March 10, 1916.

THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN.

471

allowance of 6d. per day for 11 days per fortnight, irrespec-
tive of the collieries working less than 11 days, provided that
men are idle through no fault of their own, was withdrawn
in favour of No. 2.—9. Bolley waymen’s wages to be raised
to 4s. per day.—10. The various proposals for night workers,
including the short shifts existing prior to the Eight Hours
Act. (The owners are not prepared to grant any short shifts
other than those provided in the eight hours agreement.) (On
“ the various proposals ” referred to in this request, the
owners do not consider it practicable to adopt any general
definition of stonework, the matter to be left to be dealt with
in view of the circumstances of each individual case. They
agree that, in the case of a workman who, before going to a
bargain, was a recognised stoneman, having to leave a bar-
gain to go to datal work, he shall be paid not less than
stoneman’s wages.) 11. Men and lads who are not members
of our association should be debarred from any increase in
wages obtained by our association. (The owners cannot
exercise control over the right of a man to belong to or not
to belong to any association.)—12. That no man shall be
compelled to work in any bargain in the taking of which he
has no part.—13. Abolition of' the “ butty ” system. (The
owners are not prepared to interfere with existing arrange-
ments.)—14. Stonemen, shifters, and ridders should be
entitled to free houses and fire coal, on the same conditions
as hewers. (See reply to No. 2.)—15. That chargemen
should be paid the same wages as deputies.—16. That,
where any putter is kept putting longer than what has been
the custom or agreement for him to be kept at his particular
colliery, he shall be recognised as a special hewing putter,
and paid according to the method provided for that class
under the eight hours agreement.—17. At a number of
collieries, the wives of soldiers living in colliery houses, or in
receipt of rent and coals, have been notified that these
privileges will cease on the death of their husbands at the
front. The men asked for a rectification of this grievance.
(This is a matter which can only be dealt with by the
individual colliery owners, and the Owners’ Association has
no power to exercise any control over their action.)

It is stated that the Durham coal owners have approached
the Durham Miners’ Association, suggesting that the sur-
face workers who will be called up under the Military
Service Act (No. 2) should be replaced by women and girls.
These workers, it should be explained, are not starred, as
are the underground employees. The miners, however, have
suggested another way of meeting the difficulty. They state
that there are at least 10,000 old men on the Permanent
Belief Superannuation Fund, whose ages vary from 60 to
80, and that a considerable number of these only gave up
work' as hewers on reaching the age of 60 years, and could
have continued for a few years longer, but for the age limit
imposed by owners. Between 2,000 and 3,000 could take
work on the surface for the period of the war, and would
gladly do so if it would relieve the situation. An arrange-
ment is being entered into with the Permanent Belief Eund
Committee, whereby such aged workers would not suffer, so
far as their connection with the fund is concerned. The
owners are stated to have been favourably impressed with
the suggestion, and to be giving the men’s representatives
ample time to put the scheme into operation. The owners
have given a guarantee, also, that, should it become neces-
sary, after all, to employ women workers, the most up-to-
date sanitary and other arrangements for their comfort and
convenience will be made.

Federated Area.

A new agreement has been concluded between North
Wales Coal Owners’ Association 'and Lancashire, Cheshire
-and North Wales Enginemen’s and Boilermen’s Federation,
by which the working day of colliery stokers in the North
Wales area will be reduced from 12 to 8 hours. The
agreement will take effect from' 28th inst., after which
overtime will be paid on an eight hours day basis. It has
also been decided that the existing general agreement govern-
ing wages, hours, and other working conditions, which
should have been terminated on 27th inst., shall be con-,
tinned until the conclusion of the war, and thereafter until
a new agreement shall have been come to.

Mr. H. Smith presided at ia meeting of the council of the
Yorkshire Miners’ Association on Monday. The council
received reports that at certain collieries there were still
men not members of the 'association. It was resolved to
call the attention of the branches and the management of
the collieries concerned to the agreement of November 2 last,
which provides that where there are grounds for complaint of
the refusal of men to join the association, the workmen’s
representatives shall have power to- 'approach the manager
and ask for his assistance, and that if such assistance is
not given, the joint board should be called together. Per-
mission was given to the men at South Hiiendley Colliery to
take a ballot on the question of giving notice owing to certain
men receiving notice to leave. It was reported that a dispute
at the East Ardsley Colliery had been settled, and an applica-
tion to take a ballot at the Old Sharlston Colliery regarding a
dispute incident to house coal was adjourned in hope of a
settlement.

