June 14, 1918.

THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN.

1205

enquiry, and beans and peas difficult to secure in anything
like satisfactory parcels. There is little change in culm
and duff, and supplies on hand are on the heavy side. The
inland demand for all qualities of coal is satisfactory, but
owing to shipping receiving preference, delays in the
execution of orders are unavoidable.

SOUTH WALES MINING TIMBER TRADE.

The imports of foreign mining timber into South Wales
have been upon rather a slow scale during the past few days.
The total for the week ended June 6 amounted to 9,252
loads, the following being the actual consignments : —

Cardiff (including Barry and Penartn):—

Date.	Consignee.	Loads.

May 31 Morgan and Cadogan.........	120

„ 31 T. P. Thomas .............. 1,200

June	1	Morgan and Cadogan ...... 3,840

„	3	Morgan and Cadogan........	900

„	3	Lysberg Limited ......... 1,680

„	3 M. Thompson .............. 1,080

„	4	Morgan and Cadogan ........ 120

„	6	E. Marcesche and Co......... 54

„	6	E. Marcesche and Co......... 48

„	6	E. Marcesche and Co......... 24

„	6	E. Marcesche and Co......... 48

„	6	E. Marcesche and Co......... 48

„	6	E. Marcesche and Co......... 48

„	6 Grant Hayward and Co.......	42

Total...... 9,252

The imports to the Admiralty Pit wood Committee were
not so heavy, but it is understood that large quantities
will shortly be shipped. Advices from the French Bay
ports state that both wharves and stations are blocked with
wood awaiting shipment. Merchants refuse to pay more
than a stipulated amount for French pitwood, and all
importers are holding out with the object of securing a
minimum profit. The gross profit secured in the first
quarter of the year is estimated at 2s. lid. per ton on the
average. Out of this large payments have to be made, so
that the net profit is probably about Is. 6d. to Is. 9d. per
ton. Quotations were at the schedule price of 65s. per ton
ex ship Cardiff.

Home Grown Supplies More Plentiful.

There has been an increasing exploitation of our woods
and forests, and delivery of home grown mining timber has
lately increased to a sharp extent. The forests in Great
Britain, which are comparatively small, are being rapidly
denuded. Last month the quantity of home grown mining
timber delivered to the collieries constituted a record, and
it is stated that the deliveries this month will prove even
greater. Labour, especially of the right sort, is still scarce.
Cutting is proceeding rapidly, but it is estimated that
some thousands of tons of pitwood are lying in the fields
awaiting delivery to collieries, the lack of hauliers being
most pronounced. All conditions of men are working in
the woods, and in several parts German prisoners have
been pressed into service. The resulting increase in the
quantities of home grown ftwood available has, of course,
meant lessened dependence upon French wood. It is stated
that the Government may still further prohibit the amount
of foreign wood coming into the kingdom, but it is improb-
able that the imports from France will be cut off any
further. For the wood received from France is almost
wholly assembled by small steamers and sailing vessels
engaged in the coal trade between South Wales and the
Bay ports. These vessels would be forced to come back
light or in ballast from France if they had no pitwood
cargoes. Consequently the efficiency of shipping tonnage
is in no wise conserved by any further limitation of the
French pitwood trade. There are opinions held that the
home grown trade could supply all the wood needed for
collieries. Having regard to the small area of forests and
the rapid rate of cutting, this supply would not last long.

Efforts are being made at Cardiff to manufacture concrete
substitutes for mining timber, but it is not expected to
secure any general adoption owing to the distaste of the
miners towards any innovation. Wood still remains the
best prop available, and the miners desire its retention
owing to the fact that wood props give warning of any
sudden roof pressure or falls of coal in the mines.

The imports of mining timber from Ireland have been
upon a rather poor scale of late. The wood is sold at the
same price as French—65s. per ton ex ship for any sizes.

THE IRISH COAL TRADE.

Thursday, June 13.

Dublin.

