June 22, 1917.

THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN.

1179



Notes from the Coal Fields.

[Local Correspondence.]

South Wales and Monmouthshire.

Removal of a Prohibitum—Union of Local Railways—
Miners’ Federation and its New Rides—Coal Dealers
Combine—“ Unrest ” C o mmission at ' Work—Colliery
Proprietors Consider the Compensation Scheme.

The Coal Controller has decided to withdraw the prohibi-
tion placed upon the transport of Forest of Dean coal to
Monmouthshire and South Wales, a prohibition which gave
rise to considerable uneasiness in the district, and necessi-
tated enquiry as to the amounts obtained. Mr. Gibson,
secretary of the District Coal and Coke Supplies Com-
mittee for South Wales, distributed enquiry forms as to
the Forest of Dean and other outside supplies received in
the second half of 1916, the intention of the committee
being to arrange for substitution of South Wales coal and
thus to economise transport facilities. A large quantity of
Forest of Dean output has hitherto come into Monmouth-
shire and South Wales.

The report of . the Tredegar Iron Company states that
the payments to dependants of men on active service from
the Tredegar, Oakdale, and Markham collieries had reached
a total up to the end of March of no less than <£35,737, and
that out of 2,415 employees who joined the Colours no
fewer than 116 have been killed in action. The company
subscribed £100,000 to the 5 per cent. War Loan, and
offered an additional £20,000 for subscription by officials
and workmen, payment by instalments being spread over
two years ; and of tliat amount £19,000 was immediately
taken up.

The Bristol Channel Pitwood Importers’ Association met
at Cardiff Exchange on Friday of last week, Mr. W. Harry
being in the chair. A report was submitted from the
deputation which waited upon Mr. Henderson (Deputy-
Controller of the Imports Restriction Department) in
London; and the chairman described the schema which the
Deputy-Controller had proposed with regard to future
importations from France and Portugal. Under this,
importers other than those who supply Admiralty collieries
will be allotted three-eighths of the total quantity brought
to South Wales, the allocation being based upon the average
quantities imported during 1914 and 1915 by the different
firms. It was therefore desired that returns should be
made to Mr. AV. R. Hawkins (secretary), showing the
amount that each firm had received during the specified
period. The members present criticised the scheme
adversely, and will probably enter a protest against so
small a proportion as three-eighths, seeing that the propor-
tion of total imports made by them in the pre-war period
amounted practically to two-thirds of the quantity brought
in. It is stated that a joint licence will be given by the
authorities to the committees for the total quantity which
has to be imported, and that the committee will issue
licences for the proportion of each individual firm. The
meeting further decided to direct attention to the fact that
the firms supplying Admiralty qualities had Government
assistance in regard to shipping, whereas the othe’r
importers had no such help.

A matter of considerable interest was raised in the
House of Commons by Mr. Stanton, M.P. for Merthyr
Boroughs, when he asked the President of the Board of
Trade whether a working arrangement had been come to
by the three principal railways in South’ Wales, namely—
the Cardiff, the Taff A7ale, and the Rhymeey ; and, if so,
whether, inasmuch as the raihvays are all now controlled
by the Government, their consent had 'been obtained, and
if proper protection would be afforded to the trade and to
working class communities. Mr. G. Roberts replied,
stating that he had not heard of such an arrangement, but
he would make enquiries, and that, in any case, he did
not think an arrangement of the kind could affect the
working of the railways under the control of the Railway
Executive on behalf of the Government.—As a matter of
fact, there is general expectation in the district that some
such arrangement may be brought about, one reason for
the belief being that the manager of the Rhymney Railway
has become also manager of the Cardiff Railway and Docks,
and the general impression being that ere long the Taff
A7ale undertaking will come under the same management.

The conference of delegates of South AVales miners con-
tinued its sittings at Cardiff in the later days of last week,
and disposed drastically of many extremist amendments to
the rules which had been drafted by the executive. Nearly
all the suggested amendments were negatived. A resolu-
tion was passed instructing the executive to set up an audit
department of its own, the duty of which should be not
only to audit the accounts of the central body, but also
of the district lodges, auditing expenses to be propor-
tionate to the membership dealt with. Mr. Lewis Miles
was re-elected trustee, with Air. Morgan Williams, of
Forth, and Mr. Aleredith, of Cross Keys. It was decided
that there should be the annual conference in June, each
lodge to be entitled to a delegate with one vote for a lodge
of between 40 and 50 members, and one vote additional
for every further 50 or fraction of 50. Afore than 30
amendments dealt with the question of conferences, but
the chief change was that the annual gathering shall be in
June instead of March. Special conferences are to be
called at the discretion of the executive.

