518 March 17, 1916. THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN. ________________________________________________________________________________ TRADE AND THE WAR. The Foreign Office has appointed Mr. T. E. Ruddock, of Newcastle, general adviser on all matters relating to coal, to his Majesty’s Ministers in Norway, Sweden, and Den- mark. Mr. Ruddock has left Newcastle to take up his duties in Christiania. The appointment is a new. one, arising out of war conditions. Mr. William Robinson, of the coal export- ing firm of Messrs. McKenzie and Phylson, of Newcastle, has been appointed deputy to Mr. Ruddock, and will proceed to Stockholm. Hammersmith Borough Council has received tenders for the supply of hard steam and Welsh smokeless coal, but having regard to the present state of the coal market, does not con- sider it would be wise to accept'1 a, tender at the present time. Instructions have therefore been given for coal to be pur- chased from time to time at the lowest possible rates obtain- ing in the open market. The Board of Trade announce that certificates of non- enemy origin will, from now onwards, no longer be required on the importation of goods from Italy. Sheffield users of Swedish materials are experiencing diffi- culty in consequence of restrictions on fuel exports to Sweden. Some of the Swedish manufacturers declare that they cannot meet Sheffield needs unless they get British coal, and this view has been put before the Ministry of Munitions, with satisfactory results. It is reported that Herr Hirter, president of the Swiss Import Trust, has been appointed vice-president of the newly - created German coal monopoly in Basle, which is to supply the whole of Switzerland. As president of the Import Trust, Herr Hirter’s business is to see that only Swiss firms, friendly to the Allies, are permitted to get raw materials from abroad, and as vice-president of the German coal monopoly, his principal duty will be to prevent all such manufacturers from being supplied with German coal. In peace times Herr Hirter was the largest importer of German coal into Switzer- land. 'With a view to relieve the congestion at the ports, the Fort and Transit Committee has instructed the various authorities to deal sharply with any merchants who, by not removing their imported goods from the quays and sheds, are impeding the free flow of traffic. If it be found that goods are being left at the ports to the detriment of through traffic, the authorities are to require the merchants to remove them within 48 hours. Mr. H. B. Renwick, managing director of the County of London Electric Supply Company Limited, at the general meeting of the company, said the coal question was still a matter for serious concern, not only from the point of view of price, but also in regard to the difficulty in maintaining proper stocks. It was time some public action was taken to deal with the matter on lines similar to the recent Act determining the maximum price of coal at the pit’s mouth, or by constituting a board of control similar in duties to the Railway Executive Committee, now doing such good work in regulating the traffic of the British railways. The British Consul-General at Rotterdam is bringing to the notice of neutral ship owners that they should take every care to avoid any coal carried by there vessels reaching any German coaling depot or ship. Should tins occur, the vessel concerned will be put on the black list. The President of the Board of Trade has appointed an advisory committee regarding the substitution of women for men. in industry. Mr. F. Lavington, of the Board of Trade, and Mr. M. H. Whitelegge, of the Home Office, have been appointed joint secretaries to the committee. __________________ THE BY-PRODUCTS TRADE. Tar Products.—The market is very quiet, and there is not much business passing. There has been rather more export enquiry for pitch and tar. Benzols are nominal, and the position rather unsatisfactory. Nearest values are :— Rise ( + ) or , fall (’-) on the week. Benzols, 90’s ................................... ,, 90’s North ................ ,, 50’s North ................ Toluol ............................. Carbolic acid, crude (60 per cent.)... ,, crystals (40 per cent.) Solvent naphtha, south (90% at 190 degs.), as in quality and package... Solvent naphtha, north (90% at 190 degs.), as in quality and package... Crude naphtha, north (in bulk) ........ Creosote (for ordinary qualities) ... Pitch (f.o.b. east coast) ............. ,, (f.a.s. west coast) ............ Tar (per- ton ex works) ........... 1/OJ-l/l ... - /101-/11-1 ... - 1/3—1/4 ... — 2/3 ... — 3/4 ... - 1/4 ... - 2/3—2/4 ... — 2/3—2/4 ... — 15/—16/ ... — 14/—15/6 ... — 16/9—20/6 ... — [Benzols, toluol, creosote, solvent naphtha, carbolic acids, usually casks included unless otherwise stated, free on rails at maker's works or usual United Kingdom ports, net. Pitch f.o.b. net.] Sulphate of Ammonia.—Nominally, prices are lower, but in the absence of business there is no dependence to be placed on local variations. Farmers seem just as backward in purchasing compounded manures (in which sulphate of ammonia is the chief source of nitrogen) as they are behind- hand in buying direct, which renders the restriction on exports almost farcical, with nitrate actually dearer. Closing prompt prices for home consumers are :— Rise ( + ) or fall (-) on the week. London (ordinary makes) .... Beckton (25 per cent.) ...... Liverpool ................ Hull ..................... .................... Middlesbrough ............ Scotch ports .............. Wales Nitrate of sode (ord.) per cwt. £17 ... -2/6 £16/2/6 ... —2/6 £17 — £16/12/6 ... -2/6 £17 — £16/15 — £16/17/6—£17 ... -2/6 17/ ••• +/1| [Sulphate of ammonia, f.o.b. in bags, less 2| per cent, discount; 24 per cent, ammonia, good grey quality; allowance for refraction, nothing for excess.] _______ Trade Notes. The Sulphate of Ammonia Association have issued a letter, stating that a few manufacturers who are overburdened with stocks of sulphate of ammonia have received a letter from the Board of Agriculture leading them to hope that licences for France will be granted. The association point out that this is manifestly unfair to those manufacturers who also have heavy stocks, but have not received the letter. The bulk of the business for France has already been contracted for by the usual export merchants and by the few manufac- turers who have direct connections in France. Many of these contracts were made at much lower prices than the present, so that the action of the Beard of Agriculture will mean great hardship to French buyers who have cheap contracts. Quite apart from this, only very limited tonnage is now available for France from one or two ports in the United Kingdom, and the Board’s letter, in a large number of cases, will there- fore merely serve to raise false hopes, as the sulphate could not bo shipped even if a licence were granted. The returns for the week are :—Pitch, 7,078 tons and £246. Tar, 28,430 gals, and 50 drums. Tar oil, £340. Benzol, £488 to Genoa, and 138,414 gals., valued at £7,819, to Rouen. Sulphate of ammonia figures are a little better— 2,370 tons. ________________ CANADA’S COAL INDUSTRY. Volume V. of the Fifth Census of Canada, which was carried out in 1910, contains some interesting parti- culars relating to the coal mining industry. The mining of coal in the census year 1910 constituted the most important of Canada’s mineral industries. In tonnage it exceeded all other industries by millions of tons, in the number of persons employed it was 42 per cent, of the total for all industries, in cost of salaries and wages of employees it was nearly 44 per cent., and in value of production 29 per cent. The area of Canada’s coal fields is variously estimated at from 97,200 to 110,000 square miles, exclusive of important coal areas in the north -west territories, being equal in extent to the combined areas of England, Scotland, and Wales (98,719 square miles). The production of coal in Canada does not nearly supply her domestic requirements. The consumption of coal in Canada, which is computed from production, less exports, added to imports, is presented by five year periods. The quantity imported exceeds the domestic production in each of the periods, as is shown in the following table. The percentage of consumption classed as domestic and imported and the per capita consump- tion are also given in the table. The per capita has almost doubled in the 10 years, and is the highest 11 i t h o r to i ■ e c o r d e d. Coal consumed— 1900. 1905. 1910. Domestic............ tons 2,433,898... 7,032,661 ...10,240,076 Imported .......... „ 4,361,563... 7,343,880... 10,438,123 Total ______........ „ 7,795,461... 14,376,541...20,678,199 Percentage of coal consumed— Domestic.......per cent. 44* *05 ... 48*92 ... 49*52 Imported ......... „ 55*95 ... 51*08 ... 50*48 Consumptionper ccqWa, tons 1*451... 2*399... 2*869 The relation of capital invested to value of production is shown in the next table for the census years 1900 and 1910 by provinces, and furnishes an interesting study appertaining to the coal mining industry. 1900. 1910. _________ _______ _______ Provinces. (------------*--------r-------------*------- Capital. Production. Capital. Production. Dois. Dois. Dois. Dois. Alberta .....1 11,684,815... 7,831,775 Saskatchewan 5 io/,oz€>... 666,150... 267,596 Columbia ... 1,063,000... 4,273,719... 5,872,761... 8,413,098 NewBrunswick — ... 18,580... 143,940... 317,510 Nova Scotia ... 24,147,165... 7,966,049...26,091,872... 15,468,662 Yukon......... — ... — ... 75,000... 93,200 Totals.... 25,377,790...12,995,543...44,444,538...32,391,841* * Exclusive of the manufacture of coke m the province of Ontario. The value of buildings and plant employed in the coal mining industry in 1900 was 25,377,790 dols., and in 1910 it had 'risen to 44,444,538 dols., a gain of 19,066,748 dols. in the decade, or 43 per cent. The plant con- sisted of 363 engines and motors of 34,671 horse-power in 1900, as against 880 engines and motors of 104,178 horse-power in 1910. The aggregate weeks of employ- ment in 1900 w-ere 607,898, as against 1,405,664 in 191'6. Idle average hours of working time per week per employee was 52-5 in 1910. The next table shows the numbers of persons employed, the cost of salaries and vrages, and the value of production by provinces for the census years 1900 and 1910. The number of employees increased by 14,985, or about 107 per cent., the cost of salaries and wages increased by 11,114,905 dols., or 147 per cent., and the value of production, by 19,585,298 dols., or over 150 per cent, in the decade. Provinces. t Employees. Salaries and Wages. i Value of production.* 1900. 1910. 1900. 1910. 1900. ! 1910. No. No. Dols. Dols. Dols. ! Dols. Canada ; 14,504 29,489 7,538,452 18,653,357 12,995,543 i 32,580,841 Alberta i 829 6,515 446,131 i 4,606,828 686,645 7,831,775 British Columbia 4,393 7,238 3,085,808 i 5,454,126 4,273,719 8,413,098 New Brunswick 48 324 12,024 I 119,179 18,580 317,510 Nova Scotia 9,184 14,977 3,973,488 i 8,230,660 7,966,049 15,468,662 ' Saskatchewan 50 322 21,001 | 173,764 50,550 267,596 Yukoe — 113 — 68,800 — 93,200 Ontario — — ■ “ i — — 189,000 * Includes the value of coke produced in 1910. Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, and Nova Scotia are the only provinces producing coke. All of the coal coked is of domestic origin, except that of Ontario, which is imported. In the census of 1900 there were 507 coking ovens, which used 195,957 tons of bitu- minous coal in the production of 144,413 tons of coke, valued at 557,371 dols., or an average price of 3-86 dols. per ton. In 1910 there were 2,441 coking ovens, which used 1,389,053 tons of coal in the production of 913,887 tons of coke, of the value of 3,453,424 do]s., or an average price of 3-78 dols. per ton. The domestic pro- duction is very far from satisfying the requirements for metallurgical purposes, especially in Ontario and Quebec, 702,053 tons, valued at 1,695,603 dols., having been imported in the fiscal year 1910. _________________________ INTER-RELATIONS OF PURE AND APPLIED CHEMISTRY? By F. W. Clarke. After a discussion of the revolution in civilised indus- tries due to scientific advances, the part played by chemistry is considered. The earliest chemical data Avere obtained empirically, mostly by accident, and in the slow development of the arts. As such data accu- mulated, men began to reason about them, chemical doctrines were evolved, which, however, had little or no real validity. The atomic speculations of the Greeks were unfruitful, and led to no real advance. The atomic theory of Dalton was different. It was quantitative, it correlated known relations, and founded our present system of chemical formulae, chemical equations, and chemical arithmetic. From those additions to our know- ledge chemical industries have derived much profit. The theory of valency and the benzene ring of Kekule were outgrowths of Dalton’s discoveries, and have guided practically all of the researches into coal tar chemistry, with its dyes, medicines, and explosives. This union of theory and practice is characteristic of scientific chemistry. Between pure and applied chemistry the difference is one of purpose, of motive. The search for truth itself on one side, the utilisation of truth on the other. Dis- covery, however, must precede use. On the other hand, applied science stimulates research and each aids the other. Endowed laboratories should be established, in which corps of trained men should work together on problems that are too great for individuals to handle. Co-operation among chemists is needed in order that science may grow more symmetrically and systematically. ___________ * Abstract of paper read at the Second Pan-American Scientific Congress. ___________________________ At the London Bankruptcy Court, on Friday the 10 th inst., the first meeting of creditors -was held under the failure re Ernest Hal] Hedley, of 28, Pembridge Square, W., lately residing at Pontardawe, Glam., whose statement of affairs ■showed gross liabilities amounting to £16,934 13s. lid., of wduch £7,542 5s. 2d. was expected to rank against the estate for dividend. Assets nil. The debtor -was a mining engineer by profession, and had been interested in coal mines in Glamorgan, one of the companies being the South Wales Primrose Coal Company Limited, with which com- pany debtor became connected 33 years ago. He put between £5,000 and £6,000 into the’ business at the start, and received a part interest in the concern, receiving about one-tenth of the profits. About 23 years ago the business W’as sold to a company formed for the purpose of taking .it over. The capital of the company was £70,000 in £10 shares, and debtor received £7,000 in-fully paid shares. He was also appointed managing director and chairman, his salary during the past 10 years having been £650 per annum and commission on the profits. He held that position until the beginning of 1914. At present he was the registered holder of 1,773 fully paid £10 shares. In March 1894 he started a mine, which he took on lease from Lord Dynevor, in Neath, and obtained financial assistance to work it. They ran the mine for several years, and he received one-third of the profits. In 1904 a company was formed to acquire the collieries, and was registered as Hedley’s Collieries Company Limited ; the nominal capital of the company was £70,000 in £10 ordinary shares. The company purchased the business from them for £60,000, payable in shares, and the debtor received £20,000 in shares. He was also appointed chair- man and managing director at a salary of £500 per annum and 5 per cent, of the profits. The profits of the company varied between £3,000 and £12,000 per annum for some years, but subsequently a loss was made; however, they continued to work the mine until the outbreak of war, when the bank refused to assist them any further, and called in a loan and overdraft, with the result that the mine closed down, and winding up proceedings were commenced in September 1914, the official receiver being appointed liquidator. On May 11, 1912, another company was registered in the name of the Garnet Colliery Company Limited, with a nominal capital of £35,000 in £10 shares". This company was run by the Hedley’s Colliery Company Limited, as the property adjoined the Hedley Company’s property. That company was also in liquidation, and the official receiver was liquidator. The debtor was liable for an overdraft at the bank in regard to that company to the s amount of £8,097. His present position had been caused through the stoppage of the colliery companies, and the refusal of the banks to continue giving credit after the out- break of war. The estate w,as formally left in the hands of the official receiver.