March 24, 1916.

THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN.

571

LABOUR AMD WAGES.

South Wales and Monmouthshire.

Another of those crises which seem to be perpetually
recurring in the South Wales coal field has arisen, the
peculiar feature of the present occasion being that apparently
it has been deliberately forced. The men’s representatives
secured their aim upon the non-unionist question, the
employers placing themselves entirely in the hands of the
Government, and a concession being made to the workmen
which practically ensures that only federationists will be
employed. There remained the three points in dispute, to
which reference has previously been made, viz., the Sunday
night shift, whether it is to be a six-hour or eight-hour turn ;
the bonus turn to ostlers; and an increased rate to skilled
surface craftsmen. The owners insist that the Sunday night
shift shall be one of eight hours ; they offer half-a-turn bonus
to the ostlers; but they refuse to consider the claim to
increased wage for the skilled surface craftsmen. The
Federation representatives desired that the Board of Trade
should intervene on these three points, as had been done on
the non-unionist question; but although they submitted a
statement in writing to the Board, they failed to secure an
interview; and it is alleged, in addition, that a letter and
telegram requesting an interview remained unanswered up to
the time of their meeting on Tuesday of this week. When
the Federation executive then met, they decided to recom-
mend to next Monday’s annual conference of miners’ dele-
gates that 14 days’ notice terminating contracts should be
given “ to secure a settlement of these matters.”

The. passing of the resolution may or may not be respon-
sible for the fact that on Wednesday a telegram came from
the Board of Trade, fixing an appointment for an interview
on Thursday. It will be remembered that, with regard to
the Sunday night shift, whilst the men contended that this
should be six hours, and optional, the employers, who held
that it should be eight hours, and obligatory, were supported
in their contention by the decision of the Pontypridd, stipen-
diary in the case of the Albion Colliery workmen. Indeed,
it is this decision which has brought the matter into the fore-
front. With regard to the bonus turn for ostlers, the opinion
of the men is that the ostlers are entitled to the bonus turn
even more than those who have already got it, because their
shift is broken into two halves, entailing upon them a heavier
burden than one full shift would do. Strong comment has
been current as to the action of the men in thus forcing
matters, and adding to the discredit in which South Wales
already stands for its repeated labour disputes. There is,
however, little fear entertained that a stoppage will actually
result, although the fact of giving 14 days’ notice might
have serious effect upon the trade.

Mr. Runciman, President of the Board of Trade, received
a deputation from the executive of the South Wales Miners’
Federation on Thursday, on the three points in dispute.
Mr. Tames Winstone briefly stated the position. It was
admitted that an .agreement had been made with the Surface
Mechanics’ Association and the colliery owners, but the
Federation could not recognise that agreement, as some
11,000 were members of the Federation, and only 5,000
members of the other organisation. Mr. Runciiman frankly
told the deputation that with the exacting demands of his
department, and with his visit to Paris to- attend the Trade
Conference of the Allied Powers, it was impossible for him-
self to give the time to conduct the negotiations. He asked
the workmen to accept arbitration on the three points, he
(Mr. Runciman) to appoint the arbitrator.

The five representatives of the workmen then withdrew,
and separately considered Mr. Runciman’s offer. On their
return they intimated to Mr. Runciman that they were
unable to accept arbitration, but were prepared for the three
points in dispute to be discussed before a conciliator. This
would leave the parties unpledged to the accepting of any
decision which might be given.

Mr. Runciman subsequently held meetings with repre-
sentatives of the South Wales miners and coal owners, and
informed them that he would appoint a gentleman to act as
conciliator. No further action will now be taken by the men
until the matters in dispute have been considered.

To the executive meeting on Tuesday, a report was sub-
mitted upon the interview with Sir George Ask with at the
Board of Trade upon the non-unionist question last week, and
the council formally approved of the settlement arrived at,
instructing Mr. T. Richards, M.P., to notify that fact to
Sir George Askwith. The text of the agreement as submitted
to the council contains the following :—

The coal owners agree that an intimation of the fact,
that the workmen employed at the collieries are required
to become members of one or other of the recognised trade
unions shall be made throughout the coal field generally,
and at the several collieries. If, notwithstanding such
intimation, workmen fail to become members, or cease to
be members, and it becomes necessary to take special steps
to deal with such men at any colliery or collieries, the
Miners’ Federation are to be at liberty to apply to the
Coal Owners’ Association for assistance in carrying out the
terms of the requirement at the collieries in question.

