Near to Doncaster is Bentley, with a population of over
11,000, whilst Adwick and Carcroft, Edlington and Hatfield,
are growing at a remarkable rate. It is said that, taking a
radius of a few miles round Doncaster, more money is being
spent in town making, railway construction, and pit sinking
than in any similar area in Great Britain.

The Economics Section of the British Association has now
fixed some details of its programme for the Birmingham
meeting. A full discussion has been arranged on the
subject of “ Canal Navigation,” and is to be opened by Lord
Shuttleworth. Another discussion, it is hoped, will be held
on “The Cost of Living.” Prof. Kircaldy, of Birmingham,
will read a paper on “ The Economic Effects of the Opening
of the Panama Canal.” Prof. Oldham will discuss “ The
Study of Business Organisation,” and there will be a paper
by Mr. A. J. Kenny on “ The Application of Mathematical
Methods to the Study of Economics.”

A presentation has been made at Rhostyllen to Mr.
Joseph Miller, underground manager at Bersham Colliery
and formerly of Mr. Higginson’s Colliery, Norley Hall,
Pemberton.

A record net profit of .£72,000 was made by the Notting-
ham Corporation gas undertaking last year. The committee,
however, do not take so hopeful a view in the coming year,
for, in their annual report which was presented to the City
• Council on Monday, they stated that the outlook of gas
undertakings at the present time was somewhat serious, as
the combine of coalmasters, on the one hand, to increase the
price of coal, and the determined effort, on the other hand,
to depress the price of residuals, would materially affect
future profits. The committee estimated that coal and other
materials would cost £40,000 more in the coming year than
in 1911. With regard to coal deliveries during the past
year, supplies had been short, and the committee had been
compelled to accept coal which was inferior to the usual
quality supplied, and consequently the working results had,
to some extent, suffered. The price of coal had continually
advanced during the year, and, at the present time, some of
the coalmasters were demanding an advance of 50 per cent,
on the contract prices of 1911.

Through the kindness of Mr. W. E. Walker, general
manager of the Clifton Colliery, who is president-elect of
the Nottingham Engineering Society, the members paid a
visit to the colliery on Saturday, May 3. The party were
shown the whole of the surface machinery, as well as some
of the most interesting machinery below ground, and also
the method of working the coal face by the coal-outting
machinery.

A joint general meeting of the West of Scotland branch
of the Association of Mining Electrical Engineers and the
Scottish branch of the National Association of Colliery
Managers was held on the 3rd inst, in the Royal Technical
College, Glasgow. A paper was read by Mr. W. H. Telfer,
general manager of the Wilsons and Clyde Coal Company,
on “ Power Transmission in Mines.” Mr. Telfer said there
was no doubt that transmission of power by electricity
easily took the premier place. Its adoption was gradually
becoming more widespread, and was cutting out to a large
extent the older methods. Speaking generally, fairly large
collieries or groups of collieries requiring generating plant
of 400 kw. and upwards ought to have their own plant.
With regard to collieries requiring between 200 and 400 kw.
plant, various points had to be considered before deciding
-which method was preferable. Where there was a sufficient

supply of water for condensing without introducing cooling
plant, and where steam was raised on the best lines and the
load factor was fairly good, he still thought current could
be produced cheaper than it could be bought from a power
company. Although up to the present time they had had
very few cases of fires in mines caused by electricity, he
(Mr. Teller) personally considered that if proper precautions
were not taken it was a more likely cause of danger in our
Scottish mines than ignition of gas and dust. A paper was
also read by Mr. Alexander Sneddon, Chapel, on “Some
Practical Points on Coal-outting by Compressed Air.”

THE LOKDO1 COAL TRADE.

Thursday, May 22.

