September 4, 1914

THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN.

533

property, which belonged to the Pallaflat Company, and
seeing that the Pallaflat Company was not doing any good,
they asked them to liquidate themselves, and to hand over
to them the portion of their property which they conceived
to be of very considerable value. He regretted that Mr.
Burnyeat, who took charge of their mining interests, was
not there that day, but he (Mr. Burnyeat) had informed
him that he doubted whether there was a mineral property
in the county that was really of more prospective value than
High Walton, the royalty which they took from the Palla-
flat Company as the equivalent for the amount that was
owing to them in debentures. That was the only change
in the investments, as they appeared on the balance-sheet.
Last winter he took the opportunity to visit their Mysore
manganese mines. He thought these mines had opened out
in a manner which was more than satisfactory. He believed
they had in India one of the biggest manganese properties
that they could have found in any part of the globe, and
the way in which it had been developed by their staff there
was, to his mind, entirely satisfactory. They had increased
their railway lines over there, they were putting down new
connections into fresh areas of mineral property, and he
believed that that property in the days that are to come
would prove of enormous value to the company. At a time
like the present a supply, an assured supply, of manganese
ore, which was assured so long as the British Fleet holds
the seas, was of very great value. As they all knew, the
amount of manganese ore throughout the world was limited,
very severely limited, to a few areas, and he thought it
was a matter for great congratulation to the company that
they were one of the possessors of one of those areas, and
not one of the worst of them.

The Whitehaven coal miners have agreed to a stoppage
for the National Relief Fund of 6d. per week by those earn-
ing over £1 per week, and 3d. a week for those earning
less than £1 a week.

Through an accident to one of the drawing engines at Old
St. Helens Colliery, near Flimby, on Monday, one portion
of the pit has been thrown idle during the week.

The Cumberland coal trade is now fairly brisk. The
whole of the pits are working full time, and the Irish trade
has probably not been busier for some months. The coke
ovens and by-product works have also got into full working
order, after the holiday, and smelters are taking all the
local supplies of coke they can secure. So far, however,
there has been no increase in the price of coal.

Although there has, up to the present, been no increase
of output in the Cumberland iron trade, there are signs that
it is improving considerably, and it may not be improbable
that one or two more furnaces may be lighted in the course
of a few days. It is stated that Whitehaven Haematite Iron
and Steel Company intend lighting another furnace shortly,
and it is believed that North Lonsdale and Millom are also
on the point of increasing their output. At present there is
no Continental trade, and the shipments of iron to the
Colonies are insignificant, but the requirements of arma-
ment makers are very heavy, and it is mainly due to this
that there is more life in the iron industry tnan there has
been for some time. Bessemer mixed numbers are now
quoted at from 74s. 9d. to 76s. per ton f.o.b. at the usual
ports.

Trade is also brisk in the Cumberland iron ore industry.
Local smelters are taking considerable supplies, and, in
addition to this, about 2,500 tons per week are being sent
out of the district. About 1,000 tons are going to the East
Coast, and the remainder to Scotland. All the iron- ore
mines are in full employment.

Yorkshire.

The Fatal Accident Custom—Colliery Owners and Miners
Families—Many Colliers for the Front.

Conversation seems to turn on the war, the war, and
nothing but the war. Most of the South Yorkshire col-
lieries have already felt the effect in no uncertain fashion.
At last week’s meeting of the Mexborough Trades and
Labour Council it was stated that the Denaby and Cadeby
collieries were probably the most heavily hit in South York-
shire, for instead of working 11 shifts per week, they were
barely working three. There was reason to believe there
were between 200 and 300 extreme cases of distress, and it
was urged that steps should be taken immediately to obtain
a grant from the Prince of Wales’s Fund.

Notwithstanding the general complaints of the shortness
of work in the collieries through the war, it is surprising to
find the miners will not work under some circumstances
even when they have the chance. Attention was called to
this matter at an inquest at Hemsworth on Saturday last.
One of the workers, named Batten, a well-known footballer,
■was found dead in the mine from heart disease. Mr. Beach,
the manager of the colliery, protested strongly against the
miners having ceased work over this occurrence, rendering
the pit idle, and so lost £800 in wages which would otherwise
have been earned by them at a time when money and
employment was so short. He pointed out to the coroner’s
court that this was not an accident, but simply a case of
death from natural causes. Under these circumstances,
he specially appealed to the men to continue their labours,
but in spite of this the men of both the Fitzwilliam and the
Hemsworth pits persisted in coming out, and so incurred
the loss he had stated. This, he thought, was a poor
return for the consideration Col. Shaw was showing to the
dependants of the workmen who had gone to the front, and
he thought the miners ought to be ashamed of themselves.
Mr. Beach also mentioned that some time ago, with a view
to putting an end to the practice of closing down pits after
an accident, he suggested the men should work and devote
their earnings to the relief of the deceased’s dependants, in
which case the colliery company would contribute a special
gift of 1-25, but even this offer did not seem to appeal to the
men. The Coroner concurred with Mr. Beach, and remarked
that the only effect of the conduct of the men would be to
lessen the generosity of the public.

