180 ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN July 23, 1915. or believed to be users of coal for manufacturing purposes. The number of replies received up to then was 70. To the first question, “ Have you experienced difficulties in getting the usual supply of coal?” they had 54 answers in the affirmative, and seven in the negative. In some cases where firms stated that they had not experienced difficulties, it must be noted that electrical power was mainly used. The second question was : ” Have you been seriously prejudiced in your trade by the difficulty of obtaining coal supplies owing, firstly, to increased prices, and, secondly, to delays in delivery?” There were 43 answers in the affirma- tive to the first part of the question, and 42 to the second part, and the answers in the negative were 13 and 14 respec- tively. Broadly speaking, those who said they were not seriously prejudiced appeared to be the smaller firms. The third question was : ” Have you been obliged to use coal other than hard steam coal for manufacturing purposes?” The answers in the affirmative were 29, and in the negative 14. The fourth question was : ” Have you used an increased quantity of coal within the last three months; if so, what is the percentage of increase?” There were 19 replies in the affirmative, and 35 in the negative. The percentage of increase varied considerably—from 5 to 50 per cent. In one case, however, there had been an increase of 100 per cent., and in another 200 per cent. The fifth question was : “ Have you had any difficulty in obtaining coke or other fuel for the purposes of your business?” The answers were 31 in the affirmative, and 17 in the negative. The sixth question was : “ Have you found it possible to extend the use of alternative sources of power, for example, gas and elec- tricity?” Eight firms had been able to do so, and 35 had not. One firm had been compelled to close their works entirely. Several firms called attention to the fact that they had been able to keep their business going by paying enhanced prices, and that two firms believed that contracts had been cancelled which could have been executed, and that collieries and merchants 'had utilised existing difficulties to escape their obligations, and had disposed of supplies which had come to hand at enhanced prices. These were in a very small minority, 'and the replies suggest that there had been no bad faith on the part of contractors. The enquiries showed that owing to the dearth of coal generally, a good many people who, in the ordinary way, used hard steam coals, had had to encroach upon supplies of other kinds to keep their works going. Some firms, who stated that they had not experienced difficulties, intimated that they used gas engines or other means for supplying power. A firm of creosoters and tar distillers were using coal tar pitch with coal. They observed that pitch was of a much higher calorific value than coal, and was cheaper in consequence. Some firms pointed out that although they did not ordinarily use hard steam coal, they had had to use coal inferior in quality to that which they had usually consumed. The use of oil fuel was being considered, and it was being used where furnaces could be adapted. There were various reasons suggested to account for the difficulties, namely, shortage of labour at the collieries, the shortage of steamers, and high war risk rates. There was another very interesting point. It was pointed out that in one reply received that one of the difficulties caused by the shortage of high quality steam coal had been the material increase in smoke production. Some relaxation of the Smoke Abatement Acts was sug- gested to obviate fines. A number of firms, by drawing upon their reserve supplies, had not experienced any exceptional difficulties. That suggested that perhaps the same thing was applying to household coal. The release of thousands of wagons, at present in sidings, would, it was suggested, relieve the situation, presumably as to delays in delivery. Witness said he was afraid the majority of people did not appreciate the fact that by being economical they were help- ing their neighbours, as well as helping themselves. Witness did not think many manufacturers could distinguish between household coal and hard steam coal in oases of this kind. People bought coal at a certain price, and they looked to the calorific value they got. (To be continued.) ___________________________ Hull Coal Exports.