June 21, 1918. THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN. 1247 standard rates ascertained for the Minimum Wage Enquiry (1912). In August 1917, it is calculated on the new standard rates fixed under the 1915 Conciliation Board Agreement, on the minimum wage rates, or on the average standard rates (ascertained by the Minimum Wage Enquiry), whichever is the highest. The wage is based on the standard day rate, and does not include any extras or allowances. The statement loo 815 265 1885 1905 1910 0 865 1880 1501— 1915 1920 1890 1895 1900 50 II General Wage Bate. Output per Man (Underground). gtsl I I I I I I I I I I I I i I 1 J—I .1-1 I i I 1 I 1-LI JI Fluctuations in General Wage Rate, and Output per Man Underground, in the South Wales Coal Field from 1880. deals only with underground day wage men, and shows the minimum wage for six days’ work. The figures are given in the accompanying table at foot of preceding page. COAL EXPORTS IN MAY. The Board of Trade returns show that the tonnage of coal, coke and patent fuel exported during May and the first five months of 1918, as compared with the corresponding periods in 1916 and 1917, was as follows:— Quantities. 1916. * 1917. 1918. Tons. Tons. Tons. May................ 3,825,387 ... 3,664,823 ... 3,050,735 Five months ...... 17,000,732 ... 15,795,303 ... 13,995,214 The next table shows the values of these exports for the same periods :— Values. 1916. 1917. 1918. May............... £4,790,460 ... <£4,909,394 ... <£4,289,900 Five months <£18,551,184 ... <£20,963,021 .. <£19,879,215 The average value per ton of the exports in May was £1 8s. Ijd. per ton, compared with £1 6s. 9jd. in May last year, and £1 5s. OJd. in May, 1916. COAL CONTROLLER AND ABSENTEEISM. The following letter has been addressed by the Controller of Coal Mines to the secretary of the Miners’ Federation of Great Britain:— Dear Mr. Ashton,— Now that the quota of 75,000 Grade 1 recruits from the coal mines since January 1, 1918, is nearing com- pletion and recruitment is about to be suspended, the coal mining industry will get an opportunity of recovering from the serious dislocation to which it has been subject during the past two months. I think, therefore, that this is a fitting opportunity for me to place before you, in the hope that you will in turn communicate them to your members, a few remarks upon the position with which we are faced. By the end of this month some 400,000 miners will have answered their country’s call during the present war, and many of them have already made the supreme sacrifice. From their comrades, fathers, and brothers who remain in or at the coal mines something more than the ordinary day’s work is due to those whose duty it is to undertake more arduous and dangerous tasks elsewhere, and I want to mention a few facts which will, I think, convince your members that those who remain behind have a very real part to play in the struggle for peace and freedom in which the nation is engaged. Output.—We need more coal than we are getting at present (and, I may add, cleaner coal—coal with less separable dirt). We need it for domestic consumption, for public utility undertakings for the essential indus- trial consumption of this country, for our munition works, for our Allies, and even for neutral countries. You will remember that the second quota for 1918 was to have been 50,000 men, and it is solely due to the urgent demands for coal that the Government decided to suspend the recruiting of the miners after only 25,000 of the second quota had been obtained. In view of the demand for recruits it is obvious that such a course would not have been adopted unless for grave reasons. Some people do not understand why we continue to send coal to neutral countries, but I wish to assure you that we do not do so without getting food, shipping facilities, and other very solid and essential advantages in exchange. In addition, there is no use in disguising the fact that the course of recent military operations in France, by interfering with the production of some of our brave Ally’s coal mines, has increased the French demand upon us for coal, and it is our duty to use every effort to meet that demand. I understand that in certain districts a fear exists among the miners lest the management may take advantage of any increase in a miner's output to reduce his rate of pay, either now or in the future. Whatever grounds may have existed in any quarter for this appre- hension in the past, I wish to state most emphatically that, so long as the coal mines are under my control, no increase in the miner’s output shall be allowed in any way to bring about a reduction of his wages, or otherwise to prejudice his position. 1 sincerely hope the miners will be disabused of any such idea. An increased output per coal-getter of even 10 cwt. per week would result in a national increase of about 10 million tons per annum. I do not mention 10 cwt. as a limit to the increased effort of any coal-getter, but merely as an illustration to show how substantial can be the aggre- gate effect of an increased effort on the part of a large number of individuals. Attendance.