October 22, 1915.

THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN.

839

Notes from the Coal Fields.

[Local Correspondence.]

Colliery Profits Enhanced by New “ War Tax ” Regulations
—Grave Circumstances of the Coal Trade due to Lack
of Shipping—Collieries Stopped: Thousands of Men
Idle — Miners' Federation and the Parliamentary
Vacancy at Merthyr—The Workmen's War Bonus and
Compensation Payments: An Interesting Point Raised
in Court.

South Wales and Monmouthshire.

Keen interest has been aroused by Mr. McKenna’s altera-
tion of the Budget proposals concerning the war tax on
colliery profits, and once again calculations have been made
as to the precise effect of this special tax upon industry in
this area. The new proposal is that comparison of war profits
for the purpose of the tax is to be made with an average of
any two of the preceding three years, and not with the three
years as previously suggested. This alteration will, it is
estimated, prove distinctly advantageous to investors in Welsh
collieries, so much so that some of them probably will pass
out entirely from the region of liability to the extra tax, while
others will be saved by the provision as to the 6 per cent.
Some of the leading undertakings—successful concerns like
Guest-Keen, Baldwins, Cambrian, North’s, etc.—are likely
to escape, because their profits do not exceed the average; and
even where liability is established, it is reckoned that con-
siderably over a hundred thousand pounds will be saved to
shareholders in South Wales collieries, owing to the change
now announced. There are, of course, a number of under-
takings—Burnyeat-Brown and Lambert’s being typical—
which remain under liability; but some of these have their
war tax impost lessened. Adding these to the former cate-
gory, it is not too much to state that at least £200,000 in all
will be the benefit derived from the change now announced,
this additional sum going into the pockets of shareholders.

The position of the coal merchants has become increasingly
difficult during the past few days, they being urged to accept
delivery from the collieries, and yet being hampered by such
rates of freight as never previously were recorded. Owing to
the withdrawal of Greek tonnage previously announced, a
strong upward movement was initiated, and this week rates
have been higher than ever before, Genoa having gone to
42s. 6d., Marseilles to 51 fr., as compared with 17 fr. so
recently as the end of July, whilst Port Said has been 46s. 3d.,
as compared with 20s. 6d. during the past six months. Algiers
has been this week 44 fr., as against 17 fr. three months ago,
and other destinations in proportion. The natural conse-
quence has been to restrict business very seriously, with
stoppage of the collieries, because wagons could not be got.
Even where shippers would be willing to pay the enormously
enhanced rates of freight, they have found that there were no
vessels available for taking awray the coal. Once more the
question of forcing the British owners, whose steamers now
L ade between the United States and the Argentine or Medi-
terranean, to bring home their boats and serve the national
need, has been discussed day by day with deepening intensity.
The great pressure for homeward fixtures has also to be noted,
because of the large amount of grain that awaits transport to
the United Kingdom. The Admiralty demands for tonnage
are increasing with the development of additional operations
in the Mediterranean, and altogether the outlook for coal
shippers is very unsatisfactory indeed.

The position at the collieries has been rendered very serious
in consequence of the falling off in vessels entering the docks.
At the Naval, Penygraig, and Glamorgan collieries of the
Cambrian Combine, 5,500 men have been idle, consequent
on a shortage of trucks due to dearth of tonnage. For the
same reason, 3,000 men were thrown idle at Abercarn. The
Celynen Colliery and the Prince of Wales and Cwmcarn
collieries were also idle. Previous to this the pits had been
idle only one day since the war started. The Great Western
Collieries, Pontypridd, had 2,000 men idle on Monday, this
being the second stoppage within a fortnight through lack of
tonnage at the port; and at the Tirpentwys Colliery, Ponty-
pool, 800 men were stopped for a similar reason. Other
instances of stoppage might be cited, but the foregoing suSice
to show how serious is the effect upon colliery operations.

At their next meeting the Blaina district of miners will
discuss the payment of labour representatives on local
authorities.

The idea of municipal coal depots is much favoured in some
parts of South Wales, and branches of the Independent
Labour Party are passing resolutions in favour.

Mr. W. Waplington, who for seven years has been in
charge of the collieries at Blaenavon, resigned his position
and removed to a new appointment at Chesterfield; and on
Saturday evening the officials and workmen made him a pre-
sentation. Among the items was a grandfather clock, valued
at £90. Mr. Cartwright presided, and, with other speakers,
dwelt eulogistically upon Mr. Waplington’s personal relations
with Blaenavon employees, all wishing him every prosperity
and success in his new sphere.

