792

THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN.

October 15, 1915.

not afford sufficient protection to consumers of household coal.
Coun. Dollan presided, and the committee instructed the clerk
to write to the Board of Trade asking them what steps they
were prepared to take in furtherance of the resolution. Sir
Robert Balfour wrote suggesting that the committee should
describe in some detail the lines on which the desired legis-
lation should be drawn. A solution might be found on the
lines of the present retailers organising themselves into a
limited liability company, the operations of which would be
supervised by Government officials, and a check thus main-
tained on their retail prices. The committee decided to write
the Coal Merchants’ Association, asking, in the event of a
delivery-to-order system being recommended by the Corpora-
tion for adoption by consumers, what benefit, if any, would
be granted to the consumers by the merchants in respect of
reduced price consequent upon a reduced cost of distribution.
Two representatives were appointed to confer with the Edin-
burgh Corporation Sub-Committee.

The case has been concluded in Linlithgow Sheriff Court in
the instance of Mr. Jeffrey Armstrong, manager of No. 2
Pit, Bridgeness Colliery, who was prosecuted for contra-
vening the Coal Mines Act by having on February 17, 1915,
failed to have a fire station at the entrance to the Navigation
seam; further, by failing to have detonators under his charge
as manager; and, thirdly, for his issuing detonators to two
miners, neither of whom were shot-firers.—Sheriff M’Leod, in
giving judgment, said on the first charge, although he thought
the manager guilty of a contravention of the statute, having
regard to the extenuating circumstances, he did not convict.
On the second charge he convicted, while on the third charge
he found the respondent not guilty. In view of the expense
the manager had incurred in his defence, the Sheriff limited
the penalty to £5. This prosecution followed an accident in
the above pit on February 17, whereby four men were burned;
two of whom had succumbed to their injuries.

LABOUR AND WAGES.

South Wales and Monmouthshire.

The anthracite men decided to work on for three weeks,
as recommended by the Federation executive, pending
enquiry as to the “ lost 5 per cent.” ; and they are now enter-
ing upon the latter part of that period. Their protest is
against the action of certain employers who do not pay at
the full rate of 91| per cent, above the 1879 standard; but
at about 5 per.cent, less; and the point at issue is the
precise figure at which payment should be made. Mr.
Justice Sankey has been invited to conduct the enquiry, and
he is willing to act, subject to consultation with the Lord
Chancellor. A’ joint committee from the Conciliation Board
will sit with him. No better selection could be made, for
his lordship has special knowledge of the colliery industry,
having acted in numerous cases before his elevation to the
Bench, amongst others in the Senghenydd explosion enquiry
on behalf of the owners. The men of the Ammanford area
have passed a resolution to “ down tools ” unless their
wishes be acceded to.

Much discussion is current, both in miners’ meetings and
through the newspapers of the district, as to the precise
position of the anthracite workmen. The new agreement is
quoted as well as Lord St. Aldwyn’s award under the
Minimum Wage Act; and there is an evident desire, intense
and persistent, to make out that the men are not—in their
claim for the “ lost 5 per cent.”—unfair or unpatriotic. A
special meeting of delegates takes place to-morrow,
October 16, to hear the report of a deputation to the sub-
committee of the Conciliation Board upon the subject of the
standard.

South Wales men seem to have given a cold douche of
commonsense to the proposal which a Lancashire delegate
submitted at the conference of the Miners’ Federation of
Great Britain. In his opinion, to commence work at six
o’clock in the morning is “ detrimental to the interests of
the mining community, and a relic of barbarism ”; and he
wished working hours to commence at eight o’clock instead
of six. Quietly chaffed by other speakers, he was informed
by (amongst others) Mr. Winstone, that the Welsh miners
had managed to survive the barbarism, being a very simple
folk, attached to ‘‘old and well-established principles”;
and a second critic agreed that getting up in the morning
was a “ queer business whilst the meeting heavily out-
voted the idea of change.

Upon an important question, the treasurer of the South
Wales Federation (Mr. A. Onions) submitted the formal
resolution from that body—that the executive should not
enter into agreements with the Government or any other
body, where questions of principle are involved, before the
matter had been decided by a national conference specially
called for the purpose. This was a resolution going much
further than its immediate object of condemning a recent
agreement made with Mr. Lloyd George as to no stoppages;
for it would probably become applicable to the new triple
alliance of miners, railway men, and transport workers, a
preliminary stage of which has already been passed. Two
representatives from each section form a committee for draft-
ing the detail of this alliance, and inasmuch as negotiations
which originated before the war (and have since been
suspended) are now renewed, the progress of the negotiations
is arousing deep interest. The mind of the Miners’ Federa-
tion of Great Britain was made manifest, however, by
rejection of the South Wales proposal, so that the committee
of six will proceed with its work unhampered by any
limitation.

