June 14, 1918.

THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN.

1209

normal supplies. The committee had decided to ask coal
dealers to make returns of the quantities of coal at present
in stock.

Mr. Wm. Leebetter, of Usworth, presided over the 22nd
quarterly meeting of the members of the Northern Colliery
Officials’ Mutual Aid Association, held in Newcastle
recently. The general secretary (Mr. Robt. Nuttall) stated
that four new branches had been opened during the
quarter and that many officials in Northumberland and
Durham had joined the association, the membership of
which now stood at about 1,300, in 46 branches. Mr.
Thos. Blenkin (Shildon), Mr. J. Robinson (Dirrnington),
and Mr. H. R. Ramsey (Annfield Plain) were elected to
the executive. The Ministry of Labour having invited
the association to appoint two delegates to visit the
Western Front, Mr. Nuttall and Mr. J. G. Longstaff
(Shildon) were chosen, with Mr. Aisbet (Deanbank) as
“ reserve.”

At the June meeting of Darlington Town Council,
Aid. Sir Chas. Starmer referred to the proposals contained
in a White Paper, which had come into the members’
hands that day, with reference to the proposed national
power station scheme under the Coal Conservation sub-
committee’s report. He stated that at the Municipal Cor-
porations Association’s meeting in London the previous
week the Town Clerk and he had endeavoured, without
success, to secure from the chairman a promise that a
meeting of the municipalities interested would be called
to consider that White Paper. Under the proposals, he
foresaw the creation of great electricity trusts having
the whole supply of electricity in the country under their
control. For the Darlington undertaking to be compul-
sorily taken over on the terms suggested would be damag-
ing to that concern. In any scheme for the North-East
Coast they would be linked up with Middlesbrough and
Stockton, and would be penalised for the benefit of the
other towns. They could prove that they could generate
at 30 per cent, less cost than could the great power stations.
The whole thing was fraught with grave danger, and he
was afraid they might be put into a very difficult posi-
tion by the national aspect that had been put before the
country without the details being sufficiently sifted.

John Edward McGovern, 33, treasurer of the East Tan-
field Lodge of the Durham Miners’ Association, has been
committed for trial at the Durham Assizes charged with
misappropriation of funds under the Larceny Act, 1916,
and with having retained some <£44 to the prejudice of
the lodge. At the petty sessional hearing, Fred. Lewins,
secretary of the lodge, stated that defendant was treasurer
up to the end of last year. Defendant admitted that he
had not got the money which was lacking, and informed
witness that he had gambled it away. Moderate bail
was granted.

Mr. Wm. Symons has been appointed chairman and Mr.
John Caine vice-chairman of the executive committee of
the Northumberland and Durham Miners’ Permanent
Relief Fund for the ensuing 12 months.

Mr. Wm. Straker has withdrawn his name, “ both for
the present and the future,” from the sextette of candi-
dates recently selected by the Northumberland Miners’
Association to contest Parliamentary seats in the county.
Nominations of persons to take his place in that capacity
are to be sent in to the Burt Hall by to-morrow (Satur-
day.) It is understood that Mr. Straker’s retirement is
due to purely personal reasons, he being of opinion that
Parliamentary activities should be performed by younger
men than himself.

The Hazon Estate, a freehold manorial, sporting and
agricultural property, of about 1,222 acres, situated about
three miles from Acklington and Wark worth railway
stations and six miles from Alnwick, which property
includes mines and minerals underlying the land, consist-
ing of valuable seams of coal and fireclay let on lease,
was due for sale by auction this week, but has been dis-
posed of privately. The minerals are leased at a fixed
rent, exclusive of royalties, rising to <£700 per annum.

The colliery doctors in the Seaton Delaval district,
having demanded an increase of 3d. per fortnight in their
fees, failing which they would withdraw their profes-
sional services, a meeting of miners, colliery mechanics,
enginemen and firemen at Seaton Delaval has unanimously
decided to recommend that the increase be paid, but that
it should be withdrawn when things become normal once
more.

A presentation was made to Mr. James Hillary, who
has left Kibblesworth Colliery, Durham, after six years’
service, to take over the management of the Ton Philipp
Rhondda Collieries, South Wales.