—The official return of the exports of coal from Hull to foreign countries for the week ending Tuesday, July 13, 1915, is as follows :—Amsterdam, 507 tons; Alderney, 128; Assens, 620; Archangel, 5,369; Dieppe, 1,639; Dunkirk, 300; Fecamp, 1,501; Gefle, 979; Granville, 737; Halmstadt, 1,464; Havre, 578; Honfleur, 611; Har- lingen, 926; Rouen, 30,602; Rotterdam, 2,803; St. Nazaire, 2,080; Treport, 1,319; Tuborg, 893—total, 53,056 tons. The above figures do not include bunker coal, shipments for the British Admiralty, nor the Allies’ Governments. Corre- sponding period July 1914—total, 120,813 tons. Coal Shipped from Ports in the United Kingdom during June. — The following figures, which have been extracted from returns issued by the Commissioners of H.M. Customs and Excise, show the quantities of coal shipped from each group of ports in the United Kingdom during the month of June, as compared with the corresponding month last year :— Cargo. June 1914. June 1915. Tons. Tons. Bristol Channel ports 2,189,984 . .. 1,468,386 North-western ports 44,003 . 45,526 North-eastern ports 1,925,426 . .. 1,173,882 Humber ports 741,433 . .. 267,914 ______________________________ Other east coast ports 32,391 . 492 Other English ports 10 . 25 Ports on east coast of Scotland... 645,520 . .. 383,206 Ports on west coast of Scotland 155,453 . .. 217,875 Total 5,734,220 . .. 3,557,306 Bunker. June 1914. June 1915. Tons. Tons. Bristol Channel ports 330,121 . .. 274,215 North-western ports 325,681 . .. 260,595 North-eastern ports 302,098 . .. 161,460 Humber ports 254,429 . .. 122,526 Other east coast ports 140,460 . 93,534 Other English ports 84,363 . 16,699 Ports on east coast of Scotland... 136,878 . 52,998 Ports on west coast of Scotland... 105,407 . 83,076 Irish ports 2,040 . 676 Total 1,681,477 .. .. 1,065,779 BOOK NOTICES. An Introduction to Mining Science. By J. B. Coppock and G. A. Lodge, pp. 230, 7 in. x 5 in., with 102 text figures. Longmans’ Technical Handicraft Series. London: Longmans, Green and Company; 1915. Price, 2s. net. This little book is designed to supply both a theoretical and practical text book for mining students. It aims at linking up, in an easy and intelligible manner, the funda- mental facts of science with practical mining experience. The authors very properly lay considerable stress upon the question of safety in mines, and they have made a point of giving simple scientific explanations of the principles which underlie some of the common kinds of accidents, especially those connected with explosions of firedamp. Each of the 14 chapters in the book is divided into a theoretical and practical portion. Thus in chapter i. there is an explanation of the division of matter into combustible and incombustible substances, and this is followed by a reference to various causes of underground fires arising from the presence of inflam- matory matter in the pit. Subsequent chapters deal with the composition of the air, ventilating currents, safety lamps, mine gases, and explosive mixtures in general. Chapter viii. treats of flames, their shapes and parts. This leads naturally to a discussion of various means of producing heat and light, the inflam- mability of different substances, and the nature and treatment of gob fires. Chapter xi. deals with explo- sives, and their application to coal mining; and then the physical processes of diffusion and change of state are briefly but clearly illustrated; and a last chapter deals with the nature and origin of coal. It is, of course, inevitable in a work of this size that there must be omissions, and some of the excellent graduated experiments are not always pushed to their logical conclusion. Thus, in the case of the air and its weight, the principle of the barometer, although indirectly explained, is not directly mentioned. The whole book is written in clear and simple language —suitable for persons of the working miner class who wish to take an intelligent interest in the phenomena of their daily life. Most of the experiments described can be readily repeated with simple apparatus, and a most useful feature of the book is the frequent reference to the Coal Mines Act and Regulations, as well as to the inspectors’ annual reports. We commend this book without hesitation for the purposes which the authors have kept in view. ______ A special supplement of the Chamber of Commerce Journal has been issued, entitled “ Trade Products of the British Empire,” in which is given a statistical account of the resources of the British Empire as a supplier of foodstuffs and of raw materials for British industries, with statistics and notes as to foreign sources of supply. The