Another South Wales proposal was also rejected—that
which aimed at bringing all wage agreements under absolute
control of a national conference.

Upon this matter of the triple alliance, South Wales has
more direct concern than other areas, because the large
proportion of export trade concentrates here a greater
number of wage earners of the three classes who are com-
bining ; and consequently the development of the idea is
watched with peculiar interest. A joint conference of the
three unions is to be called at an early date.

The Gas Workers’ Union held a meeting in Swansea
on Saturday to consider the relationship of its members
towards the Miners’ Federation, “ inasmuch as they are
endeavouring to compel our members to transfer over to
them.” An appeal was issued to the members of the Gas
Workers’ Union that they would remain loyal to their own
organisation, and notice was given that whenever a strike
occurred that rendered their members idle they would be
supported out of the funds. It was reported that the
amount of war bonus secured for the members of the Union
in South Wales was of the annual value of £53,000.

The difficulty as between the Enginemen and Stokers’
Society and the Miners’ Federation still continues, each
side being very active in making a case whereby support

can be won; and the Enginemen’s Association have had a
number of meetings to energise its members and gain
recruits. The two agents of the enginemen who went over
to the Federation addressed a meeting at the Lewis Merthyr
Colliery last week, and discussed the net rate system, and
also the proposed day-to-day contract book; and resolutions
were passed condemning the withdrawal of the latter and
also the abolition of net rates paid to certain workmen at
the present time.—In the Rhymney Valley, at a meeting of
stokers and other craftsmen held in the town of Rhymney,
after addresses by the miners’ agent, arrangements were
made for the transfer of the local lodge of Enginemen and
Stokers’ into the Federation.

The Rhondda district of miners with those of the
Pontypridd area had a special meeting on Monday with
reference to the non-unionist question, and reports were sub-
mitted from lodges showing that at certain collieries all
the men had now come into the Federation. In other
collieries the position was not so satisfactory, and it was
resolved that an active campaign should be carried on in
order to bring all the men into compliace. A general
” show-cards ” is to take place next week, and the result
is to be considered at the next meeting, the idea being that
if there are still a large number of recalcitrants, a date
shall be fixed and permission be sought to tender notices
at collieries where non-unionists are working.

At a mass meeting of miners in Abercynon on Sunday it
was agreed that on Saturday afternoon and Sunday night
shifts the men should demand payment of a turn and
a-half for eight hours’ work, and that no man should do
any work outside his ordinary shift.

North of England.

The supplementary sliding scale agreement, adopted at a
meeting of the Northumberland Coal Owners’ Association and
the Miners’ Association in Newcastle on the 25th ult., was
signed by both parties on Tuesday. It provides that in
consequence of the exceptional conditions now prevailing, the
maximum in the original scale is suspended, and that when
the realised price of coal is above 10s. 8d. per ton, the supple-
mentary scale shall apply. Under the old scale wages could
not rise beyond 65 per cent, above the 1879 basis, but now
wages may advance to any figure by 1 per cent, for every
1-ld. increase in the selling price of coal.

A meeting was held at Middlesbrough on Monday between
the Cleveland mine owners’ and miners’ representatives with
regard to wages. Sir Hugh Bell, Bart., presided. The men
received a special advance of 15 per cent, in May last under
the terms of the Prime Minister’s award, which stipulated
that any advance accruing after that date should be merged
in the special advance then given. In July last it was agreed
between the owners and the men that 7J per cent, should be
regarded as the amount merged under the ascertained price
for the three months ended June. The blastfurnacemen have
received an advance of 6-75 per cent, under the ascertainment
for the past quarter, and if a similar settlement is effected
with regard to the miners, there would still be f per cent, of
the 15 per cent, to take into consideration at the beginning
of the next year. After some discussion it was agreed that
a further meeting should be held on the 25th inst. In the
meantime, the miners’ executive committee will consult the
men in the district on the matter.

Federated Area.