As one piece of evidence which makes manifest the very
rapid and continued development of the colliery areas of
South Wales, it may be noted that a new school has been
erected at a cost of £8,300 in the heart of the new garden
city, Pengam, which is just above the Powell-Duffryn
Company’s new Britannia pit. One of the speakers, the
chairman of the Bedwellty Council, stated that so rapid
had been the growth during the past 10 years that the
County Education Authority had been forced to erect eight
large new schools in the area. He spoke of the house
famine in the district, and pointed out that one measure
taken to relieve it was the building of that garden city, with
400 houses already completed and several hundred more on
the point of completion.

The miners’ ballot for the Merthyr Parliamentary vacancy
caused by the death of Mr. Keir Hardie, resulted in Mr.
C. B. Stanton, miners’ agent, heading the poll with 2,699
votes ; the others being Mr. James Winstone (president of
the Federation), 2,641; Mr. John Williams, 2,508; Mr. R.
Smillie (president of the Miners’ Federation of Great
Britain), 1,816; and Mr. Enoch Morrell, 1,623. A new
ballot is taking place.

Lieut. James German, of Messrs. James German and
Company, Cardiff, who has been engaged in recruiting since
the outbreak of war, has been promoted captain. He is
principal of the firm above named, and senior in Macarthy
and German, shipowners, Cardiff, and Lindsay German
and Company, Swansea. He is an old volunteer, and is
very popular at Cardiff Docks. For four years he was
secretary of the Cardiff branch of the Coal Trade Benevolent
Association, and in resigning was given a seat on the board.
He is 37 years of age, and was born in London.

At Merthyr County Court last week, 11 workmen of
Messrs. Crawshay Brothers sued for an increase in their
compensation allowances on the ground that other workmen
had received increases. For the men, it was contended that
they did not receive the full benefit of the increases in wages,
inasmuch as for every increase there was a proportionate
reduction in compensation, so that in the end they obtained
only about 50 per cent, of the actual increase. All the
plaintiffs were men injured during the course of their employ-
ment, and the case was brought, it was stated, to improve
the position of injured men now on light work, and com-
pensation allowance. For the company it was intimated
that the average earnings of plaintiffs at the time of the
accident were admitted; but Judge Bryn Roberts said he
ought to consider what the man might have been earning
had he not met with the accident. For the company, it was
said that the real point was whether the war bonus was
part of the earnings or not. After argument, his Honour
adjourned judgment until the next Court.—In the course of
the hearing it was stated that many colliers are now earning
between £6 and £7 per week.

Northumberland and Durham.

Durham Miners and the Red Cross Fund—Aged Miners'
Homes.

Mr. P. C. Simpson, late under-manager at Edmondsley,
has been appointed to a similar position in the main coal
seam at Murton Colliery, in succession to Mr. E. A.
Richardson, who has gone to Blackball Colliery.

Easington Colliery workmen have presented Mr. Thos.
Gray with -an inscribed silver-mounted ebony walking-stick
and a purse of gold, together with a beautifully designed
cameo brooch for his wife.

Mr. John Brown, late second engineer at Murton Colliery,
was presented with a roll-top desk at Murton Workmen’s
Club, last Saturday, on the occasion of his leaving to take up
the position of engineer -at Hamsteels Colliery.

Mr. J. G. Gradon, who is to be Mayor of Durham City
for the ensuing 12 months, is in complete control of the firm
of Messrs. Geo. Gradon and Son, who are well known as
valuers and arbitrators, particularly in connection with
damage by colliery subsidences.

Messrs. Alex, and Wm. H. Barrass, the two sons of Mr.
M. Barrass, manager of Wheatley Hill Colliery, have been
granted commissions as second-lieutenants in the Durham
Light Infantry.—Mr. Henry Atherson, of Tow Law, who
recently obtained a first-class mining engineer’s certificate
after serving his time at Wheatley Hill, has been gazetted
as second-lieutenant in the same regiment.

In his October circular to the Durham miners, Mr. T. H.
Cann, general secretary of the Durham Miners’ Association,
deplores the refusal of the county workmen to levy them-
selves for the provision of ambulances for the front. “ A
more painful or mortifying result it has never been my
lot to experience,” he says. “ I had an overweening faith
in the readiness of the miners to accept this additional
sacrifice in the interest of humanity itself. . . . It is my
earnest hope that the voluntary response will be of such
an ample character as to completely rehabilitate us in the
eyes of the general public.” That Mr. Cann has good
grounds for his hope is shown by the fact that, up to
October 12, the voluntary subscriptions in response to his
appeal amounted to £269 odd.