The council of the South Staffordshire and East Worcester-
shire Miners’ Association have passed a resolution against
Sunday winding, on the ground that it is not necessary
at the present time. The resolution urged men to increase
the output as much as possible to obviate the necessity for
Sunday work, and added that the position would be recon-
sidered if the urgency of Sunday work was demonstrated.

Lord Coleridge presided at meetings of the Coal Concilia-
tion Board for England and North Wales, in London, on
Tuesday and Wednesday, to consider an application by the
men for a 5 per cent, advance in wages. The present rate
of wage is 15 per cent, on the new standard, with a wTar
bonus of 15J per cent., which is about 30| per cent, above
the highest wage paid on the old 1888 standard, which has
now been superseded. Mr. Stephen Walsh, M.P., chairman
of the workmen’s section, presented the men’s case for an
advance. It was pointed out that the last advance of 5 per
cent.' was given upon the July selling prices, which showed
an average price of Ils. Id. per ton. This application was
based upon figures which showed an average selling price
of Ils. lOd. per ton, while the market was still rising, as
the present figures were upwards of 12s. per ton. The
owners’ case was to the effect that the higher selling price
was offset by the all-round increase in the cost of production.
On the old standard, an advance of 6d. per ton in selling
prices was regarded as equivalent to 5 per cent., and as the
standard had been raised by 50 per cent., the equivalent to
5 per cent, might be considered as 9d. per ton. But it was
urged that, from the outbreak of war, there had been a
serious rise in production costs in all directions, and that
only a small proportion of the rise in selling prices had come
to the owners. Lord Coleridge asked for detailed particulars

and figures as to the increase in the cost of production, and
ultimately the meeting was adjourned until Wednesday,
March 22.

Scotland.

Representatives of the Fife and Clackmannan Coal
Owners’ Association and the Fife and Kinross Miners’
Association held 'a conference at Dunfermline on Saturday,
for the purpose of considering .a threatened stoppage of work
at the Coltness Coal and Iron Company’s Blaiirhall Colliery,
where about 600 men are employed. The subject of the
dispute was the method in operation at the colliery of making
deductions in respect of foreign material among the coal
filled by the miners. After a conference lasting four hours,
the parties arrived at an arrangement.

A meeting of the Scottish Coal Trade Conciliation Board
was held in Glasgow on Wednesday to consider the miners’
claim for an advance of 18| per cent, on the 1888 basis,
equivalent to 9d. per day on the present day’s wages of
8s._ 9d. The parties failed to agree, and the meeting was
adjourned till March 20. A proposal was put forward by
the men’s executive that places should be kept open for
miners who have enlisted. The coal masters expressed
entire sympathy with the proposal, and pledged themselves
as far as they could that their men should be reinstated when
they returned after the war.

Miners’ Federation of Great Britain.

The executive resumed their meeting at Southport on
Friday, under the presidency of Mr. Robt. Smillie. The
South Wales representatives brought forward the case of
Flart v. Cory Brothers, which raises an important principle
under the Workmen’s Compensation Act. The executive
were asked to sanction an appeal to the House of Lords in
this case, under the following circumstances. The workman
lost the sight of one eye in his employment, and received
compensation. Some time after his resumption of work the
sight of the other eye became affected, and the issue in
dispute is whether the affection of the second eye arose out
of the original injury to the other eye. It was the opinion
of the executive that if the principle laid down in the case
of Hargredves r. Haughead Colliery Company was really
the law, then the Miners’ Federation must immediately take
steps to have the law altered.

The after-war position of the 250,000’ coal miners who are
fighting with his Majesty’s Forces was discussed. The ques-
tion was raised by the Scottish representatives. It was
pointed out that while 250,000 men had gone from the mines
to the Army, as many as 160,000 new men had been brought
into the pits, and trouble was likely to occur when the war
was over, and the miners returned from military service. It
was unanimously agreed to ask the Prime Minister and the
Home Secretary to receive a deputation, so that the executive
may place before the Government their views on this matter,
for the purpose of securing a guarantee from the mine owners
in various parts of the country that when miners return to
civil life they will be employed at their own trade.

It was also agreed that the deputation should remind the
Prime Minister that when he met them a few weeks ago, he
promised to lay their views as to the increase of old-age
pensions from 5s. to 7s. 6d. a week before his colleagues in
the Government, and they should again urge upon Mr.
Asquith the necessity of something being done. The execu-
tive were strongly opposed to any proposal to add to the old-
age pension allowance from local rates, feeling that it ought
to be a national charge.

