484 THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN. March 8, 1918. DIRECTION AS TO THE SALE OF COAL, &c. The Controller of Mines has issued a notice, dated March 2, stating that the charge of one-third of 5 per cent, brokerage on freight to be paid to the exporter by the ship owner, time-charterer, or buyer, under Articles 11, 23, and 36 of the Directions dated January 31 (see Colliery Guardian, February 8, 1918, page 276), shall in the case of all cargoes shipped after March 2, 1918, be paid over in full by the exporter to the owners of the collieries, coke ovens, or patent fuel works from which the fuel was shipped. The Direction does not affect the arrangement in the case of shipments to France and Italy in neutral vessels, under which the excess of the brokerage charge over the charge based on the limitation freight for British and Allied vessels is remitted to the buyer. With regard to Part III. (C) of the Directions of January 31 (payment for shipments to Norway, etc.), RAILWAY TRUCK TIPPLERS. Modern industrial processes involve the use of coal in extremely large quantities, and this will undoubt- edly continue to be the case, in an increasing degree, for many years to come. Pow’er is the largest item of expense1 in most manufacturing works, and fuel repre- sents about 70 per cent, of the total cost of such power. During recent years coal has been steadily rising in price, and there is every reason to anticipate that it will continue its upward tendency. In these circumstances, economy in the use of coal is a matter of considerable importance in relation to industrial efficiency, and also a contribution to the national welfare. More than ever before, it is now realised that indus- trial existence depends upon efficiency; and if we are to maintain our position in industry, it is essential to avoid waste in the use of that essential, but not bodily, the contents falling into a hopper, and pass- ing to a conveyor of the Bennis U-link type. Opposite the boiler house are two main lines of rail- way, and a large coal bunker of 70 tons capacity has been built below the coaling lines. Immediately over the top of this bunker are mounted two Bennis rotary side truck tipplers, which enable the trucks to be com- pletely inverted and emptied. The tipplers (fig. 3) are arranged so that the upper halves can be lifted off to allow a locomotive to pass through. The arrangement is clearly shown in the illustrations. The wagon is secured in the tippler by clamps which, when tightened up, hold it perfectly in place (fig. 4). The clamps are provided with a strong compensating mechanism to take up any shock. When the wagon has been secured, the attendant, by means of a switch, sets a 5 horse- power electric motor in operation, which rotates the tippler containing the truck, the fuel being emptied into the receiving hopper, from which it is taken away EuBenms & Q-JC5 EnCJA'EF.FIS --- Bolton ----- Fig. 1.—Plan of Coal Handling Plant at Acton Lane. telegrams sent to the Board of Trade in accordance with Article 26 (b) are to be in the following form: — Board Trade Finance, London. (Name of vessel) loads (Date of commencement of loading) (approximate tonnage of cargo) tons (description of coal, coke, or patent fuel) value (★approximate value of cargo in currency of country of destination at Schedule rates) plus brokerage** (approximate amount) consignee (name, port, and country of destination) documents follow. * In the case of shipments under contracts in exist- ence on January 31, 1918, this amount to be made out in sterling. ** The brokerage charge is only to be included in the telegram for collection by the Board of Trade when payable by buyer, and is to be stated in the same cur- rency as that in which the freight is arranged. Where the brokerage is paid by the ship, it is to be collected by the exporter direct (not through the Board of Trade) for payment to the owner of the colliery, etc. Part III. (C) of the Directions as to payment abroad for cargoes does not apply to coal actually used as bunkers by the vessel on the voyage, but where, for the sake of convenience, the parties desire to treat the whole as one transaction the quantity to be used as bunkers may be specified in the telegram, and payment made through the Board of Trade. Commissions to foreign agents are to be paid in ster- ling based on the actual amount of commission received by the exporter. Mr. W. LI. Jones, commercial manager of the Askern Coal and Iron Company Limited, near Doncaster, has been appointed secretary and commercial manager consequent on the resignation of Mr. Robert Gardner (of Bestwood Colliery, Nottingham), who has been secretary of the company since its formation. Petroleum Prospecting in Great Britain.—In a letter to the Press, Lord Cowdray draws attention to the question of prospecting for petroleum in Great Britain, in connection with which mention was made of his firm in the House of Commons. He says that his scientific staff believe that oil will be found in commercial quantities, and to this effect he from time to time has advised the Admiralty. Being anxious to see a new industry born and reared, so that the nation may benefit to the full, his firm has made alterna- tive offers to the Government. They are prepared for the period of the war to place at the disposal of the Govern- ment, free of all cost, the services of the firm and geologic staff for the purposes of exploration and development, and, alternatively, if the Government do not wish to risk public money on what must be deemed a speculative enterprise, to drill at their own expense as licensees, subject to certain areas being reserved to them. This offer, adds Lord Cowdray, commits his firm to a probable expenditure of £500,000. inexhaustible, raw material—coal. The cost of coal, in its relationship to the total cost of power, includes, in addition, the price paid per ton delivered to the works, and the cost of labour and of time in handling the coal up to its final consumption in the furnace. In this latter respect there is still ample room for the introduction of modern machinery for effecting economies and increasing efficiency. One method by which marked economy can be obtained is by the instal- lation of truck unload- ing plant. In this con- nection, it may also be mentioned that an eco- nomic advantage of a reflex nature is thus secured, for the auto- matic discharge of rail- way trucks releases them for further use much more quickly than would otherwise be the case. The result of this is, in effect, to increase the carrying capacity of the railway by enabling a truck to perform two or three journeys instead of one. The extensive adoption of this system might conceivably lead to a reduction of freight charges, and conse- quently of the purchase price of the coal itself. The first truck tippler ever built in this coun- try for dealing with standard railway trucks was made by Messrs. Ed. Bennis and Company Limited for the Metro- politan Electric Supply Company’s works at Acton-lane. It was installed in the year 1903, and after 15 years of active service is still in good working order, though many improvements in detail have since been made. The truck tippler at this station (figs. 1 and 2) forms part of a complete equipment designed for handling small coal at the rate of 60 to 80 tons per hour, and con- veying it from the trucks to the boiler furnaces. In this system the loaded wagon, or coal truck, is turned over by the conveyor. A specially interesting point to be noticed in the design of this tippler is that, by turning completely over, it saves trimming, whilst emptying every ounce of coal. It rests on a series of rollers, those on one side being actuated by a reversible elec- Fig. 2.—Partial Elevation of Acton Lane Plant. [mil tric motor. Each tippler is capable of emptying 100 tons of coal per hour. Another point worthy of notice is that the tippler rings are so proportioned that their centres nearly coincide with the centre of gravity of the truck in end elevation. The advantage of this will be obvious, the power required to work the tippler being very little more than is sufficient to overcome the friction in turning.