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THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN.

March 30, 1917.

PARLIAMENTARY INTELLIGENCE.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.—March 23.
Distribution of Coal.

Mr. J. M. Henderson called attention to the complete
want of organisation in arranging for the supply to the
general public of coals, and other domestic necessaries; and
moved : “ That, in the opinion of this House, the Govern-
ment should issue regulations under the Defence of the
Realm Act directing the local authorities throughout the
country to establish depots for the sale and delivery of coal,
sugar, and other necessaries.” He said that during the
winter, one of the severest for many years, the poor had
suffered much hardship for want of a regular supply of coal.
But it was not only the poor who had reason to complain.
He might cite the case of an ex-Cabinet Minister who had
actually to send his motor-car to fetch a sack of coal with
which to cook his dinner. There was no real scarcity of
coal, and local authorities, if depots were established, would
be in a position to deliver it regularly to the people.

Mr. J. O’Connor suggested that if the soldiers at The
Curragh were released to build the promised railway in
Kildare to Wolfhill Colliery, the work might be carried
through in three or four weeks time, with the result of free-
ing tonnage now engaged in carrying coal to Ireland.

Mr. Hancock considered that the Government ought to
have- pooled the wagons in this country at the time the
collieries were taken under control.

Mr. G. H. Roberts (Parliamentary Secretary to the Board
of Trade) observed that the main problem, in London at
least, was the lack of labour. There was, no doubt, a coal
insufficiency at certain places, but coal had been brought by
rail and by sea to London, and a scarcity of labour in the
Metropolis itself accounted for the breakdown in the distri-
bution, accompanied as it was by very heavy demands owing
to the severe weather. They had called the coal merchants
of London together, and had got them to agree that the prices
settled with the Board of Trade should be the prices charged
by the retailer, and that in the event of the retailer charging
a price in excess of that agreed upon, the merchants should
withhold coal from the retailer. The Controller hoped to
prevent a recurrence of the difficulties that had been encoun-
tered, by -arrangements which he had .in contemplation. The
country would be mapped out into districts, and an attempt
would be made to secure that the coal produced in a district
should be consumed within the confines of that district. The
Controller proposed to make arrangements to relieve the
railways of a good deal of traffic, and to ensure a more equal
distribution of the commodity. He did not want local
authorities to be compelled to exercise powers under condi-
tions which gave no chance of success. They had at present
no statutory power to embark on the wider sphere contem-
plated in the resolution, but it was a point for the con-
sideration of the Coal Controller. It would, however, be
impossible to require the local authorities to undertake the
whole of the task when 'there was so serious a shortage of
labour. The suggestion regarding the railway to Wolfhill
Colliery would be conveyed to the President of the Board of
Trade.

The motion was rejected without a division.

March 26.

Blast Furnacemen’s Wages.

Mr. Hodge, replying to Mr. W. Thorne, stated that an
arbitrator had been appointed in reference to the demand for
a 20 per cent, advance in the wages of Nottinghamshire and
Derbyshire blast furnacemen. He regretted that there had
been a few days’ delay in making the appointment.

March 27.
State Control of Mines.

Mr. Duncan Millar called attention to the State control
of the coal mines since March 1, and asked for information
■as to the policy of the Coal Controller.