The London coal trade during the past week has shown a
little more activity, and the volume of trade doing is
unquestionably larger than heretofore. The continuance
of the cold weather may have a good deal to do with this,
but the prominent feature of the whole market is that
merchants are more disposed to buy now, as the colliery
representatives are firm in the determination to reject any
offers below Is. per ton advance for the renewal of all
contracts from July 1. In the facs of this decision, therefore,
it would appear that prices are likely to harden early in
the autumn, and the present quotations are looked upon as
the lowest. The attendance on the market has not been
particularly good, and only a moderate business for prompt
delivery has been done. The keen competition seems to be
for forward deliveries, and for the present prices to last
until September. This, however, the collieries are resist-
ing, and bookings are only entertained for the summer
months, viz., June, July, and August. In the seaborne
market no cargoes are yet offering for sale. Twenty vessels
were reported on Monday as arriving in the River Thames,
and thirteen on Wednesday. The brisk export trade is
likely to make itself felt in a marked manner on the
London Coal Exchange this summer, for, whilst so many of
the Yorkshire and Durham coals are usually offering at low
prices on the market, this has to a very large extent been
withdrawn, and the supplies for the ordinary household
demands are almost exclusively confined to the railway-
borne districts. On Friday last the merchants decided to
alter the public prices, and subsequently arranged that the
reduced prices should form the “ lowest summer prices ” for
the present year. The established prices will now be
Best Wallsend 28s., best silkstone 27s., Darby brights 26s.,
kitchen coal 25s. 6d. The reduction represents Is. per ton
on all best coals, and Is. 6d. per ton on kitchen coals.
The change in prices is all the more noticeable as
this is the only change in public prices during the
whole of the past winter. The previous change was made
on September 13 last, and the prices arranged then have
been in force without any alteration up to the present
week. The settlement of the lowest summer prices makes
a distinct advance on last year’s prices of 2s. per ton, but
with the establishment of the summer price the merchant
begins to recommend the laying in of the winter stock of
fuel, and as a rule the general public order fairly freely, so
that although the actual consumption just now is at its
lowest level, the delivery trade is fairly brisk. The renewal
of contracts, however, occupies the attention of both colliery
representatives and merchants, and it is reported that a
good many have now been settled at Is. advance on last
year’s prices. Manufacturing coals are steady as a whole,
but the demand is only moderate. Coke is more freely
ofiering, and gas coals also are quiet. The run, however,
on small nuts and slacks continues strong, and the selling
prices are unusually firm.

Market quotations (pit mouth) :

Note.—Although every care is exercised to secure
accuracy, we cannot hold ourselves responsible for these
prices, which are, further, subject to fluctuations.

Yorkshire.  Wath Main best coal	  Do. nuts		Current prices.  13/ 12 11/6 15/ 11 12/6 12/ 13 13 12 11 14/ 14/ 13/6 11/6 15/ 14/ 18/ 13/6 13/  12/ 11/9  9/6 10/ 12 11/9 11/ 10/9  9/6 12/ 11/9 12/ 11/9 12/ 11/9 12/ 11/9 11/6 11/ 12/6 11/ 12/	Last week’s prices. 13/ 32 11/6 15/ 11/ 12/6 12/ 13/ 13 12 11/ 14/ 14/ 13/6 11/6 15/ 14/ 13/ 13/6 13/  12/ 11/9 9/6 10/ 12 11/9 11/ 10/9 9/6 12/ 11/9 12/ 11/9 12/ 11/9 12/ 11/9 11/6 11/ 12/6 11/ 12/
Birley cube Silkstone		  Do. branch coal 	  Do. seconds			
Barnsley Bed Silkstone	  West Riding Silkstone 	  Kiveton Park Hazel 	  Do.	cobbles	  Do.	nuts	  Do.	hard steam	  New Sharlston Wallsend 	  Wharncliffe Silkstone coal	  Do. Flockton Main 	  Do. Athersley house coal	  Newton Chambers best Silkstone	  Do.	Grange best	Silkstone  Do.	Hesley Silkstone 	  Do.	Rockingham	selected  Do,	Rockingham	Silkstone  Derbyshire.  Wingfield Manor best	  Do.	large nuts	  Do.	small nuts	  Do.	kitchen coal	  West Hallam Kilburn brights	  Do.	do. nuts 	  Do.	London brights 	  Do.	bright nuts	  Do.	small nuts 	  Manners Kilburn brights	  Do.	do. nuts 	  Shipley do. brights 	  Do.	do. nuts 	  Mapperley brights	  Do hard steam 	  Cossall Kilburn brights	  Do. do. nuts	  Trowell Moor brights	  Do. do. nuts	  Grassmoor Main coal	  Do. Tupton 	  Do.	do. nuts			