Moving the adoption of the annual report of the Finance
Committee of the Tyne Improvement Commission, at the
usual monthly meeting at Newcastle this week, Mr. W. J.
Noble, chairman of the committee, stated that, as from
May 1, 1917, the Commissioners increased the dock dues
on coal shipped for export at Northumberland and Albert
Edward Docks and Whitehill Point River Staiths, from
Id. to 2d. per ton in the case of large coal, and from
^d. to Id. in the case of smalls. These increases pro-
duced an increased revenue for the seven latter months
of the year of £6,573 10s. Further, it was found neces-
sary in June, and again in October last year, to make
applications to the Board of Trade for authority to in-
crease the whole of the statutory rates the Commissioners
were authorised to levy. The Board of Trade in June
authorised the Commission to increase the rates .by one-
third, and in October by one-half. These increases came
into operation respectively on July 1 and November 1, and
resulted in an increased revenue of £46,248. On the same
basis of tonnage and shipments the increase would exceed
£116,000 for a full year. The revenue expenditure of the
Commission last year was £394,727, an increase of £40,052
on the year. Three-fourths of the increase was accounted
for by increased war allowances, and the balance by in-
creased cost of materials and stores. The Finance Com-
mittee had hoped that it would not be necessary to pro-
ceed further along the lines of increasing dues, but the
prolongation of the war had caused it reluctantly to come
to the conclusion tMat it was desirable to obtain further
powers from the Board of Trade to enable the Commis-
sion, in case of need, again to increase the dues. In
doing so, the Commission was merely doing what every
other port in the kingdom, large and small, had been
forced to do.

Cleveland.

A new battery of coke ovens is being installed at the
Acklam Ironworks, Middlesbrough.

Yorkshire.

A compensation claim was heard by Judge Acton at
Doncaster County Court last week. Joseph Marshall,
aged 14, screen hand, sued the Rossington Main Colliery
Company relative to an accident in August last year,
when the applicant was caught in a revolving shaft and
seriously injured. The question was whether the lad had
any right to be on the stage where the accident occurred.
For the applicant it was urged that as he was engaged
in his ordinary work at the time of the accident he was

clearly entitled to compensation. The company’s case was
that it was no part of the lad’s duty to leave a truck
until it was full, and that he had no right to be on the
stage where he was at the time he was caught in the
shafting. The judge found that the lad was injured and
incapacitated by an accident arising out of and in the
course of his employment, and gave an award of 10s. per
week during incapacity. Costs were granted.

At the meeting of the Doncaster Corporation last week
the Estates Committee reported that the question of
leasing coal under corporate land had been considered and
adjourned. At the same meeting the Water Committee
reported having considered a letter from the Dalton Main
Collieries Limited, Rotherham, as to the proposed working
of coal by the company under Thrybergh reservoir, which
belongs to the Corporation. It was decided that the
Town Clerk see the Corporation mining engineer, and, if
possible, arrange for him to interview the committee at
an early date.

Interest has been aroused in Yorkshire by a proposal
to revive the scheme for the establishment of a ship canal,
the district mentioned at present being that between Don-
caster and Goole. The present proposal has emanated from
people interested in the collieries of South Yorkshire.

Lancashire and Cheshire.

A verdict of “ Death from misadventure ” was returned
at the inquest at St. Helens on William Griffiths, a fire-
man, who was suffocated by coal gas in the King pit of
the Sutton Heath and Lea Green collieries. Evidence
was given that he went along a road where one of the
working places had been fenced off because it was full
of gas. He was not seen again. Ellis Jones, assistant
under-manager, said that when he got to the place
Griffiths and another man, named Kay, were both in
the gas. He and other men crawled into the place five
times, and at last rescued Kay. Witness said the
breathing apparatus was at the rescue station at Peasley
Cross—thirty-five minutes’ walk from the colliery. There
was no rescue station at the colliery.

A case, arising out of the shortage of colliery drawers
owing to the calls of the war, came before the Wigan
County Court last week. Plaintiff, Joseph Brown, collier,
claimed <£3 2s. 6d. from the Moss Hall Coal Company
Limited, Platt Bridge, for dismissal without notice or
reasonable cause. He said that on January 9, owing to
a shortage of drawers attending day wage men, he and
others, were given the option of drawing their own coal
or going home for the rest of the day. Plaintiff was one
of those who elected to go home. Yet two days earlier
he had agreed to draw for himself in order to maintain
output. He was not allowed to resume work in the pit.
His Honour held that although it was a custom in the
mine for colliers to draw for themselves when a shortage
of men occurred, the plaintiff altered the case on January 7
by agreeing to draw for himself, and therefore as plaintiff
had broken his own contract his employers were justified
in discharging him. Judgment for defendants, with costs.