In the new rules, the contribution is fixed at not less
than Is. per fortnight, members who are a fortnight in
arrears ceasing to be entitled to benefit, it being required
that every member must clear up at all “ show cards.”
With regard to the benefits, it is provided that each dis-
trict shall support out-of-work members when the number
does not exceed 1 per cent. ; and the revolutionary pro-
posal. that, if a colliery be idle through a dispute for 14
days, the -whole coal field should give notice, was rejected
by an overwhelming majority, only a few votes being given
in support. Members on strike or lock-out, men unem-
ployed through explosions or other interferences with oper-
ation, depression of trade, and disputes arising out of non-
unionism, are to be allowed 10s. per week, and 5s. per week
will be paid to each member under 18 years of age. Every
member will be allowed Is. per week extra for each child
under 14 years of age. Proposals to increase these benefit
payments were rejected.

On Saturday, the conference passed other resolutions,
one of which was that general notices terminating con-
tracts should not be given by, or on behalf of, members of
any lodge unless permission had first been secured from a
district meeting. It was decided also that the books and
accounts of the Federation should be open for the inspec-
tion of every member at reasonable times on giving due
notice. Any question of importance is to be decided by a
ballot vote of the majority of members voting when the
question is one which affects the members generally; and
it will be for the executive council to determine the way in
which the ballot shall be taken. Encouragement will be

given to the formation of joint committees representing
groups of collieries, or collieries under the same owner-
ship, and recognition of these joint committees will be
made both by the district and the executive council.

Several of the miners’ leaders in South AA’ales have been
on a visit to the front, by invitation of the AA7ar Emer-
gency Committee, and they have been much impressed by
the excellent organisation of the Army and of the abun-
dant supply of food and munitions—one speaker describing
the organisation as “magnificent.”

The East Glamorgan Conservative Association has had
under consideration the legal action in which some of its
members are involved with the South AA7ales Aimers'
Federation, the question submitted to the court being as
to the increased subscriptions and the application of part
of the Federation funds towards political objects.

The South AVales Coal Alerchants’ Federation is an
organisation which includes representatives from Newport
on the east to Llanelly in the west, and at the meeting held
in Swansea, a Llanelly representative proposed the resolu-
tion desiring that the Coal Owners’ Association would not
supply coal for domestic purposes to any person not a
member of the Federation. The organisation of the trade
is being strongly advocated, and it is also taking up the
subject of State control of coal, of municipal depots, and
also the question of siding rents, etc.

The AA7elsh section of the Industrial Unrest Commis-
sion (which deals with both South Wales and Monmouth-
shire) met in the Cardiff City Hall on Tuesday. It con-
sisted of Air. Lleufer Thomas, stipendiary of Pontypridd ;
Air. T. Evans, of the Ocean Company, and director of
the Barry Railway ; and Air. A7ernon Hartshorn, miners’
leader. Their secretary is Air. E. C. Chappel], who is
connected with the South Wales Garden City Associa-
tion. The Commissioners have issued an invitation to
representatives of associations of employers and employed
to submit evidence, and also invite other organisations of
a private character, as well as private individuals; but
they give notice that they cannot undertake to investi-
gate private individual complaints. Only questions of
principle should therefore be submitted to them. They
will sit during the whole of next week, first receiving
evidence as to railways, afterwards shipping, mining, etc.

The South. Wales coal owners on Tuesday had before
them the proposals of the Coal Controller as to compen-
sation. The proceedings were private. After discussion
it was decided to adjourn and meet again in London later
in the week.

It was stated in the Alonmouthshire munitions court,
when certain men were summoned for being absent from
work, that a boy of 16 years had earned on an average
3 gns. a week for the quarter ending Alarch, and in one
week had earned £4 3s.

Northumberland and Durham,

Purport Licences—May Shi pments—Port Dues Increased
—(//ass i f y ing a (-h e ck w e ig h m an— M in i n g Pi.rh i b i t i< > n s
at Armstrong College.

The AA7ar Trade Department having requested that all
licences for the export of coal to Italy should be returned
to them without delay, in order that they may endorse
those it is decided to extend, the local committee asked
all holders of licences to hand them in by noon on
Wednesday of this week.