The executive also had before them reports from districts
as to setting up machinery for the preventing of industrial
disputes in the mining industry during the war. The reports
showed that in nearly every district where machinery had
not previously existed for the settlement of disputes, joint com-
mittees of employers and workmen had been formed, and
generally they had been successful in avoiding any stoppage
of work. From one or two centres it was reported that,
while the workmen had been willing to set up machinery,
the employers had not, up to the present, agreed to co-operate
with them. Thereupon the executive decided that everything
should be done to get the employers in those cases to set up
joint machinery with the workmen.

Messrs. Frank Hall, Derbyshire, and T. GreenaU,
Lancashire, submitted their report of the inquest held at
Walsall on the men killed in the Mid Cannock Colliery
disaster. The report stated that while the jury returned a
verdict to the effect that no blame attached to anyone for
the disaster, in their opinion there had been serious breaches
of the Mines Act. The executive decided to send the report
to the Home Secretary, and to ask whether he intended to
institute proceedings against the management for the alleged
breaches of the Mines Act.

COAL, IRON AND ENGINEERING COMPANIES.
REPORTS AND DIVIDENDS.

Bed was Navigation Colliery Company Limited.—The
report states that the profit for the year, after paying deben-
ture interest, etc., amounts to £35,983. Deducting £24,901,
the debit balance brought in, there remains a credit of
£11,082. The directors recommend that the cumulative divi-
dend of 6 per cent, due on preference shares to December 31
last be paid, and consider there is reasonable ground to anti-
cipate a dividend on the ordinary shares next year.

Bolckow, Vaughan and Company Limited.—Interim divi-
dend on ordinary shares at the rate of 6 per cent, per annum,
less income-tax.

British Engine, Boiler and Electrical Insurance Company
Limited. — The report for the past year states that an
interim dividend of 5s. per share, less tax, was paid in July,
and, after writing off £7,250 from investments and furniture,
etc., and adding £5,000 to reserve for current risks, there
remains a balance of £11,521. The directors recommend
final dividend of 6s. per share, with bonus of 4s., both less
tax, carrying forward £2,825.

British Insulated and Helsby Cables Company Limited.—
The directors recommend a final dividend of 10 per cent.,
making 15 per cent, for the year, together with a bonus of
24 per cent.; £98,500 is placed to reserves and depreciation,
and £160,000 carried forward to meet duties for excess
profits.

Canadian General Electric Company Limited.—Dividend
of If per cent, for the three months ending March 31 on the
common stock.

Edinburgh Collieries Company Limited.—A final dividend
of 7J per cent, on the ordinary shares is recommended,
making 10 per cent., free of tax, for the year.

Forth and Clyde and Sunnyside Iron Company Limited.—
The directors recommend a dividend of 10s. per share, free
of tax, for year on ordinary shares.

Henley’s (W. T.) Telegraph Works Company Limited.—
The directors recommend a final dividend on the ordinary
shares of 10 per cent., less income-tax, making 15 per cent,
for the year, and also a bonus of 10s. per share, less income-
tax.

Imperial Navigation Coal Company Limited.—The report
for 1915 shows net profit of £14,462, from which is deducted
the loss of £9,175 brought forward, leaving £5,287. A divi-
dend of 10 per cent, (less tax) is recommended, carrying £376
forward. The sinking of the pits has been completed.

Lincoln Wagon and Engine Company Limited.—The
accounts for the year ended February 1 show a divisible
balance of £30,845. A final dividend of 7J per cent, is pro-
posed, making 14 per cent, for the 12 months, and also a
bonus of 2 per cenk, adding to the reserve fund £9,000, and
carrying forward £9,445.

Midland Electric Corporation for Power Distribution
Limited.—Dividend of 3 per cent. (3s. per share) on the
ordinary shares for the past year is proposed, appropriating
£9,719 for depreciation, writing £4,275 off issues expenses,
and carrying forward £8,932, subject to excess profits tax.

Muntz’s Metal Company Limited.—The directors recom-
mend a dividend of 10 per cent., less income-tax, on ordinary
shares.

Pearson and Knowles Coal and Iron Company Limited.—
The directors have declared the usual half-year’s dividend
at the rate of 6 per cent, per annum on both the preference
and second preference shares, also an interim dividend of
3| per cent, for the half-year on the ordinary shares, all
less tax.	*

Scottish Tube Company Limited.—Dividend of 5 per cent,
on the ordinary shares, against 21 per cent, for the preceding
year.

St. Helens Colliery and Brickworks Company Limited.—
The directors have declared an interim dividend of 5 per cent,
actual for the half-year.