supplement, the price of which is Is., contains in a small compass a mass of information which should be of service to the busy man. Some of it, how- ever, is not complete. Thus, it is rather surprising to find that, in a summary of coal production in the British collieries, no mention is made of the large output in British South Africa other than that raised in Southern Rhodesia. Under the head of iron, moreover, we should like to have seen some reference to India’s newborn iron and steel industry, and to the efforts made to establish an undertaking of the same nature in South Africa. Messrs. Thos. Wall and Sons Limited, of Wigan, have published a 15J per cent. Colliery Wages Calculator, which should prove useful in recasting wages with the addition of the “ war bonus.” The tables are given on a broad card suitable for hanging in the colliery office; the price is Is. Messrs. W. T. Glover have issued a revised edition of their little handbook of Electric Mining Regulations and Data. This embodies the regulations with the Home Office memorandum, as well as such data and formulae as may be of assistance in the choice of selection of colliery cables. In addition, illustrations are given of typical accessories and fittings relating to this class of work. The handbook is nicely bound in red leather, and is a real aid to the colliery electrician. The Year Book of the Swedish Chamber of Commerce in London contains much information of more than passing interest to those engaged in the Scandinavian trade. The trade reports included in the volume deal with the principal markets of Swedish articles in the United Kingdom from an individual point of view, and are supplemented by a number of useful tables and charts. There is also a list of wharves along the River Thames, with a large-scale map, and an interesting article on the Bank of England by Louis Zetterstein, illustrated by several coloured and gravure drawings of historical value. Grimsby Coal Exports. — Returns for the week ending July 16 show that the coal exported from Grimsby consisted of the following :—Foreign : To Aarhus, 3,893 tons; Arendal, 873; Christiania, 644; Dieppe, 1,800; Esbjerg, 634; Kjerte- niinde, 297; Odense, 632; Rotterdam, 510; Trondhjem, 1,947 —total, 12,426 tons foreign, against 17,776 tons foreign, and 786 tons coastwise during the corresponding week last year. Immingham Coal Exports.—Returns for the week ending July 16 show that the coal exported from Immingham was as follows :—Foreign : To Dieppe, 2,115 tons; and Treport, 750 tons. Coastwise : To London, 750 tons; and Ramsgate, 220 tons—total, 2,865 tons foreign, and 970 tons coastwise, against 54,156 tons foreign and 7,439 tons coastwise during the corresponding period of last year. INDIAN AND COLONIAL NOTES. _________________________________________________________ India. Coal for State-worked Railways.—The following tenders have been accepted by the Railway Board for railborne coal required for the State-worked railways from January 1, 1’916, to March 31, 1917 :—20,000, Kurhurbari, Rs. 4-4, Giridih, Andrew Yule and Company; 36,000, 14, 14a, Rs. 4, Bararee, Jardine Skinner and Company; 20,000, Poniati, Rs. 4-12, Jamuria, Macneill and Company; 15,000, 14a, Rs. 4-8, Standard, Heilgers and Company; 1,00,000, 14a, 15, Rs. 3-12, Bhulanbaree, Heilgers and Company; 90,000, 14, 15, Rs. 3, Sendra, Heilgers and Company; 60,000, 14, 15, Rs. 3-4, Teetalmari, Bird and Company; 90,000, 13, 14, 15, Rs. 3-4, Mudidih, Bird and Company; 150,000, 13, 14, 15, Rs. 3-4, Loyabad, Bird and Company; 45,000, Poniati, Rs. 5, Charampur, Bird and Company; 1,50,000, 13, 14, Rs. 3-3, Ekra, H. V. Low and Company; 45,000, 14, Rs. 3-10, Bhalgora, H. V. Low and Company; 75,000, 13, 14, Rs. 2-14, Lakurka, H. V. Low and Company; 57,000, Poniati, Rs. 4-12, Poniati, Apcar and Company; 97,500, Rs. 3-8, Nuni and Company, N. C. Sircar and Sons ; 30,000, Rs. 4-8, Baraboni, N.C. Sircar and Sons; 30,000, 15, Rs. 3, Kirkend, B. K. Roy; 180,000, Kasoonda, Martin and Company; 45,000, Satpukuria, Martin and Company; 75,000, Ghusick, Martin and Company; 12,000, Rs. 3-8, Deshergarh Rubble, Andrew Yule and Company; 78,000, 13, 14, Rs. 3, Angrapathra, Linton Molesworth and Company; 30,000, Rs. 3, Tentulia, D. N. Ghose and Company; 15,000, 17, Rs. 3-4, Dharmaband, D. N. Ghose and Company; 30,000, 12, Rs. 2, Alkusa, Kanga and Company; 20,000, 14, Rs. 4, Bagdigi, Mehenti—total, 1,595,500. ____________ Africa. The coal trade of Natal is remarkably quiet. The trade is still suffering from a lack of trucks, which precludes any thought of securing