The various colliery companies of South Yorkshire are
behaving^ very generously in the present crisis. Not only
are the * Brodsworth Colliery Company giving valuable
assistance to the dependants of Reservists and Volunteers
by allowing their families to live rent free as long as their
services are given to their country, but they are also extend-
ing practical relief to the workmen still employed at the
colliery. Workmen earning a limited wage are only
required to pay a small portion of their rent each week.
When normal conditions return the proportion of arrears
to be paid by the workmen will be computed upon his
earning capacity during the war, the remainder to be borne
by the colliery company. Hickleton Main Colliery Com-
pany and workmen have jointly established a Reservists’
Fund. The wives of men with the Colours will receive

10s. weekly, and children 2s. weekly. Messrs. Pease and
Partners, of Thorne Colliery, are allowing £1 per month to
any employee who holds or obtains during the war a com-
mission in the Regular or Territorial Forces. The Govern-
ment allowance to men injured on active service, and their
families, will be supplemented. Mr. Maurice Deacon,
chairman and managing director of the Dinnington Main
Colliery Company, has intimated that every man joining
Lord Kitchener’s Army within a week will receive a bonus
of £2, and adequate provision will be made for their wives
and families. Some 250 men have already enlisted.

The officials of the German Colliery being sunk at Har-
worth have no reason to bless the war, for it has already
played ducks and drakes with the undertaking. When
hostilities broke out, the Italian, French, and Hungarian
employees rushed off to join their regiments. The Germans
were not in such a hurry. A few got through, but others
found the ports closed when they essayed to journey to the
Fatherland. So they came back to their work. A little
later they were arrested, taken to York Castle, examined,
registered, and released, and again they went back to work.
Last week-end they were once more arrested, taken to York
Castle under military escort, and handed over once again to
the authorities. The men number about 23, and this time,
it is rumoured, they are to be kept under lock and key till
hostilities are over. Naturally the work of freezing, in
which these men were engaged, is being impeded. Sinking
at the other collieries in the Doncaster district—Rossington,
Hatfield, and Thorne—is proceeding without hindrance, and
something is also being done at Armthorpe, but here again
a number of Germans were engaged.

The water supply of Conisboro seems to be causing some
difficulty, and correspondence has passed between the clerk
of the Doncaster Rural District Council and the Denaby
and Cadeby Colliery Company on the matter. At the last
meeting of the Council, the clerk reported having called the
attention of the colliery company to the insufficient supply
of water, but the company wrote pointing out that they were
now supplying double the quantity they are under contract
to supply. They stated they were taking steps to increase
the quantity of water raised, and had asked the contractor
to push forward the delivery of an air compressor to enable
them to push the water for a greater depth. The opinion of
the Council seemed to be that through leakages there is
a lot of water running to waste at Conisboro, and it was
decided to employ a plumber to inspect every water tap in
the district and put the same in proper repair where neces-
sary.

Mr. A. Blenkinsop, the agent of the Dalton Main Col-
lieries Limited, is, it is understood, combining with his
duties the agency of the collieries of Messrs. John Brown
and Company at Rotherham Main, Aldwarke Main, and
Carhouse.

Lancashire and Cheshire.

Allowances for Enlisting Msne-ro.