—I am not asking the workmen engaged in the coal mining industry to increase the length of their shifts, because I am convinced that if they attend regularly, and put increased efforts into their work, the country could get the output it wants without lengthening the hours of work per day. I do, however, feel entitled to ask, for the sake of the country, and as a tribute to those members of the coal mining industry who are facing much greater dangers and more arduous labours in France and elsewhere, that volun- tary absenteeism should come to an end, and by voluntary absenteeism I mean a man absenting himself from work when he is not deterred therefrom by reasons of health or other incapacity. It is not credit- able and would not continue if those responsible for it realised the con- sequences of their action. Voluntary absenteeism is the negation of community of sacrifice. Their comrades in the Army are never 44 voluntarily absent ” and go on until they drop. .1 would urge upon all, management and workmen alike, to sink all differences and strive, during this period of national stress when the country is fighting for its existence, to work together in peace and harmony. The loss of coal output from sporadic strikes, caused by differences which could easily have been settled without resorting to this weapon, has been very great. The management, on tbeir part, should do all that is possible to see that proper facilities are not wanting to enable every man to get out the largest output possible, and that a sufficiency of tubs is available, and the roads are kept in the best condition possible. Managers can do much to make matters work easily and smoothly. In some districts the pit committees will be able to help in the matter of output and voluntary absenteeism, but I am making this special appeal directly and personally to each individual engaged in the coal mining industry, and I ask him to make a personal response to it and to make quite sure that he 44 does his bit ” in the present struggle. The measure of the response to this appeal will also be the measure of the modification which could be made in the hardships and inconvenience which the community has to face. I have sent a similar letter to Sir Thomas R. Ratcliffe- Ellis, as secretary of the Mining Association of Great Britain. Yours sincerely, Guy Calthrop. MINERS’ PROPOSED SIX HOURS DAY. (From our Labour Correspondent.) The coal trade of the country has to face a demand from the miners for a six hours working day, brought forward by the Miners’ Federation of Great Britain and supported by most of the mining districts. Though all the districts are desirous of the opening of negotiations for a six hours working day, some of them suggest that it shall 44 come into operation at the end of the war.” The proposal must be regarded as one which is intended to be vigorously pressed, and it is also likely to be taken up by the workers in other industries. The Yorkshire Miners’ Association proposal is that the Miners’ Federation at once open up negotiations for (a) a six hours working day for mine workers, and (6) payment of six days’ wages for five days’ work. The Lancashire and Cheshire Miners’ Federation demand a six hours working day to come into operation at the end of the war, as it is considered that shortening of hours will then be necessary to absorb the five or six millions of demobilised soldiers and sailors, and also to find employment for the millions of munition workers. The six hours day is regarded as of vital interest to every worker, for a large unemployed army would mean the forcing down of wages and weakening of trade unions. The South Wales Miners’ Federation propose that the six hours day be obtained by legislation, and ask that the Coal Mines (Eight Hours) Act, 1908, should be amended forthwith, so as to provide that, from an appointed day, which shall not be more than four weeks after the declaration of peace, the hours of labour for all persons employed in and about the mines shall in no case be more than six hours per day. South Wales also asks for a conference of the triple alliance of miners, railwaymen and transport workers, to submit this proposal as one upon which joint action be taken to ensure its realisation. London Coal Exchange.—It has been announced that on Monday, June 24, Sir Arthur Pearson will speak on the floor of the market at 3 p.m. on behalf of the Blinded Soldiers’ Children’s Fund, and an appeal will be made for the support so urgently needed. Immediately follow- ing this, Mr. Geo. Graves will sell by auction 44 several useful and interesting articles.” The ordinary business of the market will evidently be at a discount, for Miss Fay Compton, Miss Gertie Millar, Miss Barbara Hoffe, Miss Unity More, Miss Renee Kelly, Miss Madge Saunders, and Miss Heather Thatcher will take possession, sell souvenirs, and collect subscriptions. MIMING INSTITUTE OF SCOTLAND. (Continued from page 1208.) The Education (Scotland) Bill. Discussion. In the resumed discussion on Mr. W. Jarvie’s paper on 44The Education (Scotland) Bill” (Colliery Guardian, April 12, 1918, p. 743)— Mr. J. Cooper, Mine Rescue Station, Edinburgh, in the course of a written communication, pointed out that section 17 of the Bill was undoubtedly the most impor- tant to the mining industry. Taking Mr. Wm. Jarvie’s figure of 15 per cent, as the proportion of Scottish mine workers who would require to put in an attendance of 320 hours per annum at day continuation classes, it appeared to him that a workable scheme could be easily arranged. One-fifth of this number could attend school for one whole day each week, which