Mr. Peace, the managing director of the Astley and
Tyldesley Collieries, resigned his position on May 31 after
49 years’ service Mr. A. Rushton is appointed agent and
manager. Mr. Smith, a director and member of the
Works Committee, is appointed commercial manager of
the company.

Notts, and Derbyshire.

A special coal sub-committee, of which Mr. J. E.
Pendleton, an ex-mayor, is the chairman, has prepared a
scheme of rationing for Nottingham, and it is expected
that it will come into operation shortly. A careful record
of all the supplies of coal received by local merchants
has been kept since the beginning of May, and, according
to the scheme, consumers will have to register with one
merchant. It will be a punishable offence to obtain sup-
plies from more than one, or for a merchant to supply
coal in excess of the allowance due to the consumer.

The Midlands.

Cannock Chase coal owners continue to complain at the
way in which output is reduced by the combing-out, and
they declare that it is vitally necessary to allocate coal
according to national needs, omitting local non-essential
industries.

Kent.

The quantity of coal raised at the Tilmanstone and
Snowdown collieries last week was nearly 5,500 tons. A
certain number of the men are still being taken for the
Army, and it has not been possible to replace all up to
the present, which of course has its effect on output.

Special meetings of one or two of the Kent Coal Conces-
sions Allied companies are to be held, and it is under-
stood that one object of the meetings is to endeavour to
secure steps being taken that will simplify the develop-
ment of the coal field after the war.

Sinking at the Chislet Colliery, Canterbury, which had
been temporarily suspended during cementation work, has
now been resumed, and is proceeding very satisfactorily.

Scotland.

In the Hamilton Sheriff Court, Joseph McKendrick,
colliery manager, admitted that between December 1,
1917, and January 10, 1918, while he was manager of
Allanton Colliery, Ferniegair, Hamilton, owned and occu-
pied by William Barr and Sons Limited, he had com-
mitted 15 offences against the statutory regulations. Sheriff
Shennan said he regarded some of the offences as trivial,
but the cumlative effect could not be disregarded. Defen-
dant was fined £8.

The Shotts Iron Company have acquired the control
of the Kepplehill Coal Company Limited, and will con-
duct the affairs of that company from their registered
office, 1, Castle-street, Edinburgh. Mr. Matthew Brown,
general manager and secretary of Shotts Iron Company,
has been appointed general manager and secretary of the
Kepplehill Coal Company.

On the occasion of his retirement from the management
of Ross Colliery, Hamilton, Mr. J. B. Kilpatrick has been
presented by the officials and workmen with a wallet of
banknotes.

The Lanarkshire village of Newmains is at present much
agitated by the presence of gas issuing from obsolete
underground workings. It is some months since the gas
was detected, but recently it forced an outlet at several
parts of the village.

At a meeting of the Scottish Colliery Under-
Managers’ Association the secretary reported that the
wages of under-managers in English districts varied from
£5 5s. to £5 15s. per week. Lancashire had agreed not
to raise the wages question for six months, by which time
it was hoped that the National Federation of Under-
Managers would be in a position to put forward a scheme
for a uniform minimum wage for all under-managers in
Britain. Mr. Wilson was appointed treasurer in room of
Mr. Armour, resigned. The question of medical atten-
dance in Fife was discussed, but the matter was ultimately
left in the hands of the secretary (Mr. John Strachan).

Mr. John Clark, for some time manager at Dysart Col-

lieries, has been appointed agent there in room of Mr. J.
Irvine, deceased.

By the closing down of Dixie Pit, Dunfermline, the
last has been seen—for a time, at least—of a flourishing
colliery. Water troubles are the principal factor in
making the proprietors, Messrs. J. Nimmo and Sons,
decide to close. Hundreds of acres of good steam and
coking coals are lying under water in this coalfield, and
as there are numerous firms at work on the field a combine
for pumping seems the only way to enable the difficulty
to be overcome.

The coal shipped from Methil Docks last week showed
a considerable shrinkage, being 12,178 tons, as against
28,228 tons in the previous week. Burntisland exported
10,720 tons, being an increase of 4,090 tons on the
corresponding week last year. For the month Burntisland
exported 39,694 tons, as against 35,811 tons for May 1917.
The coastwise shipments totalled 33,800 tons.

The shipments of coal from the Clyde last week totalled
118,966 tons, against 115,274 tons in the corresponding
week last year. From the Forth the shipments were
15,975 tons, compared with 19,278 tons in the correspond-
ing week of 1917; and the Fife ports shipped 22,970
tons, as against 20,964 tons in the corresponding week of
last year.

LABOUR AND WAGES.

North of England.