In the event of difficulties arising at any colliery in con-
nection with this question, which cannot be amicably
settled by the co-operation of the coal owners and miners’
representatives, it is agreed that notices to cease work shall
not be tendered, nor shall any stoppage of work take place,
but that the difference shall be reported to the Chief Indus-
trial Commissioner for action by his department.

On the understanding that the owners agree to supply
the local agents of the Miners’ Federation with a list of
the workmen at present employed, and also to supply a
list once a fortnight of workmen who have left the colliery,
and of new workmen who have been employed, the Miners’
Federation agree that show cards shall be suspended during
, the war, without prejudice to their position after the war.

In this agreement the term “ workmen ” does not include
colliery officials.

The three unions concerned in the new agreement are, first
and chiefly, the Federation, then tlie Monmouthshire and
South Wales Association of Enginemen and Stokers and
Craftsmen, and the South. Wales Winding Enginemen’s
Association. Workmen are to be obliged to join one or other
of these, and it is said that it was upon the suggestion of the
owners that a proposal to keep back money at the colliery
office came forward, but the Federation objected to this.

The coal trimmers of Cardiff have decided against any
concession in respect of the Saturday afternoon stoppage,
although requested by the Port and Transit Executive Com-
mittee to suspend their rule in order that tonnage might be
released. Already the rule has been waived in regard to
Admiralty tonnage, and the request of the Committee was
that it should be waived in respect to the general trade, but

this is now refused. The men contend that for a large
proportion of their time they are kept waiting for coal, and
that if despatch at the colliery were better expedited, better
results would be obtained in ship loading than would, be
arrived at by suspension of the Saturday afternoon holiday.
The tip'pers have also held a meeting, and come to a similar
decision. Both the tippers and trimmers at Newport are in
line with their fellows at Cardiff. A general conference of
tippers and trimmers’ delegates, representing all the Bristol
Channel ports, met in Newport on Monday, and endorsed
these decisions of separate local meetings.

The Ebbw Vale district of the South Wales Miners’ Federa-^
tion reports that, notwithstanding so large a number of colliers
having enlisted, there are more members of the Federation in
that district than ever before. The present total is 4,950, as
against 4,200. In the course of some speech-making, one
delegate said that weeding out was necessary, and they looked
to the officials to see that it was the newcomers that were got
rid of.

North of England.

The Follonsby lodge of the Durham Miners’ Association
has passed a resolution affirming its belief that the recent
offer of an additional 5 per cent, increase on the minimum
wage of men and boys is inadequate, and out of all pro-
portion to the increased cost of living in Durham County, and
that the owners should be asked for an immediate and
substantial advance on all minimum rates of pay.

Federated Area.

Considerable discussion exists among the miners of the
South Staffordshire district over the question of non-unionists
in the mines, and the alleged contravention of the custom
of allowance coal. A conference of masters’ and men’s
representatives was held recently, but this had to be
adjourned without any agreement being arrived at on the
suggestion submitted by the men that all underground
workers should be forced within the union. The associations
concerned have decided not to descend in the same “ bands ”
as the non-unionists. The question of the allowance ro each
man of a ton of coal for every 24 turns worked has been
taken up by the Old Hill Miners’ Association.

Lord Coleridge, the independent chairman, presided at
Wednesday’s meeting of the Coal Conciliation Board for
England and North Wales, to consider the men’s application
for a 5 per cent, advance in wages. This was the fourth
occasion on which the Board has met to consider the present
application, Lord Coleridge adjourning the last meeting for
fuller information as to the increase in the cost of production.
Wednesday’s sitting was mainly concerned with a discussion
between Lord Coleridge and the coal owners as to the
increase which has taken place since the outbreak of war
in the cost of production of coal, apart from wages, and the
period at which the coal owners had recouped themselves
for the war bonus advance of 15J per cent, on the then
wage. It will be remembered that the condition laid down
by Mr. Asquith, as governing the award of a war bonus, was
that it should be given to meet the increase in the cost of
living, and selling prices should not be considered. In
subsequent advances of wages the question as to the recoup-
ing by the owners of the war bonus has to be decided. Lord
Coleridge intimated to the Board that he would communicate
his decision on the application in writing to the joint
secretaries.