An official price list, which also does away with any butty
system, has recently been brought into force for the miners
of the Thorncliffe Drift, Parkgate Collieries, of Messrs.
Newton, Chambers and Company. The standard prices of
the list are arrived at by adding 50 per cent, on the 1888
basis rates, and are subject to the advances and reductions
of the district, in accordance with the Board of Conciliation
awards.

There was a dispute at Bentley Colliery, Doncaster, last
week. The pony drivers and rope runners have been, it is
said, dissatisfied with the treatment accorded them by the
deputies, with the result that 80 refused to work on the
afternoon shift, unless a certain deputy was removed. The
sequel was a meeting between the colliery officials and a
small deputation headed by Mr. J. Watson, secretary of the
Bentley branch of the Yorkshire Miners’ Association. An
improvement being promised, the lads resumed work the next
day.

Trouble is threatened at Brodsworth Colliery, Doncaster,
over the fork question. A ballot has been taken as to tender-
ing 14 days’ notice to the company to remove the forks from
the pit. The result has been a big majority in favour of
tendering notice. It is understood the Yorkshire miners’
executive have granted permission.

A settlement was effected on Tuesday of the strike at the
Grimethorpe Colliery, near Barnsley. The strike occurred
on the 4th inst., the management refusing to withdraw non-
unionists from work. At a meeting of the representatives of
the men and the management on Tuesday it was stated that
the manager (Mr. Gill) had agreed that there should be a
limit of a month in which a non-unionist should be expected
to join the union. Although he could not agree in any way
to compel the men, the manager agreed to ask the men to
join the union.

The strike of coal workers and dockers at Goole has
resulted in Board of Trade intervention. The men agree to
place their case before a conference of ship owners’ and men’s
representatives, with an independent chairman provided by
the Board of Trade, and to abide by his decision.

A manifesto foreshadowing drastic steps on the question of
the employment of non-unionist workers in the North Stafford-
shire coal field has been issued by the four federated trade
unions—the North Staffordshire Miners’ Federation, the
National Amalgamated Union of Enginemen and Stokers,
the Underground Firemen and Shot-Lighters’ Union, and the
Navvies’ and General Labourers’ Union. The manifesto
states that all workmen employed in and about the collieries
of North Staffordshire who are in arrears must pay up as
required by rule, and all non-union men must become mem-
bers of their respective unions before November 1, 1915. The
manifesto proceeds : “ Unless this is done the matter will be
reported to the full membership of the district with a view
to taking a ballot on the question as to whether drastic
measures shall be employed to induce them to become mem-
bers without delay, and even to the extent of making
membership of the union a condition of employment.”

In consequence of the great amount of time lost by some
of the miners employed at the Jubilee Pit of the Sandwell
Park Colliery Company Limited. West Bromwich, the firm
recently took proceedings against a number of the men for
neglect of work, in the hope of stopping the absenteeism,
which was becoming a serious matter. The men thereupon
tendered their notices.

The workmen’s section of the Coal Conciliation Board for
the Federated mining districts in England and North Wales

met at Nottingham last week. The elections to constitute
the men’s side of the Board for the year resulted :—Stephen
Walsh, M.P. (Lancashire), chairman; T. Ashton (Man-
chester), secretary; J. Hoskin (Yorkshire), treasurer; H.
Smith and Fred Hall, M.P. (Yorkshire), H. Twist and J.
Butler (Lancashire), F. Hall and F. Lee (Derbyshire), W.
Johnson, M.P. (Warwickshire), F. J. Dean (Walsall), L.
Lovett (Leicestershire), and E. Hughes (North Wales).
Mr. J. McGurk (Lancashire), and W. Latham (Shropshire),
were elected auditors.

Scotland.

The coal miners employed by the United Collieries
Limited in the West Calder district struck work last week
owing to the coal company having intimated an increase
in the rents of workmen’s houses. On Saturday afternoon
a conference was held between the coal company and the
workmen. The result of the conference was that the
increased charges for rent were to be left in abeyance in
the meantime, and that the whole question in dispute will
be considered at a further meeting. The workmen agreed
to this proposal, and resumed work.

In connection with the strike at Blairhall, a conference
was held in Dunfermline, between the owners’ and miners’
union. After discussing various proposals, the parties
agreed to an adjournment. A further conference will be held
after the proposals have been submitted to the men. The
company pointed out that the men on strike had been earning
an average wage of 11s., so that the dispute cannot be one
affecting the wages earned.

