November 12, 1915.

THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN

983

lack of activity in the building trade has kept sections
very quiet, but fair orders have come in from abroad,
and both shipbuilders and constructional firms are busy.

German Output of Medium Steel in September.

The report of the Association of German Iron and
Steel Manufacturers gives the output of medium steel
in the Customs Union during September as 1,174,350
tons, as compared with 1,158,702 tons in August. Of
this total, 580,428 tons (563,358 tons) were basic steel,
13,801 tons (14,931 tons) Bessemer steel, 474,855 tons
(468,794 tons) basic open hearth steel, 19,895 tons
(28,721 tons) acid open hearth steel, 37,546 tons (42,117
tons) basic cast steel, 26,791 tons (19,341 tons) acid cast
steel, 8,415 tons (8,761 tons) crucible steel, and 12,619
tons (12,679 tons) electro-steel. Rhenish-Westphalia
produced 677,095 tons (674,767 tons), Silesia 108,692
tons (104,489 tons), Siegerland and Hesse-Nassau
28,253 tons (27,984 tons), North, East, and Mid Ger-
many 47,243 tons (47,642 tons), Saxony 21,969 tons
(20,709 tons), South Germany 11,744 tons (11,773 tons),
the Saar district and Bavarian Rheinpfalz 87,879 tons
(83,644 tons), Elsass-Lothringen 107,802 tons (105,599
tons), and Luxemburg 83,673 tons (82,095 tons).

Deliveries of the Steel Works Union in September.

The total deliveries amounted to 246,840 tons (weight
of raw steel), compared with 250,080 tons in August,
the excess over September 1914 being 1,646 tons.

German Pig Iron Union.

At the last meeting it was reported that the demand
for Nos. I. and III. foundry pig was satisfactory, this
applying also to the enquiries for haematite, steel, and
foundry iron, owing to the brisk condition of business in
the open hearth steel industry. On the other hand,
the home demand for phosphoritic iron was very quiet,
though that from neutral countries had improved. The
deliveries in September amounted to 53*69 per cent, of
the participation.

Company Reports.

Steinkohlenbergwerk Graf Bismarck, Gelsenkirchen.
—The net working surplus was 3,103,241 mk.
(5,588,906 mk.), and the revenue from rents 199,209 mk.
(194,055 mk.), so that, after paying 51,733 mk.
(45,000 mk.) loan interest, the balance available for
distribution—including the 105,574 mk. from old account
■—amounted to 3,356,291 mk. (5,855,574 mk.). This
has been allocated as follows :—Dividend 2,500,000 mk.
(4,000,000mk.), general reserve fund for renewal of
plant 650,000 mk. (1,650,000 mk.), reserve for damage
by subsidence 100,000 mk. (100,000 mk.), carried for-
ward 160,291 mk. (105,574 mk.).

Deutsche Schachtbau A.G., Nordhausen. — The
directors propose to pay a dividend of 25 per cent.
(40 per cent.), and to carry forward about 10^,000mk.
(104,034 mk.).

Kattowitzer A.G. fur Bergbau und Eisenhiittenbetrieb,
Kattowitz.—After devoting adequate amounts to writing
off and reserves, a dividend of 8 per cent. (13 per cent.)
is to be paid.

Gewerkschaft des Steinkohlenbergwerks Carolus
Magnus, Essen.—The coal output for March was 22,367
tons (20,003 tons the previous month, and 27,140 tons
in March 1914), and the coke production was 4,287 tons
(3,913 tons and 6,287 tons respectively). Total profit
23,282 mk. (23,943mk. and 38,299 mk.); dividend
15,000 mk. (15,000mk. and 30,000 mk.). Total profit
for the first quarter of 1915, 70,780 mk. (74,281 mk. the
previous quarter, and 131,867 mk. the first quarter of
1914).

LANCASHIRE AND CHESHIRE COAL
(OWNERS’) ASSOCIATION.

The 72nd annual meeting of this association was held
at the Queen’s Hotel, Manchester, on November 2. The
president, Sir Henry Hall, I.S.O., occupied the chair,
and there was a large and representative attendance of
members.

