June 21, 1918.

THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN.

1253

the chemical state, but it might be that the chemical
composition was the thing that told. He thought that
the only thing which could decide that was further
experiments, which they intended to carry out.
Almost the next thing they intended to try was
felspar—he meant ground crystalline felspar. In
reply to Mr.- Mowat, who asked if the dis-
tinction might not be between igneous and aqueous,
shale was aqueous, and the Kolar stuff which Dr.
Smeeth had spoken of was igneous. Dr. Haldane
said all he could say was that the stuff in Cripple
Creek was igneous.

• Composition v. Structure^

Dr. Smeeth said the point was that in the Kolar
stuff one had the crystalline structure as in the
granite, and not more in one than in the other. The
only difference was the chemical composition. That
was why he suggested it might well be worth while
to make an experiment on silicates.

Dr. Haldane thought that it would. There was so
much about the matter which was unintelligible. He
had often speculated about the point that was raised
so clearly and definitely by Dr. Smeeth in regard to
grante. There was no doubt about granite ebbing
harmful, although it was not so harmful as pure silica.

Col. Blackett wished to call attention to one fact.
Up in the North of England and elsewhere they had
very hard water, which formed a very hard boiler
scale; but if the water were run previously over
corrugated sheets of aluminium, there was no longer
any hard scale formed. If one could account for that,
one might be able to account for the present diffi-
culty. The sheets of aluminium were exposed from
time to time to sunlight. Mr. Kahn was running the
process, and it was there for anyone to see, and there
was no deposit on the aluminium. As far as he had
been informed, the chemical state remained the same,
but the physical state was altered.

Dr. Haldane said that the case which Dr. Collis
mentioned of the ganister brick makers was one of
great interest. Where pure ganister was used for
making bricks there was trouble among the men, and
very serious trouble in Yorkshire, where they used
pure ganister, and great precautions were necessary.
But where one mixed ganister with fireclay, as Dr.
Collis had found, for instance, in Stirlingshire, there
seemed to be no lung trouble at all; the addition
of fireclay to the ganister seemed to neutralise the bad
effect. Then there was the case of the potters, which
Dr. Collis also referred to. The only thing which
would clear the matter up was more experiments,
and he was afraid that those experiments would have
to be made on guinea-pigs, in spite of the unmerited
reproaches thrown on the poor guinea-pigs by Col.
Blackett. Turning to Col. Blackett’s criticism, that
gentleman had tried to exalt the practical man at the
expense of the theoretical, and gave various instances.
He thought Col. Blackett hinted that Mr. Galloway
and such men as Sir William Atkinson and Sir
William Garforth and himself were all practical men.
He (Dr. Haldane) boldly claimed all of them
as scientific men. He was not going to admit that
they were only practical men. He thought that
Col. Blackett’s argument fell to the ground on that
score. Anyhow, science was nothing but organised
common sense. He agreed entirely with Dr. Smeeth’s
course of reasoning on the subject. Dr. Smeeth had
pointed out practically what must be the direction
of future research on the subject. A point had been
raised as to the lungs of ponies. Unfortunately, he
had not done any of those experiments. He thought
that Sir William Garforth was going to say some-
thing about the examination of the lungs of ponies.
He believed that some examinations had been made.

Immunity of Pit Ponies.

The Chairman said he remembered that, soon after
they began the experiments, he got a pony some twenty
years old which had been used in stone-dust roads
for a great number of years. The pony was shot and
its lungs were examined, but no coal dust or stone
dust was found. It seemed to be normal as compared
with the other pony they had a little time after-
wards. But he must admit that there had not been
the same scientific investigation as had been the case
in the investigations of Dr. Beattie and Dr. Mellor.

Dr. Haldane said the only time when he had seen
the lungs of ponies was when a lot of them had been
killed in a colliery explosion, and they had been cut
up to see whether they had died of carbon monoxide
poisoning. He had always been very much struck
with the small amount of dust there seemed to be in
their lungs, which were comparatively pink. Possibly
ponies had a very effective means of filtering off the
dust with their noses.

Mr. Ellison said that the ponies led practically the
same life as the men, and one would imagine that
the same results would follow. Dr. Beattie’s experi-
ments showed that there were less injurious effects
from the particles of argillaceous shale than there
were from the sharp edges of coal dust.

. Dr. Haldane said at any rate there was no doubt
that they lived to a good old age if they were not killed
by accident. On the whole the ponies looked well,
as if the life had agreed with them. With regard to
Mr. Mowat’s point as to making Coatbridge into a
sanatorium, he did not know how to express an opinion
on that subject. He thought it was quite possible
that the air at Coatbridge might in some ways be
good for phthisis. There was the fact, which had
been a puzzle for many years, that coal miners got
less phthisis than other people. Some experiments
had been made on guinea-pigs which gave the result
—he could not guarantee it—that guinea-pigs which
had inhaled coal dust were less susceptible to infec-
tion with tubercle bacilli. The guinea-pigs were first
exposed to coal dust for some time, then tubercle
bacilli were sprayed into the air, and the result was
that the guinea-pigs which had had the coal dust
seemed to be less susceptible to the bacilli of tuber-
culosis than the others.