Mr. Roberts, in reply, said that he was 'able to assure the
House that the Coal Controller was in very close grips with
the extraordinarily complex problem. He had traced all the
consignments of coal in the country from the pits to the
consumer, with a view to ascertaining how far the coal had
to be transported. The Coal Controller regarded the posses-
sion of the statistics so obtained as absolutely essential to
the carrying out of the scheme of organisation which he had
in contemplation. It was intended to co-ordinate the func-
tions exercised by the Biome Office and those with which the
Coal Controller had been vested ; 25 per cent, of the working
miners had enlisted, and that had inevitably resulted in a
diminution of output. It was impossible to obtain substi-
tuted labour as efficient as that which had been taken into
the Army, but the Coal Controller was in communication
with the Director-General of National Service on the matter.
He was fully alive to the necessity of keeping up the output.
Tn regard to absenteeism at the mines, the Coal Controller
wished him to tell the House that there were signs of dis-
tinct improvement, which was in large measure due to the
efforts of the leaders of the miners’ organisations. The Coal
Controller recognised that there were possibilities of economy
in the internal organisation of mines. He was shaping his
plans with a view to what might occur in the winter of
1917-18. A memorandum dealing with the financial arrange-
ments between the Government and the colliery owners had
been agreed upon, but he could not at the present time give
full information on it. With respect to wages, it was not
proposed to change them, or the system under which they
were paid. The Coal Controller would interfere as little as
possible with the active management of or the labour condi-
tions in the mines. While the Coal Controller acquiesced in
the general scheme of the Director of National Service,
proper precautions would be taken that men should not be
removed from the essential occupation of mining without
the knowledge of the Coal Controller.

March 29.

Coal Fields in Ireland.

Mr. Duke, replying to a question, said’that pits sunk in
the Killeshin coal fields, Ireland, had been abandoned as
unremunerative, -and it was not possilbe.to investigate fully
without heavy expenditure. The records of the Geological
Survey indicated that the seams were thin. A re-stirvey of
the Leinster coal field, including the district in question, by
the Geological Survey was in progress.

Miners’ Hours.

Maj. H. Terrell asked whether the hours of work were
still limited to eight, and what average was worked in
South Wales.

Mr. Roberts said the Eight Hours Regulation was still in
force. As to averages, the only figures available were those
giving the average number of days worked in the week. For
South Wales and Monmouthshire, this number was 5-58 in
February.

LETTERS TO THE EDITORS.

The Editors are not responsible ^either for the statements
made, or the opinions expressed by correspondents.

All communications must be authenticated by the name and
address of the sender, whether for publication or not.
No notice can be taken of anonymous communications.

As replies to questions are only given by way of published
answers to correspondents, and not by letter, stamped
addressed envelopes are not required to be sent.

CAGE SAFETY DEVICES.

Sir,—<Iii your issue of the 23rd inst. there is a notice
of a patent “ cage safety ” device, of which all the guide-
catching parts seem copies of my cage guardian. There
may be some patent about the central eye-bolt, though
I used a somewhat similar bolt nine years ago (on a
cage used by a theatrical company, who had a mining
play in which the villain tampers with the winding
engine and breaks the rope, the guardian arresting the
cage with the hero in it). The inventor is probably
unaware of this similarity, although, my appliances are
well known in his locality.

March 26, 1917.	A. Hanley.

SIGNALLING WITH BARE WIRES.

Sir,—In your issue of the 9th inst. appears an article
on “ Bare Wires Signalling” by a contributor who states
he has had many years’ experience, and while he agrees
generally with the conclusions of the Home Office
investigations, he strongly advises the employment of
single-stroke bells as against tremulous bells as being
more safe.

We should like to add that we entirely agree with
your contributor as regards this matter; in fact, we
are placing on the market a single-stroke bell without
any contacts whatsoever, and in order to give it a
tremulous action we employ a contact maker in the
relay. In this relay we also employ an absorber, which
not only absorbs the spark on any contact in the relay,
but also on the line. The absorption of the spark in
the relay is not necessary from the danger point of
view, as the relay box has machined faces and a good
stuffing gland, but we absorb the spark in the relay in
order to prevent corrosion of the platinum points, which
is found so troublesome to colliery electricians.

John Davis & Son (Derby) Ltd.

(W. H. Davis. Managing Director.)

All Saints Works, Derby, March 23.

Restrictions on Imports.—A supplement to the Board of
Trade Journal of March 29 contains a complete list of
articles the importation of which into the United Kingdom
has been prohibited, except under licence, by Royal Procla-
mations of February 15, 1916, and subsequent dates, and in
respect of which applications for licences should be addressed
to the Controller, Department of Import Restrictions, 22,
Carlisle-place, Westminster, London, S.W.l. Copies of this
supplement (3d^ each) may be obtained either through any
bookseller, or directly from H.M. Stationery Office, Imperial
House, Kingsway, W.C.2.