Arrangements have been completed by many colliery firms
in Southern Lancashire for making allowances for the sup-
port of the soldiers’ and sailors’ wives and families during
the war. One of the schemes, that of the Clifton and
Kersley Coal Company Limited, who own extensive pits at
Clifton, Kersley, Newtown, Out wood, and Astley Green,
gives an allowance of 5s. per week for the wife, and 6d.
per week for each child, adding to this the amount received
through the Post Office, viz., separation allowance, Is. Id.
a day for a wife, and 2d. per day for each child, and the
soldiers’ allotment of 6d. per day for the wife, and Id. for
each child (maximum 9d.l. The weekly amount will work
out as follows :—Wife, 16s. Id. per week; wife and one
child, 18s. 4d.; wife and two children, 20s. 7d.; wife and
three children, 22s. lOd.; wife and four children, 24s. 6d.;
wife and five children, 26s. 2d.; wife and six children,
27s. lOd. Single men receiving the Government’s pay of
Is. Id. per day, if they have persons dependent upon them,
will have their case enquired into separately by the colliery,
so that any allotment the soldier may make can be supple-
mented if necessary. About 150 of the men ordinarily
employed by the firm will come under the scheme, which
applies to Territorials as well as Reservists.

On Saturday, August 29, an interesting gathering of
officials, workmen, and friends took place in the Westleigh
Conservative Club, Leigh, the occasion being to make pre-
sentations to Mr. and Mrs. James Unsworth. Mr.
Unsworth has been under-manager of the Wigan Coal and
Iron Company’s No. 1 Priestner Pit for the past 10 years.
The presents consisted of a gold watch to Mr. Unsworth,
and a gold necklet and pearl pendant to Mrs. Unsworth, on
his taking up a .more responsible position as manager of the
White Moss Colliery Company, Skelmersdale. Mr. T. G.
Dobb, the manager, presided over the proceedings, and Mr.
P. Chamberlain, who succeeds Mr. Unsworth at the Priest-
ners Pit, made the presentations.

Mr. Henry Knight, who for the last four years has been
manager at the Bickershaw Collieries, Leigh, belonging to
Messrs. Ackers, Whitley and Company Limited, and who
was previously manager at the Rose Bridge and Ince Hall
Collieries, Wigan, up to the time of them closing, has
received an important appointment in Nottinghamshire,
having been appointed agent and manager at the new col-
lieries in Gedling, near Nottingham, recently sunk by the
Digby Colliery Company Limited.

Notts and Derbyshire.

Housing at Shirebrook.

Miners in the Mansfield district of Nottinghamshire are
giving a big lead in practical patriotism by enlisting in
large numbers. In the first fortnight since the recruiting
office was opened at the Town Hall, Mansfield, nearly 400
men attended to enlist. Capt. Jeffcock, who is in charge,
stated that the large majority were miners, and a very good
stamp of men. The various colliery companies in the dis-
trict are giving their employees every encouragement to
join the service, and the response has been very fine. From
one large local colliery alone 100 men have left their work
to serve their country.

A Local Government Board enquiry was held at Shire-
brook on Wednesday into an application of the Blackwell
Rural District Council for sanction to borrow the sum of
£20,000 for the purpose of purchasing land and erecting 100
houses under the Housing and Working Classes Act, in the
parish of Shirebrook. Mr. W. S. Cockerham, the clerk to
the Council, said that Shirebrook during the past 20 years
had developed from an agricultural parish to a large mining
centre, having at present 1,929 houses and a population of
11,364 persons. It was stated that only 12 houses had been
erected in the past three years. Cross-examined, Mr.
Cockerham said he was not aware that the Shirebrook Col-

liery Company were proposing to build 92 houses in Shire-
brook, and that at Langwith Junction 108 houses were in
process of being built. Dr. Littlewood, medical officer of
the Blackwell Council, said the houses proposed to be
erected by the colliery company, while relieving the pres-
sure somewhat, would not be adequate to remedy the con-
ditions now existing. The equiry was closed.

Somersetshire.

Bristol Pits to Re-Open.

A mass meeting of Bristol miners was held on Friday, the
object of the meeting being to place before the men employed
at the Kingswood, Hanham, and Parkfield pits a request
made to the Bristol miners’ agent, Mr. W. Whitefield,
regarding an assurance that if the pits were purchased again
by certain people not known, that there should be no spas-
modic striking at the pits. Mr. Whitefield’s suggestions
were as follows :—(1) Workmen undertaking not to stop work
in any local strike without first submitting the points in
dispute to an arbitrator mutually agreed upon, whose decision
would be final; (2) that they will not stop work or enter
into a local strike without giving a month’s notice; (3) that
the men deposit at the rate of so much per week a given sum
per man, boys one-half, which sum to be paid by deducting,
, say, 6d. per week for men, and 3d. per week for boys respec-
tively, until a stated sum is paid; (4) should the workmen
fail to carry out this agreement, an arbitrator to decide to
what extent the colliery owners had been financially injured,
and award payment in proportion through the guarantee
fund up to and including the whole of the money therein
should the arbitrator think just. The majority of the men
have agreed to these recommendations.