The president’s report on the principal matters which
had occupied the attention of the association during his
year of office, advance proofs of which had been for-
warded to members, was taken as read, together with the
audited balance-sheet and statement of accounts. The
report of the finance committee on the accounts was, in
the unavoidable absence of the honorary auditor, Sir
William S. Barrett, read by the secretary, Sir Thomas
Ratcliffe-Ellis, and the same were approved and
adopted.

New President.

Mr. Charles Pilkington moved :—“ That Sir John
Thursby, Bart., be and is hereby elected president of the
association for the ensuing year.” He said the name
was a good old Lancashire name, and when they looked
at Sir John, they would agree that he was a typical
Lancashire mam As they all knew, Sir John was
largely interested in the coal trade, and it was an
undoubted fact that his opinion on all matters apper-
taining to the trade was looked up to, and that his
views were always regarded as being practical and
sound. He was satisfied that in the person of Sir John
Thursby they would have an ideal president.

Mr. H. Hargreaves Bolton said it gave him great
pleasure to second the resolution. He had known Sir
John for a good many years, and he felt sure that in
dealing with the many and important subjects which
from time to time came up for consideration, Sir John
would give them good and sound counsel and guidance,
and that they would have the benefit of his wide experi-
ence. He felt confident that at the end of his year of
office it would be found that he had added lustre to the
long list of past presidents of the association.

The resolution, on being put to the meeting, was
carried by acclamation.

Sir John Thursby, in taking the chair, said he felt
highly honoured by their having so unanimously elected
him president of the association. He trusted that
during the coming year he might be able to carry out
the duties of his office to the satisfaction of the mem-
bers. He thanked the mover and seconder for the very
kind words they had used. He assured the meeting he
would devote his best energies to the work of the asso-
ciation, and, with the kind assistance of Sir Thomas
Ratcliffe-Ellis, he trusted he might be of some use to
the association. He thanked them all very much for
the honour they had conferred upon him. (Hear.)

On the motion of Mr. W. H. Hewlett, seconded by
Mr. H. O. Dixon, the best thanks of the association were
given to Sir Henry Hall for his valuable services as
president during the past year; which Sir Henry
acknowledged.

The call for the ensuing year was fixed, and a cordial
vote of thanks was passed to Sir William Scott Barrett
for his valued services as honorary auditor of the
accounts, coupled with a request that he would favour
the association by continuing to act in that capacity,
which it was understood he would be agreeable to do.

The Parliamentary, Railway, and Finance Committees
was also appointed, and on the motion of Sir Henry
Hall, seconded by Mr. W. H. Hewlett, the warmest
thanks of the association were given to Sir Thomas
Ratclifie-Ellis; and the same was duly acknowledged
by him.

A number of important matters were discussed, at a
somewhat prolonged sitting, including such matters as
the Finance Bill, excess profits duty, Coal Mining
Organisation Committee, etc., etc.

TRADE AND THE WAR.

The Minister of Munitions announces that a total of 1,679
establishments are now controlled under the Munitions of
War Act.

It is reported that Sweden has prohibited the export of
timber to the United Kingdom except in cases where arriving
steamers are granted licences to take back coal.

The Handelsblad of Amsterdam learns from a reliable
source that the negotiations which have been proceeding in
London with regard to the export of coal to Holland have
been successful.

Mr. Ernest Pollock, M.P. for Warwick and Leamington,
has accepted the presidency of the Contraband Committee at
the Foreign Office, in succession to Mr. George Cave, now
Solicitor- General.

The Coal Mines Organisation Committee held a meeting
at the Home Office on Tuesday, under the presidency of Sir
Richard Redmayne. The proceedings were private. The
main business consisted of consideration of the national supply
of coal at the present time. It is understood that the heavy
enlistment of miners was also debated, and that the question
of transport facilities for coal was reviewed.

The Board of Trade announce that an Inter-Departmental
Advisory Committee is engaged in preparing lists of reserved
occupations, i.e., occupations from which enlistments should
be restricted, in view of the necessity of maintaining the
trade of the country as far as possible. Representations from
employers with reference to indispensable and irreplaceable
classes of labour should be addressed to the Secretary,
Reserved Occupations Committee, Board of Trade, Gwydyr
House, Whitehall, S.W.