Increased difficulty is experienced in meeting the de-
mand. Supplies show no improvement, and it is almost
impossible to procure cargoes from the other side. Prices
(unchanged) : Best Orrell, 51s. per ton; best Wigan, 49s. ;
standard coal, 46s. 6d. per ton delivered; coke, 49s. per
ton. At present quotations available for Irish coal are
not available. Work is expected to be resumed at Wolf-
hill Collieries, Queen’s County, at an early date, after
several months’ suspension. At Castlecomer Collieries,
County Kilkenny, some colliery dispute awaits settlement,
pending which no orders can be accepted. The total quan-
tity of coal discharged upon the Dublin quays from cross-
Channel ports during the past week was only 18,074 tons,
as compared with 22,500 tons the week previously.
Representative citizens and large users of coal for power
have agreed generally with the suggestions made by the
Midland Coal Committee, especially as to early closing
of theatres, waste of window lights, and advertising light-
ing, and that every means should be taken to promote
turf harvesting. It is proposed to ration householders
and other consumers of gas, coal, and electricity. At a
monthly meeting of the Municipal Council of the City of
Dublin, held last week, a letter was read from the secre-
tary of the Electricity Supply Committee, drawing atten-
tion to the serious position in which the Dublin electricity
undertaking had been placed by the recent restrictions
in the delivery of coal. It was stated that to keep the
electricity and main drainage department in full work-
ing order last year deliveries of at least 32,000 tons were
required. They received in all a little over 24,000 tons,
and the Irish Shipping Controller now proposed they
should only receive for the current year 18,000 or 19,000
tons. A resolution was adopted protesting against the
treatment meted out to the Dublin Corporation in the
supply of coal, and authorising the Electricity Committee
to communicate directly with the Controllers of Coal and
Shipping as to the present dangerous shortage of coal
reserves.

Belfast.

It is hoped that with the warm weather and the tem-
porary settlement of the Ayrshire labour dispute that the
supply will now be sufficient to meet immediate demands.
Stocks remain low in the port, and prices of house coals
are unchanged, viz.: Best English coal, 51s. per ton;
English nuts, 50s.; English kitchen coal, 50s.; best
English slack, 47s.; Scotch household, 45s.; standard coal,
44s. per ton net. The total number of coal-laden vessels
entering the harbour from May 19 to June 1 was 118.
At a meeting of Donegal County Council it was stated
a number of steam rollers were lying up owing to the
impossibility of getting coal, and in consequence they
would probably have to abandon steam rolling altogether.

THE BY-PRODUCTS TRADE.

Tar Products.—Tar has not undergone any material
change in the market during the past week, but business
of a steady character is passing, subject, of course, to
permits for ordinary use. Pitch is decidedly stronger on
the east and west coasts, and enquiries for forward
business are reported. Creosote quotations have advanced
a trifle in the London market, but otherwise the by-
products exhibit a deal of sameness, chiefly owing to the
control system. Crude carbolic is dull.

Current quotations.—Pitch: London, 52s. 6d. to 55s.;
mst coast, 30s. to 32s. 6d. f.o.b; Liverpool, 30s.; west coast
30s. to 31s. f.a.s. Crude tar: London, 32s. 6d. to 35s.;
Midlands, 27s. to 29s.; North, 28s. to 30s. per ton ex
gas works. Benzol : London, 90 per cent. Is. 0^d., naked;
North, 10|d. to ll|d., 50 per cent., Is. 4d. to Is. 5d.,
naked. Solvent naphtha : Naked, London, 90-190 per
cent.. 4s.; North, 3s. 9d.; July-December, 3s. 7^d. and
3s. 6d. respectively; 95-160 per cent, naked, London,
4s. 3d. to 4s. 6d.; North, 4s.; July-December, 3s. lOJd.
and 3s. 9d. respectively. Crude naphtha: Naked, 30 per
cent., 8^d. to 8|d. ; North, 6^d. to 6|d. Refined naphtha-
lene, £30. Toluol: Naked, London, 2s. 4d.; North,
2s. 3d. Creosote : Naked, London, 4|d. to 5d. Car-
bolic acid : Crude* 60 per cent., east coast and west
coast, 3s. 4d. naked ; crystals, 39-40, Is. 3d. Cresylic :
Casks, 95 per cent., 3s.; 97-99 per cent., 3s. 3d. to 3s. 6d.
ex works London and f.o.b. other ports. Anthracene:
40-45 A 4|d., 48-50 A 6d., B IJd. to 2|d. Aniline oil,
Is. 2d., casks free; salts, Is. 2d., drums free.

