November 6, 1914

THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN.

983

capital in such incorporated concern to the extent of one-
third is held by Germans or Austrians, irrespective of
whether such Germans or Austrians or the concerns in
which they are interested are manufacturing in Great
Britain or in any other country (or whether they ape not
manufacturers), and irrespective of whether the parties
concerned have taken out papers of naturalisation in
Great Britain or in any other country, unless such
parties can show that their act of naturalisation was
prompted by motives which are not detrimental to
British interests. The status of the parties concerned
shall be determined by their actual status on June 1,
1914, and no transfer of shares, reconstruction of boards
or managements, changing of names or handing over of
business which may have taken place since that date
shall be recognised as affecting this definition.

2. That such further Proclamation, as here advocated,
should provide for a “licence to trade ” being granted by
the Board of Trade to an “ enemy ” on application by the
“ enemy/’ provided that this licence shall be granted
only on the understanding that the “ enemy’s ” business
is placed in the hands of a receiver appointed by the
High Court under the provisions of Clause 3 of the
Trading with the Enemy Act, 1914, except that such
procedure shall not be necessary for small firms whose
businesses are self-contained, and are not and never have
been branches of a parent concern in an enemy country,
and in no case shall a licence be granted to an “ enemy ”
in this country merely agenting the products of enemy
countries.

The committee were strongly of opinion that half-hearted
measures were, under existing circumstances, productive of
much dislocation to trade in general.

The committee also decided to urge the Board of Trade
fully to investigate the particular process, which was
reported to have been discovered, of substituting the use of
sulphur colours in the dyeing of woollen fabrics in place of
the aniline dyes which have hitherto been used, and that
should the discovery be of practical use, to recommend the
Board of Trade to take such action as would enable tho
dyeing industry as a whole to benefit thereby, and to take
effective steps to prevent any single firm or group of firms
obtaining the monopoly thereof.

It was also determined to institute a vigorous campaign
to extend the membership of the association, as it was felt
that the industrial situation, both now and in the near
future, was and would be such as to necessitate experienced
and collective business opinion being brought to bear upon
the industrial problems with which the Government would
be called upon to consider, and in order that any legislation
necessary for dealing with these problems should be
properly drawn up and framed an advisory council of
business men was imperatively required.

The British Legation in Stockholm has issued a state-
ment to the Swedish Press pointing out that the articles
which have been published in English newspapers, stating
that Germany is obtaining deliveries of coals from the
Scandinavian countries, must not be considered as being an
expression of the opinion of the British Government.

The United States Government have issued an order to
port authorities instructing them to refrain from making
public information as to outward cargoes and their destina-
tion until 30 days after the date of clearance.

The Constantinople correspondent of the Near Eait
states that the available coal supply for the Turkish Navy
is estimated at most 15,000 tons of steam coal, and the
150 tons per diem of Eregli coal, which is being mined
under difficulties, the majority of the labourers employed
there having been conscripted. Any operations of the
Ottoman Fleet are likely to be seriously hampered for want
of coal. The “ Goeben ” cannot do more than 15 knots on
Eregli coal, and the “Breslau’s ” speed will be reduced by 50
per cent, if she is compelled to fall back on this source of
supply, while Germany and Austria cannot send any large
quantities of steam coal by rail. It will be remem-
bered that abnormal shipments of British coal were made
to Turkey during August—as pointed out in the Collier j
Guardian at the time. In September no British coal was
consigned to this destination.