Derbyshire—(cont).	Current prices.	Last week’s prices.
Clay Cross Main coal		12/6	12/6
Do.	do. cubes 		12/	12/
Do. special Derbys		11/9	11/9
Do. house coal		11/	11/
Pilsley best blackshale 					12/6	12/6
Do. deep house coal 		10/6	10/6 ;
Do. hard screened cobbles 		1°/	10/
Hard wink best Silkstone 			12/6	12/6
Do. Cavendish brights		11/6	11/6
Do. cubes 		11/6	11/6
Nottinghamshire.		
Clifton picked hards 		12/	12/
Do. small hards		11/	11/
Do. deep large steam 			12/	12/
Annesley best hards 		12/	12/
Do. bright cobbles 		11/3	11/3
Linby best hards		12/	12/
Do. bright cobbles		11/3	11/3
Digby London brights 		12/	12/
Do. cobbles 		12/	12/
Do. top hards 		13/	13/
Do. High Hazel coal		14/	14/
Best wood hard steam coal		12/	12/
Do. bright cobbles 			11/3	11/3
Hucknall Torkard main hards		12/3	12/3
Do.	do. cobbles 		11/3	11/3
Do.	do. nuts		11/	11/
Do.	do. High Hazel H P. ...	14/9	14/9
Do.	do. London brights		12/3	12/3
Do.	do. large nuts 		12/3	12/3
Do.	do. bright nuts		11/3	11/3
Sherwood H.P. hards		12/	12/
Do. hard steam		10/6	10/6
Do. brights 			11/3	11/3
Do. cobbles 		11/3	11/3
Do. large nuts 		11/9	11/9
Warwickshire.		
Griff large steam coal			10/9	10/9
Do. screened cobbles 		H/	11/
Do. bakers’ nuts 		11/	11/
Do. loco Two Yard hards 		13/6	13/6
Do. Ryder nuts		11/6	11/6
Do. do. cobbles 		12/6	12/6
Nuneaton steam coal ... 		10/9	10/9
Do. screened cobbles 		11/	11/
Do. nuts		11/	11/
Haunchwood steam 			10/9	• 10/9
Do.	screened cobbles		11/	11/
Do.	nuts a.		11/	11/
Wyken steam coal 		10/9	10/9
Do. screened cobbles 		11/	11/
Do. nuts				11/	11/
Exhall Ell coal spires		12/6	12/6
Do. large steam coal		10/9	10/9
Leicestershire.		
Snibston steam			10/6	10/6
Do. cobbles		10/3	10/3
Do. nuts 		10/6	10/6
South Leicester steam 		1°/	10/
Do.	cobbles or small hards	10/6	10/6
Do.	nuts 		10/6	10/6
* Whitwick steam		10/6	10/6
Do. roasters 		10/6	10/6
Do. cobbles 			10/6	10/6
Do. nuts		10/6	10/6
Netherseal hards 		17/	17/
Do.	Eureka		12/6	12/6
Do.	kitchen			10/6	10/6
Ibstock kibbles 		10/	10/
Do. large nuts 				10/	10/
Do. bakers’ nuts 		9/6	9/6
Do. Main nuts		10/	10/
Do. hards 		9/6	9/6
Granville New Pit cobbles		11/6	11/6
Do. Old Pit cobbles 		10/6	10/6
North Staffordshire.		
Talk-o’-th’-Hill best 		13/6	13/6
Sneyd best, selected 		14/6	14/6
Do. deeps	'		14/	14/
Silverdale best		15/	15/
Do. cobbles 		14/	14/
Apedale best 		13/6	13/6
Do. seconds		13/	13/
Podmore Hall best		13/6	13/6
Do. seconds		13/	13/
South Staffordshire (Cannock District).		
Walsall Wood steam coal, London		
brights		13/	13/
Do.	shallow one way		12/	12/
Do.	deep nuts		11/6	11/6
Cannock steam		11/	11/
Coppice deep coal 		13/	13/
Do. cobbles 		12/	12/
Do. one way		1.  12/	12/
Do. shallow coal 		12/	12/
Cannock Chase deep main		17/	17/
Do.	Deep kitchen cobbles ...	12/	I.  12/
Do.	best shallow main 		14/	14/
Do.	shallow kibbles 		13/6	13/6
Do.	best brights		13/	13/
Do.	yard cobbles		13/6	13/6
Do.	yard nuts 		12/6	12/6
Do.	bakers’nuts		10/3	10/3
Do.	screened hards		11/	11/

From Messrs. Dlnham, Favous and Co.’s Report.

Friday, May 16.—Thel'seaborne house coal market was
quiet to-day, with no cargoes of either Durham or Yorkshire
on offer. Cargoes 26.

Monday, May 19.—There was a fair amount of enquiry for
Yorkshire seaborne house coal at to-day’s market, but only
small quantities in craft available. No Durham cargoes on
offer. Cargoes 28.

Wednesday, May 21.—There were no seaborne house coal
cargoes at to-day’s market. Cargoes 13.

A meeting to consider the formation of an Institution of
Mine Surveyors is to be held to-morrow (Saturday) at the
Armstrong College, Newcastle.