The Chairman moved that the best thanks of the
meeting be accorded to Dr. Haldane for his most
valuable and suggestive paper, the results of which
would be of the greatest help to all associated with
the management of coal mines.

The vote of thanks was carried by acclamation, and
the general meeting was adjourned till the following
day at 10 o’clock.

(To be continued.)

PARLIAMENTARY INTELLIGENCE.

HOUSE OF COMMONS —June 17.
Employment of German Prisoners.

Col. Sir F. Hall asked whether the difficulties relating
to the employment of German prisoners in coal mines could
be overcome.

Sir A. Stanley said he was not yet in a position to add
anything to his reply of June 3.

Calling-up Notices.

Mr. Smallwood asked whether, as calling up notices
(up to and including June 8) issued to coal loaders and
carmen had been cancelled for the purpose of re-issue,
the men so called up upon the cancelled notices would
be reinstated.

Sir A. Geddes stated that notices issued to certain
coal loaders and carmen had been cancelled to allow the
men concerned to make application to tribunals. This was
done because these men, in ignorance of the technical
procedure, applied to tribunals for late hearings when,
in fact, tribunals had no power to grant such hearings.
The proper procedure was for the men or their employers
to apply to the Director-General of National Service for
permission to go before a tribunal. It was felt, how-
ever, that it would be taking advantage of a technical
point and not dealing with the cases on their merits if
the men were refused permission to have their cases
heard. It was for this reason that the notices were can-
celled and fresh ones issued.

The Trade Boards Bill.

Mr. G. H. Roberts, Minister of Labour, moved the
second reading of the Wages Board Bill, which,. he ex-
plained, amended the Act of 1909 fixing the minimum
rate of wages in specified trades by simplifying the pro-
cedure and conferring increased powers on the trade
boards. There were now approximately 391,110 workers
under the Act, of whom about 80,100, or roughly 20 per
cent., were males, and about 310,000 females, and the
number of firms affected was 17,000. The Bill empowered
the Minister of Labour to set up the boards by special
order after giving proper opportunity for enquiry.

Mr. J. H. Whitley said the committee over which he
presided recommended that these trade boards should be
applied to trades not highly organised. They were re-
garded as stepping stones to higher things—to self-
government, in fact, within the industry itself.

Mr. J. Mason and others opposed the Bill on the ground
that it gave too much power to the boards.

The Bill was read a second time.

June 18.
Miners’ Phthisis.

Mr. Brace gave notice to introduce a Bill dealing with
phthisis among ganister miners. The Bill is designed to
prevent as far as possible the disease, and to bring those
suffering from it under the Workmen’s Compensation Act.

Coal in Private Cellars.

Sir I. Philipps asked whether the President of the Board
of Trade had power to remove an excess stock of coal
from private cellars, and whether enquiry had been made
regarding the stock in Baron Schroeder’s house at Engle-
field Green.

Mr. Wardle said that a new Order would permit of
coal being removed from a private cellar when there was
an excess of coal in stock. The supplies of coal to Baron
Schroeder were cut off on May 7, except for a consign-
ment of anthracite, which was en route at the time.
The Order would comprise the whole of England, Scot-
land and Wales, and anthracite and coke would be in-
cluded in the regulations.

June 19.
Coal Controller’s Account.

On the report of the Vote of Credit,

Mr. H. Samuel called attention to the question of the
control of national expenditure, and instanced several
matters. Despite the assurance given by the Government
when the coal mines were taken over by the State, and when
the agreement guaranteeing certain profits to coalowners
was being discussed in the House, the Coal Controller was
now of opinion that very heavy liabilities might fall upon
the State, as the situation in regard to coal was becoming
more difficult every week.

Mr. Bon ar Law stated that when the Bill relating to
the coal mines agreement was introduced, the Board of
Trade and the Government held the view that it must
be self-supporting. The Board of Trade still thought so,
and the President of the Board appeared to have no doubt
that that could be arranged. At this moment there was
probably no problem more difficult than the supply of
coal. That difficulty had been rendered very much greater
by the necessity of taking men from the mines. The
front line was the first line, and the Government had to
deal with that first. It was certain that if coal had not
been controlled, the State would have had to pay ten
times more, and the country would not now have the
coal which was needed.