Since the beginning of the war the scarcity of coal in
Brazil has been so great iand prices have risen to such an
extent that there has been talk of converting a number of
local coal-burning plants to use other fuel. The Central
(Government) Railway is trying oil, and has put into use
15 oil-burning locomotives; the Brazil (Southern) Railway
is reported to be burning wood almost exclusively. The coal
used has been principally Cardiff or Newcastle. The imports
into Brazil for the year 1913 were 2,262,347 tons, and in
1914, 1,540,126 tons.

The Swedish Government, it is stated, is establishing a
coal bureau for the import of coal from England, which will
centralise all purchases and work on the same lines as the
Danish Bureau, which has been of great mutual advantage
to Denmark and England.—The Government has also decided
to establish a central bureau to deal with all matters affecting
Swedish exports and imports, including the transit trade. It
will be under the control of a Trades Commission, appointed
by the Government. One department will be concerned
exclusively with trade with Great Britain and her Allies, and
one with trade with the Central Powers.

The attention of exporters of coal and gas coke is specially
directed to the announcement issued by the War Trade
Department on October 14, in which it was intimated that
on and after November 1 it would be necessary for a revised
form of application for a licence to be used. As applications
are still being made on the old form, it is advisable to warn
exporters that their applications cannot be considered by the
Coal Exports Committee unless the new form (dark blue) con-
taining a declaration that the proposed shipment is in pur-
suance of an existing contract, or in execution of a definite
order, is used. Any applications received on the old form
must therefore be returned. The new forms are obtainable
at the Custom House at coal ports.

An important point was decided at the Munitions Tribunal
at Caxton Hall last week, when Sidney Gamblin applied to
leave his present employers. The applicant, who is foreman,
contended that he was a salaried official, and not a workman
within the meaning of the Act. He applied for his certificate
to change his employment, on the ground that he was not
employed directly on war munitions to the full extent of
his ability and experience. He thought he could do more
good at the Arsenal. For the respondents, it was suggested
that, although the applicant contended that as a foreman he
was exempt from the restrictions, he came within the opera-
tion of the Workmen’s Compensation Act, and therefore was
a workman. The Chairman, after consulting with the
assessors, gave his decision against the applicant, on the
ground that a foreman was a workman within the meaning
of the Act.

A Proclamation under the Customs (Exportation Prohibi-
tion) Act, 1914, dated November 3, has been issued, amend-

ing the Proclamation of July 28, 1915. By the present Order
the export of aluminium, manufactures of aluminium and
alloys of aluminium is prohibited to all destinations. It is
also provided that the heading “ Oil, blastfurnace (except
creosote and creosote oil),” in the list of goods the exporta-
tion of which is prohibited to all destinations abroad other
than British Possessions and Protectorates, should be deleted,
and there be inserted in the list of goods the exportation of
which is prohibited to all foreign countries in Europe and
on the Mediterranean and Black Seas, other than France,
Russia (except through Baltic ports), Italy, Spain, and
Portugal, the heading “ Creosote and creosote oils (includ-
ing blastfurnace oil) except wood tar oil (the exportation of
which is already prohibited to all destinations abroad other
than British Possessions and Protectorates).”

The following official notice, which is being posted at
coal mines, has been issued, and is signed by the Home
Secretary and Lord Derby, the Director-General of Recruit-
ing :—“ Coal miners have already joined the Army in such
large numbers that the supply of coal, which is of vital
national interest, is seriously affected. Miners, one and
all, must remember that, upon their efforts the success of
the country depends no less than upon the men who are
serving with the forces. Those who offer themselves as
recruits will only be accepted on the condition that they
go back to work in the mine until they are called upon.
They will be given armlets to show that they are willing to
obey the call, and do whatever will most help their country.
But, in the meantime, it is vital that they should not desist
from producing the coal without which victory is impossible.
This notice applies to .all men who are working below ground,
and the following classes of surface workers—winding
enginemen, pumpmen, weighmen, electricians, fitters, and
mechanics.”—Mr. Brace, Under Secretary for the Home
Department, says that any attempt to evade military
obligations by young men seeking work at mines will be
stopped. Coal miners as a class have already responded
to the call for recruits in such large numbers that no fewer
than 250,000 had joined the New Armies by midsummer, and
this number has since been increased.