Kent.

Tilmanstone Colliery Offered to the Government — Chislet
Colliery.

The output at the Snowdown Colliery is at present about
1,500 tons weekly, and Tilmanstone Colliery is raising about
an equal amount. In both cases the demand is exceeding
the supply at present, and rather a better price is being
obtained. The war has dislocated matters considerably in
connection with the development of the collieries, and quite
a number of the officials and men have been called up on
service as Reservists, Territorials, etc.

At a special meeting of the board of the East Kent Col-
liery Company it was decided to offer their Tilmanstone
Colliery for purchase by the Government. The possession of
a colliery in the close vicinity of Dover Naval Harbour, it is
considered, would be of the greatest advantage to the
Admiralty. The Five Feet Seam which is at present being
worked has proved an excellent steam raising coal. Its
only disadvantage is that it is rather friable, but the next
seam is a hard coal, and believed to be exceedingly valuable.

There has been little diminution of activity at the Chislet
Colliery in the vicinity of Canterbury. Sinking is being
continued, and the surface equipment is going on satisfac-
torily. A great advantage in all this work is that the
colliery has now been linked up with the main South-
Eastern and Chatham Railway line by a colliery railway,
and the facilities thus obtained make the getting on to the
site of plant, bricks, coal, and other materials a very much
simpler affair than it was in the early days of most of the
Kent colliery works, when traction engines had to be used
—with the result that very heavy charges for extraordinary
traffic had to be paid to the various rating authorities in the
county.

Scotland.

The Pit Prop Shortage.

In view of his marriage, Mr. James Adair, under-manager
at Coursington Colliery, Motherwell, has been presented by
the employees and staff with a handsome grandfather clock.

A conference convened by the Board of Agriculture for
Scotland was held in Edinburgh last week for the pur-
pose of considering the possible scarcity of pitwood for the
mines. Messrs. James T. Forgie (Messrs. Wm. Baird and
Company) represented the Lanarkshire coal owners, Mr.
James A. Hood, of Rosewell, those in the Lothians; Mr.
James Bain, Alloa, those in Fife and Clackmannan ; while
Mr. Robert Baird, Glasgow, attended as the representative
of the Scottish Coal Masters’ Association. Mr. J. D.
Sutherland, on behalf of the Board of Agriculture, explained
that the meeting had been called because within the past
month they had been compelled sharply to realise the extent
to which this country was dependent on other countries for
the supply of timber. It so happened that the coal mines
in Scotland wiere now, or soon might be, in need of large
supplies of pit wood, if they were to be kept open. The
stoppage of these mines might result in a shortage of coal,
and, consequently, there would be a vast amount of unem-
ployment. To limit the coal supply would inevitably increase
the price of a commodity essential to the country just at a
time when the consumer could least bear it, and the cessa-
tion of labour in any direction at this juncture would multiply
the national obligation to maintain those who had to suffer
through the misfortune of this uninvited war. A long dis-
cussion ensued, and many feasible suggestions were put for-
ward with a view to coping with the difficulties which had
arisen. Eventually it was decided to adjourn the con-
ference for a week.

Authoritative information received by importers of pit
props throughout the country leaves little doubt that Ger-
many has decided to regard pit props as contraband of war.
This action will seriously affect, if it does not altogether
stop, the. importation of pit props into the country. At
present importers find themselves in a very difficult position
indeed. They hold contracts which were signed previous to
the outbreak of hostilities to deliver considerable quantities
of pit props at different periods. The reserve supplies at
present available have been estimated to be sufficiently large
to meet normal demands only till the end of the year. With
a view to arriving at some mutual arrangement which will
tend to ensure the most economic distribution, the importers
have met the coal owners, but these conferences have had
so far little tangible result. The stoppage of supplies from
abroad has had the effect of stimulating timber merchants
throughout Scotland, and active steps will be taken to fell
and market the available wood. It is believed that a fair
amount can be obtained in the North of Scotland, but as
the demand from England will be considerable, Scottish
coal owners will have difficulty in obtaining adequate sup-
plies.

About 300 miners working at the Montgomeriefield Pit,
No. 23. Dreghorn, have been thrown idle owing to a large
quantity of refuse coal catching fire near the pithead. The
fire not only interrupted the work at the pithead, but owing
to the smoke going down the shaft, it is impossible to work
underground. A large number of men are endeavouring to
clear away the burning mass.