An important report has been adopted by the manufac-
turers’ section of the London Chamber of Commerce relating
to competition with German and Austro-Hungarian trade.
One of the appendices to the report, which has been sent to
the Local Government Board, shows that as a result of the
dislocation of business caused by the European war and the
abnormal conditions of trade there has been a general and
substantial decrease in the manufacturing industries and
only a very small increase in certain special trades, but, on
the other hand, the number of cases in which business is
practically suspended is infinitesimal. Naturally, un-
employment has resulted to some extent, and the number
of employees joining the Colours has not quite counter-
balanced the decrease in employment. In a large percentage
of cases supplies of raw material which have previously
come from abroad could be obtained in this country, or
from new sources, and, so far as can be ascertained, no very
great difficulty has been experienced in connection with
transport by rail, road, or sea. Industry has been very
largely affected by the financial conditions, and the reduction
in orders both from abroad and from home, but it is not
generally considered that orders at home have diminished
as a result of the failure of credit, but rather from other
causes. Various suggestions have been made to assist
trade, and special attention is called to the desirability of
the bankers being induced to give greater financial facilities
to employers of labour and others in connection with the
development of existing manufactures and the establish-
ment of new industries in order that the country may be in
a position to take full advantage of the change in the
economic conditions brought about by the war. The
emergency committee of the manufacturers’ section has
been reappointed to give effect to the suggestions relating
to allotment of Army contracts, code facilities for cable
communications, the relaxation of excise duties on alcohol,
Government assistance for firms having large uncollected
assets due from belligerent and neutral countries, the
re-establishment of foreign exchange operations on a satis-
factory basis, and the relaxation of the Factory Acts to
allow for more elasticity in the hours and conditions of
working arrangements.

The Government of Denmark has wisely decided to place
her neutrality in the matter of commerce beyond doubt.
Both Houses of the Danish Parliament have unanimously

passed a Bill containing drastic regulations as to the
destinations of ships or cargo to be imported into or
exported from Danish harbours. The principal object of
the Bill is that in future the Danish Foreign Office may be
able to give an effective guarantee to Great Britain as to
Danish imports from America. It is hoped as a result that
Danish ships may not be seized again if the documents on
board are found to be in order by British warships at sea.

The Coal Age says:—“The export market having dwindled
to small proportions, the Pocahontas and New River
shippers are facing a rather critical time. Contractors are
not taking anything like their normal requirements for
October, and there is no spot market anywhere.”

The Liverpool Chamber of Commerce, on Tuesday, after
a debate in private, announced: “ That this council is of
opinion that it is not desirable that declarations as to the
ultimate destination of cargo should be made before courts
of summary jurisdiction, and do not approve of the resolu-
tion passed by the Liverpool magistrates on October 30.”

Following an investigation made at the request of the
British Vice-Consul at Newport News, Va., permission was
granted by the United States authorities to the Italian
steamship “Amista” to clear for Monte Video with a cargo
of coal. The coal is being shipped by the same company
which recently loaded the Norwegian steamship “Thor,”
captured at sea after having supplied a German cruiser
with coal. Protests against American ships coaling German
vessels in the vicinity of the Philippines were filed with
the State Department by Sir Cecil Spring-Rice, the British
Ambassador. Sir Cecil informed the State Department
that he had documentary evidence that American vessels,
which cleared from Manila some days ago loaded with
coal, had transferred their cargoes to German cruisers
either on the high seas or at some obscure island.

It is said that the German Government has taken a hand
in the detention at San Francisco of the German ship
“ Alexandria,” loaded with coal, and which has been refused
clearance papers, because of the doubt of the vessel’s
nationality and ownership. The Germans protest against
the guard placed over the “ Alexandria.” The question of
the vessel’s change of registry from German to American is.
now before the authorities at Washington.

Work of coaling the German cruiser “ Geier ” was halted
suddenly at Honolulu when word was received that a
Japanese cruiser was sailing in the direction of the
Hawaiian Islands. It is believed that the German boat
will remain in port until the end of the war.

The Santiago correspondent of The Times reports that
German merchant steamers regularly provide the German
cruisers in the Pacific with coal and provisions and wireless
information from Chilean ports, obtaining leave to depart
from the ports by making false declarations of their
destination to the Chilean authorities. Last month two
steamers left Chilean ports with full cargoes of coal and
provisions, and are now reported to have returned to other
Pacific ports empty. Another steamer, “ York,” sailed
from V alparaiso giving a false destination. She returned
after communicating by wireless with German cruisers.

Mr. A. Stuart, registrar of imports and exports at
Singapore, the correspondent of the Board of Trade for the
Straits Settlements, who is now on a visit to England, will
attend at the Commercial Intelligence Branch of the Board
of Trade, 73, Basinghall-street, London, E.C., on Tuesday,
Wednesday and Thursday, November 17, 18 and 19, between
the hours of 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., and will be pleased to see
by appointment British manufacturers and traders not
represented in the Straits Settlements who may desire to
consult him regarding trade conditions and openings in
that colony.