The “Roll of Honour” of the Lambton and Hettori
Collieries Limited was on Saturday last advertised in a
Newcastle newspaper, taking up nearly two pages of the
issue. The numbers are as follow : From the head office.
11 ; Elemore Colliery, 435 ; Lumley New Winning, 200;
Lumley, 6th pit. 188; Eppleton Colliery, 664 : Hetton pit,
292: North Biddick, 385; Lambton “D” pit, 435:
Houghton Colliery, 694; Herrington Colliery, 312 :
Lambton Engine AVorks and Railway, 93 ; Lambton Brick
and Pipe AVorks. 19 : Lambton Coke Works, 28 ; Harraton
Colliery. 283; Hazard pit, 284 ; Hetton Coke AVorks, 21 ;
Hetton Engine Works, 71; Railway Department, 32 :
Dorothea pit, 365 ; Margaret pit, 334 ;.Lambton and Hetton
staiths, 105 ; and Lambton group, sundries. 44—a total of
5.295.

During last month, 897,692 tons of coal as cargo,
84,543 tons of coal as bunkers, and 42,957 tons of coke
were shipped from the Tyne, decreases of 204,038 tons,
34,457 tons, and 36,009 tons respectively, when compared
with the shipments of Alay 1916, and a decrease of
657,359 tons, a decrease of 126,895 tons, and an increase
of 1.7,677 tons respectively when compared with those for
Alay 1913 (the last full pre-war year). Last month’s ship-
ments bring the total for the year thus far up to
3,879,222 tons of coal as cargo (a decrease of 747,991 tons
when compared with the shipments for the corresponding
period of 1916, and of 3,337,549 tons when compared with
those for the like period of 1913), 416,978 tons of coal as
bunkers (decreases of 147.965 tons and 488,386 tons respec-
tively), and 255,748 tons of coke (a decrease of 67,792 tons
when compared with 1916, but an increase of 137,829 tons
when compared with 1913).

The Tyne Improvement Commissioners have decided to
ask the Board of Trade to make an Order empowering the
Commission to raise its port dues by one-third as from
July 1. In making a motion to that effect, Air. Arthur
Scholefield stated that the increase would not give them
all the income they needed to avert a deficit on the year,
but the Board of Trade had to consider the whole of the
ports, as any arrangement for the Tyne would doubtless be
quoted all round. Last year the total amount received in
dues was £293,648, but the amount this year would pro-
bably be considerably less, and the increase would only
take effect for the last six months. The dues referred to
are those on vessels, coal, and some but not all goods.
The Commission’s request follows on an interview which
Air. Scholefield and the secretary (Air. Alanson) have
already had with the officials of the Board of Trade, and
the Order is a foregone conclusion.

Fire coal supplies for the inhabitants of the Durham
county aged miners’ homes last year cost £2,226. It is
suggested that the proceeds of the “Flower Day” to be
held throughout the county on July 14 should be allocated
for the special purpose of the provision of fuel. It is
hoped to raise £2,000 on that day.

Two aged miners, Thomas Gray, 70, and James Carney,
76, were killed in Alonkwearmouth Colliery last week as
the result of an accident to a set of tubs. The two old
men were proceeding to their work up a slope, and, not
noticing that the set had stuck, went on their way instead
of taking shelter in one of the safety holes, with the result
that when the set came away they were crushed between
the tubs and the wall side, receiving fatal injuries. A
verdict of “ Accidental death ” was returned, and the
coroner expressed sympathy with the relatives.

At Newcastle County Court, Judge Greenwell had to
decide, in an action remitted from the AVestminster Court,
whether a checkweighman is a miner. The AVestminster

Court had issued an order for the costs of the day if the
defendant should not be proved to be a miner. The case
was one in which Janies Scott, of Blaydon, was sued by
the International University Society for instalments on
books alleged to have been ordered by him. Scott denied
having signed the order form produced, and said of a
post-card produced that it was not his, and misrepresented
one lie had sent to the society. He was a miner, and was
only elected to act as checkweighman from fortnight to
fortnight by his fellow workmen. His Honour referred
to the section which read “ Aliner or person engaged in
manual labour,” and interpreted it clearly to mean that a
“ miner ” might be something more than a manual
labourer, or it would not be necessary to specify “miner.”
He pointed out, also, that the order for the books pur-
porting to have been signed by the defendant did not
specify that payment was to be made in London. Notting-
ham was the only place mentioned on the form, so that the
Westminster Court had had no jurisdiction. The sum-
monses had been obtained there by a misstatement in the
affidavit. He gave judgment for the defendant, because
there was no evidence that the defendant signed the docu-
ment. He held, also, that a checkweighman was a miner.