Scotland.

On Monday the executive committee of the National Union
of Scottish Mine Workers considered the question raised by
the employment of non-unionists in collieries in Stirlingshire,
Ayrshire, and Midlothian. It was agreed in each case that
further negotiations should be entered upon with the repre-
sentatives of the owners before taking any drastic action.

The Scottish miners’ claim for an advance of 9d. on the
present rate of 8s. 9d. per day was considered for the second
tame by the Scottish Coal Trade Conciliation Board at
Glasgow on Monday, but the parties again failed to agree.
A long discussion took place as to the nomination of a neutral
chairman to preside at the next meeting of the Board, several
names being proposed and objected to. It was eventually
decided to ask the Speaker of the House of Commons to
appoint an arbiter, and April 3 and 4 were suggested as
alternative dates for the next meeting.

Messrs. Wm. Baird and Company, Bothwell Collieries,
Lanarkshire, have raised a question as to the number of
holidays (about 23 days), religious or otherwise, observed
by Polish workmen. While in no way seeking to interfere
with the religious views of the aliens, the firm are anxious,
if possible, to effect a curtailment.

The miners employed at Tannochside Colliery are protest-
ing against the methods of the management in dealing with
the filling of quantities of dirt in the coal.

Miners’ Federation of Great Britain.

The executive committee on Thursday received a deputa-
tion from the Amalgamated Society of Engineers, comprised
of 10 members, with respect to the position of engineers who
are working at the collieries. Mr. Young, general secretary,
and other members of the deputation from the A.S.E., urged
that men who were engineers by trade should be free to
continue as members of their own craft union, and not be
forced into membership of the Miners’ Federation. The
A.S.E. provided valuable friendly society benefits, for sick-
ness and superannuation in old age, in addition to the trade
defence benefit, and it was a serious matter for a craft engi-
neer to sacrifice these benefits on accepting a position at a
colliery. It was suggested, as a way out of the difficulty
which has arisen, that such workmen should be members of
the Miners’ Federation for trade purposes, and be eligible for
friendly benefits in the A.S.E., if they wished to make such
an insurance.

A deputation was received from the electrical trades unions
with reference to the installation of electricity in mines.
Some exception was taken to the objection urged in resolu-
tions by the Federation against the use of electrical coal
cutters and general electrical installations in the mines. The
question of the safe use of electricity depended upon proper
regulations, and the employment of thoroughly skilled work-
men. The deputation also raised the craft union question,
and asked that all electrical workers employed in and about
the mines should be members of their own craft unions, and
not of the Miners’ Federation.

Mr. Best also attended, and showed and explained the
working of an improved safety lamp.

Iron, Steel and Engineering Trades.

Mr. John Hill, general secretary of the Boilermakers’
Society, says in his monthly report that the advances of
wages to workmen have not been commensurate with the
increased cost of living, and he strongly attacks the profits

•soruiMuioo Smddiqs Xpcioodso ‘suroouoo ffinp'Ejq Xq oprm

At the annual meeting of the Midland Iron and Steel
Wages Board on Tuesday, Sir George Hingley, presiding,
said that the Board had done splendid work and maintained
peace in the Midland iron trade. A high tribute for 40 years’
service was paid to the late secretary of the employers, Mr.
William Ancott. The report showed an income of £1,285,
and an expenditure of £1,406. It was decided to ask iron
and steel works to collect among operatives for providing
motor ambulances and other Red Cross material for British
soldiers at the front.

FORESTRY AND THE WAR.

In a paper on this subject before the Royal Society of Arts,
Mr. Edward Bercy Stebbing said, with reference to pit wood,
that, had our grandfathers 60 to 70 years ago planted up a
proportion of the waste lands of these islands, we should have
been saved a large sum of money and a great deal of anxiety
during the past year and a half. Had our fathers planted
30 to 40 years ago, the pit wood required for the mines would
have been available in this country, and the great trouble to
which mine owners were put, and the ruinous prices they
were now paying for their timber, and we were all paying
for our coal, would not have existed.

The following are the rates in force for colliery wood, as
compared with pre-war prices :—

Pit Wood per 100 Lineal Feet.