In a letter to the Press, Mr. F. Dudley Docker, chairman
of the Metropolitan Carriage, Waggon and Finance
Company refers to the statement by Mr. J. E. Thorny croft,
mentioned in this column last week, in which he made it
clear that any payment to an enemy firm, “ although it is
in this country,” must necessarily help the enemy, and he
put forward the very practical suggestion that all enemy
firms or branches of such firms in this country should be
placed in the hands of receivers accountable to the Govern-
ment. Mr. Docker associated himself with Mr. Thornycroft’s
attitude, and suggests that this is an occasion when joint
action by the manufacturers of the country is imperative
and when, by means of a strong and representative com-
mittee, we should take swift and determined action in the
national interests. He further adds :—“ What is needed is
statutory authority for the holding up of all funds belonging
to alien enemies in this country. There is no desire to take
advantage of a state of war to escape our debts, but unless
and until we can be assured that none of our money will
reach the enemy, that money must be held in trust. We
ought to establish at any cost and by any means an effective
blockade of the ‘ Port of Finance.’ Nowhere is the danger
from the ‘enemy within our gates ’ more apparent than in
the financial world, where we know currents of sinister
influence are secretly working. . . . The time for action is
now ; and the commercial and industrial interests of this
country should combine at once to protect the nation
against this insidious but potent form of warfare.”

At the annual meeting of Baldwins Limited, at
Birmingham recently, presided over by Colonel J. Roper
Wright, Mr. Aiderman Sayer remarked that there was a
large industry waiting for England in the rolling of sheet
zinc, which had hitherto been in the hands of the Germans.
He did not know whether it appealed to the board. The
chairman, in reply, said the company made sheets at Panteg,
but the suggestion of an extension of the industry would be
considered by the directors.

The Yorkshire section of the Society of Chemical
Industry, meeting at the Queen’s Hotel, Leeds, last week,
had a discussion as to the legal restrictions placed on
alcohol used for industrial purposes. Mr. Rhodes K.
Calvert, secretary of the Leeds Chamber of Commerce, who,
together with some other representatives of public bodies,
attended by invitation, explained the steps already taken
by the Chamber on the subject of present opportunities for
the manufacture of chemical preparations and aniline dyes,
and quoted opinions that alcohol for the manufacture of
chemicals and for laboratory use should be supplied free of
duty. In view of the facilities which German manu-
facturers had enjoyed, for instance, it was complained
that a duty of 4s. a lb. on pure alcohol priced at 5s.
rendered it impossible to carry out certain tests without
excessive expenditure. Prof. Green, of the University

of Leeds, said the difficulty in the use of pure alcohol
apparently lay in the interpretation of what was
“ unsuitable or detrimental ” to a particular industry.
Industrial alcohol’s cost of 30 per cent, more than the com-
peting article in Germany was certainly “unsuitable,” but
the authorities did not think so. It cost 4d. a gallon more
than pure spirit, and there was the further expense of
rectification. Taking the case of ether and acetic ether, he
mentioned that our ether cost 40 per cent, more than in
Germany, and we could not make hosts of things because
we could not get pure ether; even our laboratories were
taxed. A whole range of products, dyestuffs, &c., he
pointed out, depended on our having cheap ether. On
the motion of Mr. F. W. Branson, seconded by Mr. Thomas
Fairley, it was resolved that the committee should con-
sider the question of approaching the Government
authorities, with a view to the modification of the present
system.

Mr. Claud T. Cayley made some interesting remarks
concerning the future prospects of British manufacturers of
electrical machinery at the general meeting of Messrs. Dick,
Kerr and Company Limited in London recently. He said
there was much appearing in the public Press regarding
the benefits to be reaped owing to the removal of German
competition, but it must be borne in mind that the elimina-
tion of Germany as a competitor did not necessarily signify
the entire absence of competition. It appeared to him that
to whatever extent Germany might be crippled financially
for the time being, she would make stupendous efforts to
regain her lost markets. The German manufacturers
possessed the advantage of having their home markets to
themselves, and with their home demand as a profitable
nucleus, they were enabled to compete for business abroad
on a more favourable basis than could the manufacturers of
a country where it had to be all grist that conies to their
mill. But another factor of no less importance was the
financial assistance which German manufacturers had been
receiving from their banking institutions. What an immense
advantage such assistance denoted could only be fully
realised by those directly connected with the management
of manufactories turning out large and expensive classes of
machinery, where the acceptance of an order of any size
involved the locking-up of capital from the time the raw
and half-finished material was purchased till the machines
were completed and delivered—a period usually extending
over many months.