Belfast Coal Merchants’ Action. — Judgment was given
last week at the Belfast Assizes by Mr. Justice Ross in an
action brought by Francis Shannon, coal merchant, Belfast,
against Messrs. William Barkley and Sons Limited, coal
merchants, for £500 damages for an alleged breach of agree-
ment. A counter-claim for £10 19s. 2d. for coal supplied was
also heard and admitted. The plaintiff alleged that under
an agreement dated October 1914, defendants supplied coal
to his customers which was inferior in quality and deficient
in quantity, and as a result considerable damage was done
to his business. The defence was a denial that any agree-
ment existed, and that the coal supplied was deficient.
Counsel for the plaintiff said any charge of fraud against
the defendants would be withdrawn, but laxity was alleged
on the part of defendants’ workmen. The jury found that
there were breaches of contract with regard to the quantity
of coal supplied and .the quality, and assessed ordinary
damages at £15 and special damages at £50, judgment
being entered accordingly for these amounts.

Manchester Association of Engineers.—The 6'lst' annual
meeting of the Manchester Association of Engineers was
held on Saturday evening. In their annual report, the
council stated that during the past year the membership had
been increased by 32, and after taking into account the loss
by deaths, resignations, and erasures, the total number on
the roll was 648, as against 638 in the previous year. The
present membership included 11 honorary life members, 156
members entitled to financial benefit, 468 members, and 13
associate members. The financial statement showed that
the balance standing.to the credit of the association, after
payment of all accounts due up to December 3'1, amounted
to £6,692, as against £6,669 at the close of the preceding
year, thus showing an excess of receipts over expenditure
of £23 on the year’s working. Dealing with the question
of the training of engineers, the council referred to the
report issued by the sub-committee appointed to consider that
subject. Owing to the present abnormal conditions, no.
particular action had vet been taken in respect of the recom-
mendations set forth in the report, but the council believed
they would be a valuable guide for those engaged in the
training of engineering apprentices. Air. J. F. Bedson was
elected president for the ensuing year.'

Notes from the Coal Fields.

[Local Correspondence.]

South Wales and Monmouthshire.

Voluntary Enlistment—Gard Playing in Works—Goke Oren
and By-Product Works Association — Taxation of
Collieries—French Pitwood—Re-Employment of Dis-
abled Soldiers—Claim, Over ” Cutting Price."

Mr. S. D. Williams, who for 33 years has been secretary
of the Newport Chamber of Commerce, has resigned that
office, and the council recommend that he be presented with
an honorarium of £200.

Swansea trade returns were more favourable last week as
compared with its predecessor, but are still very unfavour-
able in comparison with the corresponding week of last year.
Shipments of coal and patent fuel totalled 57,890 tons.

Newport Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday had before it
a suggestion that in order to reduce the glut of small coal, it
should be optional for shippers to export portions of small
under their licences. No practical decision was arrived at.

At a meeting in Ammanford, called to ensure voluntary
enlistment of colliers, it was stated that 500 men were
required from the Amman Valley, or an average of 25 men
from each pit; and it was decided that there should be pit-
head meetings at all of the collieries, the workmen’s com-
mittees and the management co-operating to* make these a
success. One suggestion was that the day shift should end
an hour earlier, so as to help in securing large attendance.

A case of considerable interest came before the Newport •
Munitions Court on Tuesday, when four men were charged
with refusing to work at local iron works. The foreman at
the furnace stated that they refused to come out when the
iron was ready, but continued to play cards, and the conse-
quence was that he had to slack down, causing damage to
the extent of £4. There vyas also the risk that the iron
would break out from the furnace, and form a solid mass,
owing to the pig iron beds being full and there being no
means of running off the iron. Approximately 30 tons of
special iron, which the Ministry of Munitions pressed for
delivery, was now behind. It was stated in the course of
evidence that the average wages of the men working on the
pig iron pits were £3 5s. for seven shifts; also that for the
past six months the earnings of the men individually had
ranged from £100 to £80. The court inflicted the maximum
penalty of £5 on each man, making an order that this should
be deducted from the wages in three weekly payments.