	Props. Top dia- meter.  In.	Net prices.  	A			
		Pre-war,		a Present.* s. d.
		s.	d.	
Scots pine .		 3	...	4	6	16 6
Do.			 4	...	6	0	22 6
Do.		 ...	o	9	0	28 6
Do.		 6	7	12	0	33 6
Larch 			 3	...			16 6
Do			 4	18	0	22 6
Do			 5	26	0	32 0
Do			 6  Sleepers.	32	0	38 0
3 ft. x 5 in.	x 2 in	 per	100	12	6	26 0
3 ft. 6 in. x	5 in. x 2 in. ...	14	9	31 0
3 ft. 9 in. x	5 in. x 2 in. ...	„	16  * Delivered.		0	36’ 0

Coming to a practical suggestion, he said that of the three
million acres of existing woodlands, it was extremely pro-
bable that the woods of merely commercial value would have
been cut by the end of the war. The considerable areas
which had a value other than the purely commercial, i.e.,
which served for shelter to stock and crops ; were intimately
connected with the sporting value of estates ; or were main-
tained for amenity purposes—will, and should be, left stand-
ing. They were, in the main, of small size, and’would not
come within the minimum of 500-acre blocks which commer-
cial forestry required if it was to prove successful. They
were of no considerable importance for our present case. The
young commercial woods which had not yet reached felling
size, must, however, be also included here? The areas which
would have been felled, together with the considerable tracts
of useless scrub, might be taken at 1,500,000 acres. If we
added to this area 5,000,000 acres of the poor-class waste lands
which could be profitably planted, we obtained an area of
6,500,000 acres, which, in the interests of national economy,
should be planted up at once. Therefore, the planting work
resolved itself into :—

(a)	Re-planting the areas felled over during the war and
the areas at present occupied by worthless scrub (of which
there were extensive tracts in Scotland), amounting to
1,500,000 acres.

(b)	Planting up 5,000,000 acres of at present treeless
land, selecting in each county the better areas, which would
yield a good return from the capital laid out.

In view of our growing requirements in timber, it was
unlikely that this area of 6,500,000 acres would, when it
came into bearing, supply us with more than two-thirds to
three-fourths of our needs of the future. But if the woods
were scientifically managed, such an area should place us in
a position of safety in the case of a sudden national emer-
gency.

On the subject of cost, if we took an all-round sum of
£3 per acre for the felled-over area, etc., class, and £4 per
acre for the waste lands, our planting cost would come to
41 million and 20 million pounds respectively, or a total of
24J million pounds sterling—about a week’s war expenditure.
If 200,000 'acres were planted annually, the area would be *
planted in 32 years. A planting plan should be drawn up,
county by county, under which the felled-over areas, scrub
areas, and the most accessible of the waste lands would be
selected, and the order of the planting be laid down so as
to ensure a proper arrangement of the woods for felling
purposes, etc.

On the subject of the labour, it should be possible to
start the work on the grand scale at the end of the war,
when a considerable amount of first-class labour should
become available. Partially incapacitated soldiers and
sailors would also be available—in fact, were available
already. The work could be commenced immediately, as a
matter of fact, by employing expert planters from amongst
our prisoners. Now that prisoners were being employed by
Government in felling operations, there appeared to be no
reason why they should not be also used for planting. We
could plant up thousands of acres by employing them.

All that appeared to be wanted was a plan of campaign
and a favourable hearing from Government. He did not
demand here that additional work should be piled upon
already overworked and harassed officials. It could not be
the desire of anyone to add any extra burden to the heavy
ones already being shouldered by the Government. But at
the present time it became the duty of everyone to do
all in their power in the interests of national economy and
thrift. The termination of the Avar was an indefinite period.
Meanwhile, there were large areas of land in this country
which could be better utilised in the national interest, given
the inauguration of a suitable scheme. Trees took a long
time to grow; even the shortest rotation for a tree crop was
approximately half of the proverbial “ three score and ten
years.” Therefore, each year which elapsed without a com-
mencement being made in remedying the deplorable state of
affairs was a waste of national resources, which could easily
be expressed in pounds, shillings, and pence. There were
men in this country perfectly acquainted, by knowledge,
training, and experience, with such work, who would be
quite capable of organising a scheme of this nature, and of
seeing that the nation got full return for the capital sum
laid out.