At the half-yearly meeting of the members of the Durham
Aged Mine Workers’ Homes Association, held at Durham
City on Saturday, Mr. J. W. Taylor, M.P., presiding, a
vote of condolence with the widow of the late Lord Ninian
Stuart, recently killed in action, was passed. The chairman
mentioned that the association held some land from Lord
Stuart -at Hare Law, at a yearly rental of £7 10s., of which
£5 was returned by arrangement with his lordship. The
financial statement for the six months ended October 12
showed -receipts amounting to £16,379 17s. Id., which,
however, included an overdraft of £10,000. Other items
were :—Contributions from miners’ lodges and other associa-
tions, £4,239 4s. 3d.; contributions from private sources,
£1,174 16s.; and £400 on account of the proceeds of Rose
Day. Of the overdraft, £4,932 13s. lOd. remained in the
bank. The chief items of expenditure were £7,593 Is. 4d.
on building schemes at Harton, Boldon, Hetton, New
Seaham, Ebchester, Hetton-le-Hole, Trimdon Grange, and
Hetton and Eppleton; £1,266 9s. Id. for coals and leading
and £506 for insurances, rents, etc. It was decided, by
a large majority, that the scale of contributions from the
lodges should be 25s. for every 100 members or part of
100, instead of £10 or Is. per member per annum as at
present. The alteration was made on the ground that it
equalised the burden on the lodges.

Surely colliery companies have sufficient troubles nowa-
days without being dragged before Munitions Tribunals to
answer complaints of unwillingness to liberate their
workers. Fortunately, in some respects, collieries are not
regarded -as controlled establishments within the meaning
of the Act. Despite this fact, however, George Wardle, a
hewer, haled the Heworth Coal Company before the Tribunal
at Newcastle on Wednesday, to show cause why they should
not grant him a leaving certificate. The peculiar irony of
the complaint consisted in the fact that the colliery has been
laid idle for some weeks owing to a dispute and, therefore,
could not possibly be in urgent need of workmen’s services.
A representative of the company attended the Court,
explained that the colliery was not a controlled establish-
ment, and was not working on munitions, and expressed
surprise at Wardle’s action, which, he said, was only
explicable on the supposition that the man desired to get
work elsewhere, and imagined he needed a leaving certi-
ficate. The matter was adjusted by the Clerk stating that
he would give Wardle a document certifying that he was
not working on munitions.

Cumberland.

D.S.O. for Captain Blair.

Capt. R. C. R. Blair, commanding A Company of the 5th
Border Regiment, and manager of the Whitehaven Collieries,
who received the King Edward Medal for bravery in the mine
during the Whitehaven Colliery explosion, has been awarded
the D.S.O. for conspicuous bravery in France. It appears
that on the night of September 27, Capt. Blair took out a
bombing party from his trench. On reaching a ditch a cer-
tain distance out the party was halted, and seven men were
detailed to go and bomb a post of the enemy’s, while Capt.

Blair and three others crept in and examined the German
wire. It was intended to cut a sample from it, and gain any
further information available, but on reaching a point close
to the wire it was considered that, owing fo the activity of
the enemy, it was unsafe at that time, and the party with-
drew to the trench. After about 20 minutes a German party
were heard approaching. The Border party were lined on the
edge of the ditch, and awaited the approach of the Germans,
who were advancing about 20 yds. at a time. When the
enemy, about a dozen in number, were about 10 yds. distant,
Capt. Blair opened fire with his revolver, and dropped four
of them, including an officer. The remainder of the Germans
laid down, and the Border men opened rapid fire. Capt.
Blair then went into the ditch, reloaded his revolver, and
when five of the Germans got up to run, fire was again
opened. Three fell, but two appeared to get away. By thus
■practically annihilating this hostile party, Capt. Blair and his
men saved many lives, as it is certain that this was a bomb-
ing party on its way to bomb our trenches.

Yorkshire.

Municipal Trading: A Harrogate Proposal—Interesting
Charter Case: Days of Grace—Absenteeism: Some
Alarming Figures.

It is stated there is not a single house obtainable in
Barnsley at the present time. The Barnsley Corporation
have just instructed their medical officer to present to the
Council a special report upon the housing conditions in the
borough.