Far Eastern or steamer contracts. During April the 56 collieries producing coal in the Union of South Africa raised 795,648 short tons of coal, the sales amounting to 659,497 tons, valued at 4-166,357. This was rather better than the previous month, when 644,543 tons, valued at £161,743, were sold. Sales in the different pro- vinces in April were as follow :—Transvaal, 427,413 tons (4s. 4-46d. per ton); Cape, 4,693 tons (Ils. 5'52d. per ton); Orange Free State, 57,844 tons (5s. l-61d. per ton); Natal, 169,547 tons (6s. 6-41d. per ton). In the four months ended with April, only 6,910 tons of coal, valued at £5,542, were imported, as against 24,756 tons, valued at £17,589, in the corresponding period of last year. On the other hand, imports of coke and patent fuel rose from 5,324 tons, valued at £7,317, to 9,879 tons, valued at £10,091. The value of the mining machinery imported fell from £259,828 to £179,389. Exports of coal in the same period amounted to 480,353 tons, valued at £329,537, as compared with 716,638 tons, valued at £429,200, in the first four months of 1914. _____________________ Australia. The bulk of the explosives used for dislodging hard coal in the New South Wales mines is manufactured in Scotland and in the North of England, but, owing to the war, some difficulty is being experienced in obtaining supplies. The miners have therefore been asked to use it as sparingly as possible, and shot-firers have been instructed not to fire any shot until they are perfectly satisfied that it has been well holed, and that the explosive will be used to the utmost advantage. Respecting the shortage of explosives, it is interesting to learn that the manager of the Southern Explo- sives Company, whose factory is situated at Westons, in the Maitland district, states that after a long series of experi- ments, he has succeeded in producing an article which will enable him to manufacture an explosive suitable for coal mining purposes without the necessity of importing any of the ingredients. The plant installation will be capable of manufacturing from 15 to 20 tons of explosives per week, and it is anticipated that the company will be able to supply the whole district in the near future. ____________________________ Canada. With the present demand for coal by the important iron and steel works in the province of Nova Scotia, as well as in other parts of Canada, in connection with the enormous quantities of munitions which are being manufactured in the Dominion, the prospects for a further increase in the output in Nova Scotia appear to be very favourable. In Western Canada trouble has been caused at several collieries owing to the refusal of British miners to work alongside those of German and Austrian birth. Amongst others, the mines of the Hillcrest Collieries Limited, at Hill- crest, Alberta, were closed down on the 15th ult., the British miners refusing to work until 100 Austrians and Germans employed were discharged. Coal Production in 1914.—According to the preliminary report on the mineral production of Canada during 1914, prepared by Mr. John McLeish, Chief of the Division of Mineral Resources and Statistics, the total production of marketable coal for the year 1914, comprising sales and shipments, colliery consumption, and coal used in making coke or otherwise used by the colliery operators, was 13,594,984 short tons, valued at 33,433,108 dols., as against 15,012,178 tons, valued at 37,334,940 dols. in 1913. 1913. Province. Nova Scotia ... British Columbia... Alberta ....... Saskatchewan... New Brunswick Yukon ....... t ____________________ Tons. Value. Dols. 7,980,073... 17,812,663... 2,714,420... 8,482,562 4,014,755... 10,418,941 212,897... 358,192 70,3 H... 166,637 19,722... 56,945... 1914. _____________________ Tons. Value. Dols. 7,338,790.16,381,228 2.238.339.. . 6,994,810 3.667.816.. . 9,367,602 232,541... 375,438 104,055... 260,270 13,443 .. 53,760 Total...... 15,012,178...37,334,940...13,594,984...33,433,108 The exports of coal in 1914 were 1,423,126 tons, valued at 3,880.175 dols., as compared with exports of 1,562,020 tons, valued at 3.961,351 dols., in 1913—a falling off of 138,894 tons, or 8*89 per cent. Imports of coal during the year included bituminous, round and run of mine 7,776.415 tons, valued at 14,954,321 dols., or an average of 1-92 dols. per ton: bituminous slack 2,509.632 tons, valued at 3,605.253 dols., or an average of 1*43 dols. per ton: and anthracite 4,435,010 tons, valued at 21.241,924 dols.. or an average of 4-79 dols. per ton; or a total of 14,721,057 tons, valued at