Sulphate of Ammonia.—Business quiet. Home trade,
June-August, £15 5s., September-November £15 15s.,
basis 24|, less 10s. a ton to dealers and merchants.

WORKS COMMITTEES.

(Continued from page 1144.)

Joint Timekeeping Committees.

The rules of joint committees at collieries in
Northumberland, with a note on committees at
collieries in other districts, and an agreement of the
joint committees at ironworks in Cleveland and
Durham, with a note on working of these committees,
are published as an appendix to the report.

Northumberland Coal Owners’ Association and Northum-
berland Miners’ Mutual Confident Association.

[Rules respecting the formation and procedure of
joint committees for the purpose of securing
greater regularity of work at the collieries.]

In order to increase the output of coal the following
rules are adopted by the above-named associations: —

1.	Where workmen are unable to work in their own
working places such persons shall work in other places
where there are vacancies in accordance with the
custom of the colliery. If no such places are available
and the man in consequence has to go home, he shall
not be returned to the authorities as an absentee on
that day.

2.	Men prevented from getting to their work at the
proper time, due to the workmen’s train or car being
late, shall on its arrival be allowed to go to work.

3.	All deputations shall be held at such hours, when-
ever possible, as will cause no loss of time to the
members of such deputations or the men who appear
with them.

4.	All persons shall attend every day on which the
pit is working unless prevented by illness or other
reasonable cause.

5.	That a district committee be set up consisting of
an equal number of coal owners’ and workmen’s repre-
sentatives. If all members are not present, only an
equal number shall vote on each side.

6.	That the district committee shall meet as agreed
upon for the purpose of dealing with disputes which
have arisen under any of the local committees and
any other business, except in the event of urgent
business, in which case a meeting may be called on
the representation of either side to specially deal with
the matter.

7.	That a local committee shall be established at each
colliery, consisting of an equal number (not exceeding
three each) of coal owners’ and workmen’s repre-
sentatives to carry out these rules. If all members
are not present, only an equal number shall vote on
each side.

8.	The local committee shall meet at least once a
fortnight, and the management shall supply a “time
lost sheet,” showing the names of the men against
whom there is a complaint, and the local committee
shall decide upon whom they shall summon to the
next meeting.

9.	The men who are called upon to appear before
the committee shall have at least two days’ notice
given to appear. Failing to attend they will be dealt
with in their absence, and the method of giving notice
to attend shall be left to the committee at each
colliery.

Meetings are to take place so that men may attend
without losing time.

10.	The local committee shall be empowered to im-
pose fines, and the persons so fined shall have tlm
option of signing a book for such fines to be deducted
or to be dealt with bv the management, (a) If the first
method is selected by the workman and he attends
and works full time, as defined by Rule 4, for one
month after the fine is inflicted, the fine to be returned
to him. (5) All fines not so redeemed to be paid over
to some charitable institution to be selected by the

local committee, (c) The amount of fines shall be;
For a first offence for which a fine is inflicted, 2s. 6d.
per day of avoidable absence; a second offence, 5s.
per day. In the event of a third offence the case to
be dealt with at the discretion of the management.

11.	The local committee shall report to the district
committee all cases in which they fail to agree.

12.	Excuses for absence must be bond fide, and
where an absentee claims he was away owing to illness,
a doctor’s note must be produced if demanded.

13.	Any official responsible for the workmen losing
work or failing to do his best to get work for them
shall be reported to the local committee, who shall
investigate the circumstances, and if the charge
appears to be justified the case shall be reported to
the central committee to deal with.

14.	These rules to continue for the duration of
the war.

February 12, 1917.

Reginald Guthrie ) a , .
Wxlliam Straker j Secretaries.

Note on Committees at Collieries in other Districts.