The dispute which has had the effect of holding up the
Doncaster Corporation’s tramway extension to Brodsworth.
and prevented its formal opening, has nowT been settled, and
it is hoped that the cars will be running in a very few
weeks.

The Hull City Council have appointed a special committee
with power to take all the necessary steps under the Price
of Coal (Limitation) Act, to prevent the retail prices of coal
from being fixed at such a figure as to put a serious burden
on the poorer classes.

Mr. John Griddle who for the past tw’o or three years
has been manager of the Brodsworth Colliery, has been
-appointed assistant to Mr. William Humble, at a neigh-
bouring pit. He is being succeeded at Brodsworth by Mr.
S. Bunting, who for the past six years has been assistant
manager at Brodsworth, and is a son of Mr. W.
Bunting, who has charge of the sinking operations at the
new colliery -at Barmboro, and acted similarly in the case
of the Brodsworth Main and Yorkshire Main sinkings.

The extent to which some people are prepared to go in
municipal trading is shown in a proposal that the Harrogate
Corporation should turn coal dealers for the benefit of the
ratepayers. At last week’s meeting of the Council the
Board of Trade suggested an arrangement with the coal
merchants as to limitations of the sum to be charged over
the cost of coal delivered at the station or siding to cover
expenses of distribution and profit. In the discussion, it was
suggested the Corporation should lay in a large supply of
coal to supply the ratepayers when the winter pinch was
felt. The Mayor hinted it might be injurious to those in
the coal trade if the Corporation became coal dealers.
Eventually it was decided to consider the matter in conjunc-
tion with the Harrogate Coal Dealers’ Association.

In the Hull County Court last week, an action was brought
by Messrs. James Hargreaves and Son, of Leeds, to recover
from the Immingham Shipping Agency Limited £93 15s.,
the difference in the price of 500 tons of coal at the time of
an agreement and the present market price. Defendants had
sold to the plaintiffs 500 tons of Bullcroft steam hards at
24s. 3d. f.o.b. at a Humber port, to be shipped during
March. The plaintiffs alleged that it was understood at the
time the agreement was entered into upon the Hull Coal
Exchange that if the steamer which had been chartered did
not arrive in March, a few days’ grace in April would be
given. This the defendants denied, and when the steamer
arrived in April they refused to deliver any part of the goods.
His Honour Judge Lock held that there was no agreement
to ship in April, and gave a verdict for the defendants with
costs.

Some remarkable and alarming figures respecting broken
time at certain collieries in the Castleford district were
supplied to the justices sitting in the West Riding Court
House, Pontefract, on Saturday. Five miners were before
the court, summoned by the G-lasshoughton and Castleford
Collieries Limited for absenting themselves from work. The
defendants admitted having broken their contracts, and also
admitted the amount of the damage claimed, viz., £2 each.
Mr. W. M. Gichard, for the company, said that going no
further back than the last six months, the absences at the
collieries of the company had averaged 23 per cent, of the
whole of the men employed there. During the last six
months the number of men who had attended four shifts or
less per week had averaged 375 out of a total of 1,062, and
there was work for them six days a week if they cared to do
it. The output lost to the colliers had averaged 548 tons a
day. The standing charges at the pits had increased con-
siderably owing to the increase in the price of materials,
higher rates, taxes, and daymen’s wages. During the six
months the collieries might have worked 163,253 shifts,
instead of which they had worked 125,888, thus losing 37.365
shifts, which gave the percentage of absences as 23. The
company were paying relief to 1,020 dependants of men who
had enlisted, at a cost of £116 5s. 8d. per week, or approxi-
mately £6,046 a year. Although the proceedings were known
among the men generally, he regretted to say that on the
previous Thursday the output at the collieries was over 100
tons less for the day than it had been for any Thursday
previously during the last six months.—The Bench made an
order for the payment of the amount claimed in each case,
the Chairman remarking that the miners must realise that
their country needed them just as much as the War Office
needed the soldier.

Lancashire and Cheshire.

More Retail Schemes—The Halton Pollution Case Revived.

Coal merchants in the Bury district, having carried out
their generous undertaking to supply coal to the Timberhurst
Auxiliary Military Hospital free of charge for a period of
12 months, held a meeting last week at which it was decided
to continue the free supply until April 30 next.

Aid. W. Thompson, Mayor of Blackburn, convened a
meeting of local coal merchants and dealers last week to
discuss the question of retail prices of coal and to endeavour
to arrange a scale of charges which will not operate hardly
upon the poorer people of the town during the winter