The question whether a man’s inflammation of the
kidneys had resulted from a “ beat hand ” was the point
at issue in the action, at Auckland County Court, in which
Airs. Walker claimed compensation from Messrs. Bolckow,
A7aughan and Company Limited, owners of AVest Auckland
Colliery, for the death of her husband. , Dr. Malcolm
Smith stated that death resulted, from nephritis, or acute
inflammation of the kidneys, set up by a “ beat hand."
The latter, he explained, was an acute abscess near the
thumb, sometimes called subcutaneous cellulitis. It could
be caused by a man grappling with a cold object. It
might be caused by the constant use of the hand. The
skin thickened, and an abscess was formed, which was
very painful, and contained a large amount of pus. Owing
to the hard skin, it was difficult for the pus to escape.
Witness had to cut the hand in that case to clear the matter
away. By Air. Alundahl,. for the respondents, such a man
would be very susceptible to cold, which would affect the
kidneys. Dr. T. A. McCullagh stated that “ beat hand ”
came from pressure and friction, and that similar diseases
were set up on the knee through kneeling, and on the
elbow through rubbing against the sides of the pit. He
agreed that death was due to absorption by the kidneys of
the poisonous matter in the hand. For the respondents,
it was argued that the man might have caught a chill
which would have set up the inflammation, or that he was
in a reduced condition of health which rendered him sus-
ceptible. Du. Pearson, who had attended a post-mortem
examination, stated that the hand was practically healed,
and that he found no trace of the kidneys having been
affected by the injury to the hand. A common explana-
tion of the nephritis was the extraordinarily cold winter
(Walker died in February). In his opinion, “beat hand ”
had nothing to do with the cause of death. Judge Bonsey
gave his decision in accordance with the weight of medical
evidence, awarding applicant the amount claimed—£297.

The Ebbw A7ale Steel. Iron and Goal Company Limited
presented three mining exhibitions to the .Armstrong
College for the use of mining students. The conditions of
the gift are as follow: Exhibitions are each of the value
of £60 per annum, tenable for three years at the collieries
or mines of the company, so that, normally, one such exhi-
bition will be offered every year. The exhibition will be
awarded to students passing the final examination entitling
them to the B.Sc. degree in mining, or, failing a satisfac-
tory candidate among these, may be awarded to students
passing the final examination entitling them to the college
diploma in mining, upon the results of a vied voce exami-
nation by a board consisting of the principal, the external
examiner in mining, and a representative appointed by the
donors. No exhibition shall be awarded in any year in
which no candidate of sufficient merit, in the opinion of
the board, presents himself. The successful candidate
shall, within two months of receiving the award, proceed
to Ebbw A7ale and report himself to the chief mining engi-
neer of the company, and shall employ himself in the
collieries or mines of the company as he may be instructed
to do, it being understood that his employment shall be of
such a nature as to be equivalent to apprenticeship, so as
to enable him to sit for the first-class certificate of com-
petency as colliery manager at the expiration of three
years’ tenure of the exhibition. Acceptance of the exhi-
bition by a candidate shall be deemed an undertaking by
him that he will in due course present himself for the
above-named examination. The tenure of the exhibition
is specifically conditional upon the holder continuing to
perform to the satisfaction of his superiors the duties
assigned to him, and it may be terminated by the Ebbw
Vale Company at the end of any quarter in which the
chief mining engineer of the company has reason to be
dissatisfied with the work or the behaviour of the exhibi-
tioner. It should be clearly understood that the Ebbw
A7ale Company is under no obligation whatever to offer
any exhibitioner further employment after the period of
his exhibition has terminated, nor is any exhibitioner
bound to accept such employment, if any be offered to
him. Candidates for these exhibitions shall send in their
names to the secretary of the college on or before April 30
in each year.

The Midlands.

The problem of distribution in the Cannock Chase coal
field still awaits solution, and the colliery owners are
faced with a situation which seems to increase in difficulty
as the weeks go on. An undue number of railway trucks
at the collieries await locomotives, and measures to divert
traffic on to the canals make only slow progress. More
barges are gradually being brought into the service, but
there is not sufficient labour available to get all the boats
to work, and the execution of contracts at the pits is
reported to be seriously hung up in consequence. The
delay in deliveries is the more troublesome because exten-
sive arrangements are just now being made by various
towns bordering upon the Cannock Chase coal field for
the stocking of domestic coal in public depots as a pre-
caution against possible shortage later on. It is stated
that special arrangements have been made to divert to
London considerable additional supplies of Cannock Chase
coal for stocking purposes.

Dudley Town Council has before it a proposal to town-
plan the borough. AVhen the matter was before them
recently, Aid. Grazebrook, a colliery proprietor, urged
that they ought to know what land was to be planned,
and that the colliery proprietors should be consulted as to
the mineral areas, upon the working of which the indus-
trial future of the town depended. It was useless to plan
out streets, he said, unless they had regard to this. Other-
wise mines would be worked, and the Corporation would
have to pay large sums of money to purchase the mines or
re-make the road. Air. H. AV. Hughes (mining engineer)
said that owing to mining operations, half the available