Usworth Colliery workmen, to the number of over 1,300,
who struck work on June 3 for better pay for a certain
class of stonework, resumed operations last Monday in
view of negotiations for a settlement.

Mr. Chas. Alderson, solicitor, of Morpeth, has been re-
elected as chairman of the Northumberland Coal Trade
Joint Committee for the ensuing 12 months.

The following intimation has been issued to the coal-
owners by the Durham Cokemen’s and By-product
Workers’ Association : “ Take notice that, on and after
midnight, June 15, the workmen in membership with our
union engaged at coke and by-product plants and washeries
intend to put the following into operation : (a) No work
will be performed on Sundays between the hours of mid-
night on Saturdays and midnight on Sundays; (b) no
overtime or extra shifts will be worked in excess of a
man’s ordinary time; (c) no work will be performed on
the recognised miners’ holidays in your district.”

In view of the shortage of young men, putter lads in
particular, at Shildon Lodge Colliery, a proposal has been
made that the colliery should revert to the two-shift
system.

The application of Cumberland miners for an advance
of Is. per shift for day wage men continuously working
on the night shift and for shot firers has been referred to
Sir W. Collins, M.P., who will hear the evidence in
London.

Federated Area.

Last week the Nook pits of the Astley and Tyldesley
Collieries Limited were idle for a time owing to the action
of the boiler stokers in refusing to get steam up to put
the colliers into the pits. The grievance of the stokers
was that they were under-staffed and that some of the
present stokers are very inexperienced, and consequently
they desired that these should be replaced by experienced
firemen. They also demanded that before any more men
were combed-out experienced stokers should be ready to
take their places. The men agreed to return to work
conditionally. The matter was brought to the attention
of the Coal Controller during the week.

The friction which has arisen between the colliery
tradesmen’s unions in Lancashire and Cheshire coalfield
and the Miners’ Federation on the question of combing-
out post-war employees has become intensified, and a ballot
is at present being taken at the pits of the Astley and
Tyldesley Collieries Limited, the Tyldesley Coal Company
Limited, and Pilkington’s Colliery Company Limited.
The allegation is that the management of the three colliery
firms indicated refuse to give effect to the decision of the
miners’ organisation in the matter.

At a meeting of representatives of colliery engineers and
the Miners’ Federation at Bolton on Saturday efforts were
made to come to an arrangement respecting the strike of
stokers at the Astley and Tyldesley Colliery Company’s
pits. The deputation complained that inexperienced men
were taking the places of experienced stokers who were
being combed-out of the mines for Army purposes.
Another conference is to be arranged.

The Joint Standing Disputes Committee of the Con-
ciliation Board met on Tuesday and dealt with a large
number of questions. Among them was one from the
Tower Colliery at Hirwain. A complaint was made by
the workmen that the management had refused to agree
to appoint an umpire in a minimum wage dispute, and
that a workman had been given notice for claiming his
minimum wage. The committee decided that the man
had a right to go before the panel chairman, and it was
arranged that the notice should be withdrawn. A further
decision of the committee was that at the Bedwas Colliery
the war wage should be paid to surface men who worked
on Sunday.

The Leicestershire Miners’ Association received on
Saturday the award of Judge Connor, the arbitrator
appointed to deal with questions affecting wages at Ellis-
town Collieries. The company has been paying 2s. 7^d.
per ton to workmen for getting the Nether Lount coal,
and the men asked for this to be increased to 3s., his
Honour awarding them an advance of 2d. per ton, the
increase to date as from April 11 last.

Scotland.

The question of Sunday labour has now become very
common throughout Scotland. One of the Lancashire
branches of the union has put forward a resolution urging
that double time be paid for all Sunday labour, and
any work done on holidays be paid for at time and half.
It is expected the resolution will be placed before the
Miners’ Federation of Great Britain.

It has been found impossible at Plean Colliery to get
sufficient coal to keep the coke ovens fully going, and the
owners have asked the local committee to consider the
question of keeping a pit open six days a week. The
workers are taking a ballot on the question.

The Fife miners have agreed to raise the contributions
to the medical fund to 2^d. per male person employed, for
which medical attendance on dependants of insured persons
will be given.

The dispute at Raith Colliery, Lochgelly, in connection
with the method of weighing the men’s output still
remains unsettled. The matter has been placed before the
Coal Controller, who has given a promise to consider the
question with a view to the abolition of this antiquated
method of weighing.

Iron, Steel and Engineering Trades.

The dispute in the Cumberland iron ore industry has
been settled, and work was resumed at all the mines on
Monday morning.