The secretary of the Newcastle Chamber of Commerce
has received from the British Chamber of Commerce for
Italy, the headquarters of which are at Genoa, a lengthy
statement as to ” the present unparalleled opportunity for
British trade with Italy.” Although the document is
addressed to traders generally, it contains much of interest
to coal exporters. Germany, it is stated, has so penetrated
Italian commercial and industrial enterprises that she
practically dominates and still influences trade and industries
in Italy. Thus, for a great number of years, methods of
easy credit and elastic terms had prevailed, and British
enterprise, with its stricter and more rigid habits, had lost
much of its former attraction. The falling off of British
preference may be attributed, amongst other things, to (a)
generally higher prices, albeit for a better article; (5) the
continued use and the complexity of English weights,
measures and currency, instead of the Continental metric
and decimal systems; (c) the want of facilitations and
adaptability in according credit, and in coping with local
requirements; (d) the lack of either an Anglo-Italian bank or
of established branches of the more important London banks ;
(e) the scarcity of British commercial travellers, and, of
those few who do travel Italy, their want of knowledge of
the language, habits, and customs of the Italian people.
Circumstances are leading to a very special opening for all
branches of British enterprise in Italy, and it would be
especially desirable that the ground should now be strenu-
ously prepared by British firms, otherwise, when the treaty
of peace has been signed, the Germans and Austrians will
pick up their old connections too easily and rapidly regain
the lost ground.

The Prime Minister has appointed a Committee to enquire
into difficulties and congestion arising from time to time at
harbours, ports, and docks (including docksheds and ware-
houses) in the United Kingdom; to regulate the work and
traffic thereat; to co-ordinate the requirements of all interests
concerned, so as to avoid, so far as possible, interference with
the normal flow of trade; to decide all questions relating to
the difficulties and congestion aforesaid that may be referred
to them; and to give directions to all executive bodies at the
harbours, ports, and docks for carrying their decisions into
effect. The Committee is constituted as follows :—Lord
Inchcape (chairman), Mr. Graeme Thomson and Maj. T. H.
Hawkins (of the Admiralty), Brig.-Gen. Hon. A. R. Montagu
Stuart Wortley (War Office), Sir Frederick Bolton, Mr. J. G.
Broodbank, Sir Sam Fay, Sir Edward Hain, and Sir A.
Norman Hill. All communications should be addressed to
the Secretary, Sir Frederick Dumayne, Board of Trade, 7,
Whitehall Gardens, S.W. The Committee are prepared to
consider any representations that may be made to them on
the subject.

The Board of Trade announce that, owing to the increasing
demands on merchant shipping in connection with the war,
it has become necessary to take special steps to secure that
an adequate supply of tonnage shall be available in case of
necessity to meet presing national needs. With this object in
view, two Orders in Council were made on Wednesday. The
first prohibits British ships from carrying cargo from one
foreign port to another foreign port after December 1, unless
licensed to do so. The second gives power to requisition ships
for the carriage of food stuffs and other necessaries. The first
Order lays down the principle that in this time of emergency
British needs must have the first claim on British ships. It
is not expected that it will be necessary to interfere with
established services between foreign ports, and every effort
will be made to avoid disturbing pre-existing business
arrangements; but licences must be obtained in every case in
which it is desired to carry cargo in a British ship from one
foreign port to another foreign port on or after December 1,
and owners and charterers concerned should apply at once to
the Secretary. Ship Licensing Committee, Board of Trade,
London, S.W. The members of this Committee will be
gentlemen thoroughly conversant with shipping business, and
Mr. Maurice Hill, K.C., will act as chairman. The second
Order gives power to the Board of Trade to requisition mer-
chant ships in case of emergency for the carriage of food stuffs
and other necessary supplies to this country. This power
will be exercised by a Requisitioning Committee, of which
Mr. J. H. Whitley, M.P., will be chairman. The Committee
will be composed of gentlemen having close expert knowledge
of shipping matters, and in order that the requisitions may
not overlap, these gentlemen will, so far as possible, be the
same as those who now advise the Transport Department of
the Admiralty. The Committee’s object will be to secure
that tonnage shall be available in case of need for the carriage
of food stuffs, etc., and to prevent freights on such commo-
dities rising to prohibitive levels,