Committees formed on very similar lines have been
set up in other, biit not in all, mining districts. The
statements as to functions and procedure may differ
in certain particulars. (1) Provision is sometimes
made for the attendance of officials of the miners’
and owners’ associations at pit committee meetings.
(2) The scope of a pit committee’s functions is some-
times stated so as to include more than appears to
be covered b Rule 13 above, which deals with officials
“responsible for the workmen losing work, or failing
to do his best to get work for them.” The functions
may include the consideration of facilities for output
and the suggestion of improvements, apart from cases
arising under the circumstances referred to in Rule 13
above. (3) The rules vary also in such details as
number of representatives, time of meetings, and
amount of fines.

The results achieved differ greatly from district to
district. In some districts no committees have been
set up, while in some others, after being set up the
committees have either failed to work at all or, after
a period of successful operation, have weakened and
been abandoned. In other districts, however, the
committees have continued to work satisfactorily,
improving time-keeping and organisation and increas-
ing output. The application of short time has in
certain districts made the need for the committees
less urgent and an estimate of their value difficult.
Among the reasons given for failure to institute the
committees are (1) failure of employers to take the
matter up, and (2) the younger men’s dislike for the
scheme; and for failure to work satisfactorily (1) the
failure of employers to carry out agreements about
Sunday work, etc., and (2) simple inability of the two
sides to agree.

Joint Committees: Agreement setting up Works Com-
mittees to deal with Cases of Time-Losers at Iron-
works in Cleveland and Durham.

[This scheme has been suggested by the Ministry of
Munitions and accepted by the Cleveland Iron-
masters’ Association and the Cleveland Blast-
furnacemen’s Association, in order to avoid the
necessity of taking men before the munitions tri-
bunals. The agreement will come into operation
on Sunday, August 12, 1917, at.......................

Ironworks.]

1.	At each works in the Ironmasters’ Association
there shall be set up a committee consisting in the
first instance of three workmen employed at the works.

2.	The appointment of the three workmen (one of
whom must be the delegate) shall rest with the Cleve-
land and Durham Blastfurnacemen’s and Cokemen’s
Association.

3.	The Cleveland Ironmasters’ Association, or any
individual member thereof, may at any future time,
and at the request of the Cleveland Blastfurnacemen’s
Association must, also appoint to the committee three
employer representatives for each works or for such
of the works as are affected, and such representatives
shall have equal powers and duties with the workmen’s
representatives.

4.	So long as the committee consists of three repre-
sentatives, two shall form a quorum; if the committee
consists of six representatives, four shall form a
quorum.

5.	There shall also be created a central committee
consisting of six persons, three of whom shall be
appointed by the Cleveland Ironmasters’ Association
and three by the Cleveland Blastfurnacemen’s Asso-
ciation : four to form a quorum.

6.	The duties and the powers of the works com-
mittee shall be : (a) To enquire fully into every case
brought by the manager of the works of alleged bad
time-keeping on the part of any workman employed
at the works under his charge. (5) To give warning
and advice to any workman who may appear to need
it. (c) To inflict, subject to the provisions of the
Truck Acts, such penalty or fine as in the judgment
of the committee the case shall merit, such fine not
to exceed 20s. in any one instance, (d) In the case
of repeated offences, to transmit the facts and
evidence to the judgment of the central committee.

(e)	In the event of the works committee being equally
divided in their judgment on any case, the same shall
be submitted to the central committee for decision.

(f)	Each works committee shall have power to reduce
or remit altogether any fine imposed by the committee
if the offender’s conduct during the four weeks
succeeding the hearing of his case justifies any varia-
tion in the original penalty.

7.	The duties and the powers of the central com-
mittee shall be: (a) To review all the facts and
evidence in connection with any case which may be
submitted to it by works committees, and, if it so
decides, to impose upon the offender, subject to the
provisions of the Truck Acts, a fine not exceeding
40s., or to submit the case to the judgment of the
Ministry of Munitions. (5) To make regulations for
the guidance of the works committees.

8.	Fines shall be deducted, subject to the provisions
of the Truck Acts, from the wages due to the work-