would represent 3 per cent, of the workers in the mine per day and 15 per cent, per week of five days. If they arranged for an attendance of seven hours on one day per week, and assumed a school session of 46 weeks in the year, the total number of hours specified in the Bill—namely, 320—would be attained. To his mind, it was utterly ridiculous to adopt any part-day arrangement. Indeed, he could instance one district of the Lothian coal field where a large part of a man’s daily energy was absorbed in travelling to and from his work under- ground. A part-day scheme in such a case would be absurd. It seemed to him that the Bill had for its object the good of the individual and the State, and it ought to be furthered by all who were interested in the welfare of the country. Mr. J. Balfour Sneddon, Mid-Calder, said he would like to think that the sympathy shown by the author towards the Bill was an earnest of the support which the council and the members of the institute wrere likely to give to the measure. Sometimes, when he heard criticism levelled at the Bill, he felt himself wondering if there were colliery managers who were just afraid of an increased intelligence amongst working men, and that, as a result, Jack might too readily become better than his master. Surely, they were not afraid of that arising? The outcome of it might be that a higher status would be asked for from the officials at a colliery, and he would like to hope that that was not something which managers were afraid of. It was possible that in the future there might be great difficulties in handling men. Many of the men had now secured a freedom that might be thought amounted to licence, and they were disposed to take full use of their liberty in that way. Some of the members of the institute could go back to the days when discipline about a pit savoured more of semi-slavery conditions. Happily, that form of disci- pline had gone by the board, and they had now intro- duced what Shakespeare had described somewhere as the discipline of reason. He did not think that that discipline could be built up very effectively unless they established reason on a good sound elementary educa- tion for every working man. He hoped the institute, in the main, was likely to be sympathetically disposed towards the idea of having workmen more highly trained and intelligent as citizens and workmen. He was inclined to think that holding evening continua- tion classes at a somewhat earlier hour than at present might be a better arrangement for pit workers than the proposal suggested by Mr. Cooper of requiring from each student one full day’s attendance at school per week. Mr. G. L. Kerr, Glasgow, said that he was going to look at Mr. Cooper’s proposal from the average boy’s point of view. How was a boy going to absorb all this educational material in a single day ? It was such material as ought to be spread over at least three or four days per week to enable it to be absorbed by the student. Then the scheme outlined by Mr. Cooper involved an attendance for 46 weeks, leaving only six free weeks in the year. He did not think that was fair to the boys. Even at the universities the vacation extended over six months, whilst at the technical col- leges it was three months at least. His own view was that there was no difficulty in putting in the 320 hours required by the Bill under the existing system of evening continuation classes, if some arrangement could be devised for fixing the classes at an earlier hour in the evening than at present. Mr. James Morton, Fordell, said that first of all there was the difficulty of carrying on the pits if the Bill as framed became law, and then they were confronted with the difficulty of deciding which of the two methods referred to in the discussion was the better. Both methods he felt would cause difficulty in carrying on the pits. The first point one ought to consider was which method would cause the least dislocation of work. Leaving aside for the moment the question of working the pits, he entirely disagreed with Mr. Kerr. He felt that a lad of the age proposed was just as able to profit by attendance at school as a boy under 14, and he could not understand why it should be suggested that such a youth was incapable of assimilating a full day’s educa- tion. At the same time he felt there would be difficulty in working out a scheme which would provide the number of hours of education required and for carrying on the collieries in the effective way desired. Mr. J. Masterton, H.M. inspector of mines, thought the hours of education required, namely 320, were too many. The number was excessive, even assuming the hours were filled in during the spare time or made up by one full day’s attendance at school each week. So far as the mining industry was concerned he did not see how an arrangement was practicable by which the boys could be taken away from the pits during the day or in the course of the working shifts, in order to attend school. He had a preference for instruction during the day if it could be arranged, rather than they should continue with evening continuation classes. Boys after working down a pit got home very tired, and once they had partaken of a heavy meal they were really not fit to absorb the education they ought to do. Mr. Richard Kirkby, Wemyss, said he did not see how there could be any objection to continuing ins true-