A meeting of the executive of the National Union of
Mineworkers took place on Wednesday, Mr. Robert Smillie
presiding. It was reported to the meeting that the employ-
ment of female labour on pit banks was being increased
considerably in many of the districts, and that, generally
speaking, the wage paid to the women was considerably
under that paid for male labour in the same employment.
The women had expressed a desire that they should be
allowed to enter the Miners’ National Union. It was agreed
to make a special effort to organise into the Mineworkers’
Union all the female workers about the mines, with a view
to securing for them fair conditions. A letter was read
from Mr. Robert Skirkie, secretary of the Scottish Engine-
keepers’ Union in connection with the transference of
members from the one union to the other. The suggestion
was made that a joint meeting should be held between the
executives of the two unions to deal with the matter. It
was agreed to reply to Mr. Skirkie suggesting that the
matter should be left over in the meantime.

The secretary of the Scottish Mine Workers (Mr. Robert
Brown, of Dalkeith) has forwarded to Mr. R. Baird (the
coal masters’ secretary) a letter making a request for an
increase of wages on behalf of the Scottish miners of
18| per cent, upon the basis scale, namely, of prices which
have been realised for coal in Scotland. The present wage
is 8s. 6d. per day.

Iron, Steel and Engineering Trades.

The average net selling price of No. 3 Cleveland pig iron
for the months of July, August, and September has been
certified at 64s. 0*54d. per ton, as compared with 58s. 7-30d.
per ton for the previous three months—an advance of
5s. 5-24d.—and under sliding scale arrangements blastfur-
nacemen’s wages for the last quarter of the year are advanced
by 6-75 per cent.

Miners’ Federation of Great Britain.

The annual conference of the Miners’ Federation of Great
Britain was resumed in the Mechanics’ Institute, Notting-
ham, on Thursday morning of last week. At the private
session a resolution from South Wales to prevent the executive
from making any guarantee with the Government or any
other body without the sanction of a national conference, was
withdrawn, and a further resolution from South Wales to
bring all wage agreements under the direct control of the
Federation was defeated. A number of resolutions relating
to the amendment of the Minimum Wage Act, the transfer
of mining royalties to the State, and the lowering of the age
and the increase of the amount of old-age pensions were
passed, but a resolution from Lancashire to enforce a limita-
tion on the hour of beginning work in the morning to eight
o’clock was defeated.

Mr. Jesse Butler (Lancashire) moved that the Federation
take the earliest opportunity to secure by legislation the
abolition of all electrically-driven coal-cutting machines in
mines, believing that it will remove one of the chief factors
menacing the well-being of the miners.

The President pointed out that the resolution dealt only
with electrically-driven coal-cutting machines, but other elec-
trical installations underground were equally unsafe.

The resolution was passed, and remitted to the executive
committee with a view to the enlargement of the scope of
the resolution to all electrical installations.

Mr. Weir (Northumberland) proposed that the Federation
press forward an eight-hour day for all surface workers. He
said they had men working 11 and 12 hours a day.

Mr. Lea (Durham), who seconded, said the general work-
ing time for surface workers in Durham was 10 hours.

Mr. John Robertson (Lanarkshire) asked if it were
intended that eight hours should be secured by legislation or
by trade union action.

Mr. Weir replied that their intention was by legislation.

The resolution was carried.

Mr. Lawson (Durham) proposed that “ The umpires of the
district boards under the Minimum Wage Act having failed
in different parts of the British coal field to grant either the
5s. minimum to day-men on the average district or county
rate to peace workers, this conference affirms that no amend-
ment of the Act will be satisfactory unless it makes provision
for a minimum wage of 5s. per day for all adult datal workers,
a minimum wage not less than the district or county average
for all piece workers, and calls upon the Government to make
definite provision for these objects in the Act when the time
for amendment arrives.” He said in Durham they had a
district average for piece work of 7s. 4|d., and a minimum
rate of 5s. 6d., while the rate for datal men was fixed at
4s. 9d. Though they had been robbed in Durham of much
of the benefit of the Act, the little they had gained proved it
to be one of the best steps ever taken by their Federation.
If when the Act was amended after the war their men did
not receive the county average as the minimum, there was
going to be trouble in Durham.

Mr. W. Straker (Northumberland), who seconded, said
their great grievance was the position of the piece worker.
The average rate was 9s. 54d. per day, and they had got a
minimum of 5s. 6d. and 5s. 8d. Their day-men.' with allow-
ances for rent and coal, were getting 5s. It was probable in
Northumberland, as in Durham, there would be mischief
when the time comes if the Act was not amended.

The resolution was carried.