The coal owners who have coking plant and by-product
works formed an association about a year ago, in order
that questions affecting their particular branch of colliery
work might be dealt with; the existing Conciliation Board
agreement as to dealing with wages, etc., of the men
employed in these branches not coming within the terms of
agreement. Out of about 100 members of the Coal Owners’
Association, only about 16 owned coking plant, and their
workmen employed at the ovens wrere outside the Concilia-
tion Board. On Friday of last week the first annual meeting
of the organisation (the Monmouthshire and South Wales
Coke Ovens and By-Product Works Association) took place,
under the presidency of Air. Hugh Bramwell, in the absence
of Mr. E. M. Hann (the chairman). It was stated that 14
companies owning coke ovens had joined the association, and
had insured their ovens for an output of 1,500,000 tons per
annum. Mr. F. A. Gibson is secretary of the new body;
and at the meeting Air. H. Bramwell was elected chairman
for the forthcoming year, and Air. A. S. Tallis vice-chairman.

The speech of the chairman of North’s Navigation
Collieries Limited (Mr. A. Mitchelson) had to be read to
the meeting of shareholders owing to that gentleman’s
illness. In the course of it, he stated that the total amount
to be paid the Government for 1916 in respect of excess
profits tax and income tax represented more than half the
gross profits for the year. The company had also paid in
allowances to dependants of workmen who had joined H.M.
Forces a sum of £7,781, which equalled more than 1J per
cent, on the ordinary capital of the company; and, in addi-
tion to this, the families of these men, being allowed their
house coal at workmen’s prices, had received an equivalent
in value to a further £1,000. The speech also stated that
the costs of stores and materials of every description had
increased considerably even on the abnormal prices of the
previous year—in some cases to over 100 per cent. ; whilst
the price of pitwood had for some time been standing at
more than 300 per cent, above that of normal times. It
was proposed to extend the North pit at Caerau by sinking
to the deeper measures, and thus substantially increase the
output from that pit. Shortage of labour had interfered
very seriously with underground developments, and exten-
sions would be delayed until the necessary labour was forth-
coming. Rians had been prepared to comply with the desire
of the Government for an installation of by-product coke
ovens.

Whilst so much is being said and so many efforts made to
ensure supplies of pitwood from plantations at home, it is
regarded as'singular that greater effort is not made to utilise
the resources of France in this respect. Under ordinary
conditions, French pitwood comes to South Wales as return
cargo of vessels which have carried coal across the Channel;
and it is difficult to understand why a similar course of trade
cannot exist at the present time. There is, it is recognised,
a serious labour difficulty in France, both as to cutting and
handling the wood; but this, it is held, might be got over
by supply of black labour from the British -and French
colonies. The matter is of importance, because the wood
would be very much cheaper—thus reducing colliery costs;
and it might, by affording return cargo, lessen to some extent
the outward rates of freight, which the coal owner has to
bear. Moreover, the wood could be more easily secured,
and there would not be, as is the case at present, the diver-
sion of British labour to the plantations -in this country.
When 3,000 men have to be taken away from the mines in
order to cut pitwood, a serious depletion of the reduced labour
forces at the collieries is occasioned; and, further, the hand-
ling of the wood in transport not only calls for additional
labour, but also occupies railway rolling stock and other
facilities which could be better utilised in other ways. With
pitwood at three times its former cost, and a system of
marketing which is necessarily very expensive, it is time that
the utilisation of the French sources of supply should be
carefully considered. The matter is one chiefly of labour
organisation ; and the coal trade would be immensely bene-
fited by reduction in rates of freight, by conservation of
labour forces at home, and by relief of the home railways.

The new president of Bort Talbot Chamber of Commerce
is Mr. L. T. AVinks, who represents in that port the Cardiff