Waste Heat and Gas Electrical Generating Stations
Limited.—The report for the year ended January 31 states
that the profits, after deducting administration expenses,
amount to £39,819. The directors have transferred to the
credit of reserve account £11,000. The balance brought for-
ward was £14,211, and the profits available are £43,030.
The directors declare a dividend at the rate of 8 per cent,
for the year, less income-tax, carrying forward £17,430;
total reserve, £64,351.

NEW COMPANIES.

Colonial Engineering Agency Limited.—Private company.
Registered February' 29. Nature of business indicated by
title. Nominal capital, £2,000 in 2,000’£1 shares. First
directors and subscribers (five shares each) : P. Griffith and
A. E. Drown.

Cortez Products Limited.—Private company. Registered
office, 2, Talbot-court, Gracechurch-street, E.C. Registered
March 2. To carry on business of engineers, timber mer-
chants, coal masters, etc. Nominal capital, £5,500 in 5,000
£1 preference shares and 10,000 Is. deferred shares. Sub-
scribers (one share each) : J. J. Edwards and F. Crook.

George (C. K.) and Company Limited.—Private company.
Registered office, 24, Lime-street, E.C. Registered March 1
To carry on business of ship owners, engineers, and iron
founders, etc. Nominal capital, £30,000 in 15,000 £1 pre-
ference shares, and 15,000 £1 ordinary shares. Subscribers
(one share each) : S. C. George and O. de Lucovich. .

North Midland Coal Owners’ Rescue Stations Company
Limited.—Registered March 1. Nature of business indicated
by title. Every member undertakes to contribute to ’the
assets of the company for the payment of debts, etc., such
amount as may be required, not exceeding £10. First
directors: J. Bingley, Portland House, Bolsover, Derby;
H. J. O. Bishop, The Manor House, Ilkeston, Derby; W.
L. Halpin, Gorselands, Manton, Worksop; C. H. Heathcote,
Woodlands, Mansfield, all mining engineers; and others.
Qualification of directors, to be a member of the company.
Remuneration of directors to be determined by the company.

Nottingham Engineering Company Limited. — Private
company. Registered February 28. Nature of business
indicated by title. Nominal capital, £2,000 in 2,000 £1
shares. First directors : F. B. Johnson, J. King, and G.
Fisher. Qualification of directors, £100.

Soho Drop Forgings Company Limited.—Private company.
Registered March 2. Nature of business indicated by title.
Nominal capital, £5,000 in 5,000 £1 shares. First directors
and subscribers (one ordinary share each) : W. Probert and
D. Vanhagen. Qualification of directors, 100 shares.

Swansea Coal Breaking and Sizing Company Limited.—
Private company. Registered February 29. Nature of
business indicated by title. Nominal capital, £3,000 in
3,000 £1 shares. Directors to be appointed by subscribers.
Subscribers : J. Hain and H. de Chaptai.

United British Wolfram Company Limited.—Private com-
pany. Registered February 25. To purchase, take on lease,
develop, or otherwise acquire mines, mining, water, or other
rights, privileges, or concessions, to raise, etc., and prepare
for market ores, metals, minerals, and other substances.
Nominal capital, £1,000 in 1,000 £1 ordinary shares. First
directors : A. Argles and J. W. Bryan.

* Victoria Drop Forgings Company Limited.—Private com-
pany. Registered office, Manor Works, Wednesfield-road,
Willenhall, Staffs. Registered March 1. Nature of business
indicated by title. Nominal capital, £5,000 in 5,000 £1
shares. Subscribers to be directors till directors be appointed.
Subscribers (one share each) : E. Mills, F. H. Pepper, and
H. A. Pepper.

Wrights’ (Colchester) Limited.—Private company. Regis-
tered February 28. To acquire, take over, and carry on
business of coal merchants and cartage contractors now
carried on at Hythe Quay, Colchester, and elsewhere, as
Frank Wright. Nominal capital, £5,000 in 5,000 £1 shares.
Governing director, F. P. Wright.

This list of new companies is taken from the Daily
Register specially compiled by Messrs. Jordan and Sons
Limited, company registration agents, Chancery-lane, E.C

Imports of Pit Props in February. — During the second
month of the year 146,867 loads of pit props were imported
into the United Kingdom, the value being £439,883. In
February last year 130,766 loads were imported, the value
being £187,322. The aggregate imports in the first two
months of the year amounted to 292,035 loads, as compared
with 248,521 loads in the previous year,'the values being
£786,849 and £375,368 respectively.