Upon a charge of formulating a scheme for trading with
the enemy, contrary to a recent Proclamation, William
Drummond Dick appeared before Sheriff Maconochie, in
Edinburgh Sheriff Court, on Tuesday. The indictment
bore that on September 30 he wrote and posted in Edin-
burgh a letter addressed to Herr Herbert Glassel, Portier,
Gothenburg, Sweden, in which he stated that he was
negotiating for the sale of a cargo of coal with a Berlin
company, and requested him to post on a letter, which
accused had enclosed, addressed to the German-Cuban
Electricity Company Limited, 10, Konigen Auguste-strasse,
Berlin, in which accused stated that the enquiry of the
company regarding a cargo of about 1,350 tons of coal was
having his “ greatest attention,” that he would forward to
them as soon as possible a tempting offer, and also an offer
for other qualities of coal; that he would be personally
present at the loading, and would himself inspect every
single wagon before shipment should they come to business,
and that he would do his utmost to hasten the negotiations.
Accused pleaded guilty. His lordship remitted the case
to the High Court for sentence.

Italian Government Coal Contract Specifications.—
According to the Revista Scientific^, the coal specification
issued by the State Railways Department does not corre-
spond to ordinary commercial practice, and to remedy this
deficiency Sig. Cappellotto, manager of the “ Carbonifera
Lombarda,” has drawn up the following list of commercial
coals adapted to fulfil the requirements of the specification
in their respective classes :—Large English steam coals :
Cardiff coals — Ferndale, Nixon, Penrhykyber, Ocean
Merthyr, and other good South Wales coals. The exporta-
tion of some of these, however, is now prohibited. The class
also includes Newport coals from the Monmouth district,
e.g., Tredegar, Western Valley, Risca, Abercarn, etc.
Bituminous coals with short or long flame, containing
about 16 to 27 per cent, of volatile matter, with a heating
power of 7,500 to 7,900 calories, and suitable for steam
raising in high-pressure boilers.—American small coals :
Georges Creek, Pocahontas, New’ River, and similar grades,
with 16 to 21 per cent, of volatiles, and a heating value
of about 7,800 calories. Suitable for the same purpose as
the above English coals, but higher in ash content. Very
small, but are regarded as useful owning to their coking
properties. — Briquettes of English small coal for locomo-
tives : Made in Italy from Welsh coal, or imported direct
(Atlantic, Graigola, Merthyr, Pacific, etc., brands). All for
steam raising. — Gas and smithy coals : New Pelton,
Main, or Holmside, and all good quality gas coals from
Durham district, such as Pelaw’ Main, Hebburn, Horden,
Lambton, Boldon, Peareth, etc. Long flame bituminous
coals, W’ith 30 to 35 per cent, of volatiles, yielding 280 to
320 cu. m. of gas per ton, and 65 to 71 per cent, of coke.
Yorkshire gas coals are inferior to the above, and are gener-
ally suitable for furnace use. In Italy they are known
under the names : “ Gas di Hull,” “ London Gas,” etc.
There are also other types of Yorkshire gas coals, such as
Silkstone.—Furnace coals : Splint coal, chiefly used for gas
producers in steel works and other industrial purposes, for
w’hich a long flame is required. Of a different type, but
capable of replacing the above to advantage in certain cir-
cumstances, are coals from the centre, west, and north of
England, such as Rushy Park. Denaby Main, Bothal,
Davison's, and some Scotch coals (Fifeshire), e.g., Cowden-
beath, Lochgelly, Bannockburn. Dysart Main: for indus-
tries requiring a rapid production of steam — dyeing dis-
tilling, paper making, etc. These are dry coal, with long
flame, and 35 to 40 per cent, of volatiles. They are
usually blends from different mines, to give the best results^
—English metallurgical coke : Foundry coke made by car-
bonising mixed coals at a high temperature. The best
comes from Durham, such as Garesfield coke: but foundry
coke is also obtained from Yorkshire. Cumberland, Lanca-
shire. etc. Next to Durham, however. Welsh foundry coke
is the best. It is a little heavier and less hand than
Durham, but purer and cheaper.