Mr. Runciman said it had been pointed out that there
was a prospect—he would not say a certainty—of a heavy
deficit on the Coal Controller’s account. He and his friends
foresaw this, although they were assured there would be
no deficit. Now they discovered there was a loss every
month. He reinforced what Mr. Samuel had said, that
if there was a deficit the Government were pledged not
to take the money out of the Vote of Credit, but to
come to the House and ask for special financial provision.
The deficit was not to be wondered at, seeing the number
of miners who had joined the Army, and the Coal Con-
troller would have great difficulty next winter in supplying
the coal necessary for all our needs.

The resolution of the Controller on the Vote was
agreed to.

POWER AND CONSUMPTION OF GAS ENGINES.

The Gas World gives the following methods for
determining the power and consumption of any gas
engine. Suppose, for example, an engine is found to
have a piston 10 in. diameter, 18 in. stroke, and to
run at 200 revolutions per minute (or at 100 cycles);
then the number of cubic feet displaced by the piston
per minute would be 78-5 x 18 x 100-?-1,728=81-8, and
the safe working b.h.p. would be, in a modern engine
81-8-?-3-2 = 25-5 b.h.p. For an engine twenty years
old or so the power to be expected would be
81-8 = 3-7 = 22-0 b.h.p. The makers’ rating for a
modern engine of such cylinder dimensions would be
95 lb. mean pressure (maximum load) less 14 lb. for
friction = 81 lb. net pressure = 2-82 cu. ft. per b.h.p.
per minute, or 81-8=2-8 = 29 b.h.p.

Now as to consumptions, let a similar engine of
modern construction be assumed. In this the ratio
of total cylinder volume to clearance volume would
be as 5:1, and therefore the piston displacement
volume to clearance volume as 4:1. It has been
established that the maximum strength of mix-
ture that can be usefully and economically employed
is of the order of 45 B.Th.U. per cu. ft. of total
cylinder volume. Therefore in the case cited the same
mixture strength in terms of piston displacement
volume would be 45x5 = 4 = 56 B.Th.U. per cu. ft. to
develop 95 lb. mean pressure, and 229 = 95 = 2-4
cu. ft. of piston displacement per minute would de-
velop one i.h.p., equivalent to a consumption of
56x2-4 = 135 B.Th.U. per minute, or a thermal effi-
ciency of 31-4 per cent, per i.h.p. But at maximum

81
load the mechanical efficiency would be — =85-5 per
cent., and therefore the thermal efficiency per b.h.p.
would be 31-4x0-855 = 26-8 per cent., or, say, a con-
sumption of 135 = 0-855 = 158 B.Th.U. per minute, or
9,500 per b.h.p. per hour. With gas of 450 B.Th.U.
this is the equivalent of 21 cu. ft. per b.h.p. per hour.

The rate per b.h.p. at lighter loads can also be cal-
culated by following the procedure outlined in these
calculations, and remembering that the mean pressure
per b.h.p. is always 14 lb. less than the mean pressure
per i.h.p.

MINING INDUSTRY AND MILITARY SERVICE.

At Stanley Tribunal, a miner, 31, Grade 1, appealed
on domestic grounds, stating that he had a bed-ridden
wife, who had no one to help her. He had not stated
his domestic hardship to the lodge. The chairman said
the tribunal could not help under the circumstances. The
appeal was dismissed, but the man was informed that
he could get his lodge secretary to certify as to domestic
hardship, and have the certificate counter-signed by the
colliery manager, after which the lodge must find a sub-
stitute, or appellant would have to go. Another miner,
aged 29, Grade 1, was stated to have five children. The
chairman of the colliery, according to the man’s wife,
had stated that her husband’s name should not have been
in the ballot if they had known. The National Service
representative remarked that the case was analogous to
that with which they had just dealt. The same course
was adopted.

The Easington Tribunal has suspended its sittings
pending replies from Sir Auckland Geddes regarding the
calling up of miners. At the sitting at which this course
was resolved upon, the clerk reported that the calling up
officer for the Sunderland area has issued calling up
notices to miners who had been given extemption by the
tribunal, and had informed the tribunal that the exemptions
were invalid, as the men came under the terms of the
Proclamation of April 20. The clerk added that he had
written to Sir Auckland Geddes, contending that the
Proclamation referred to all classes of employment except
coal miners, seeing that an arrangement had been come
to between the Miners’ Federation and the Minister of
National Service whereby 50,000 miners should be released
from the Army, and that that arrangement allowed miners’
lodges to exclude any cases in which they considered that
domestic hardship might arise. No reply had been re-
ceived to that letter, and none to a letter regarding the
case of a Horden miner. The chairman (Mr. Peter Lee)
remarked that the time of the tribunal was being wasted
if the tribunal had to be over-ridden as it had been in
these cases.

Presiding, last week, over the rural tribunal for the
Doncaster district, Mr. W. H. Chambers, managing di-
rector of the Denaby and Cadeby Colliery Companies,
remarked, “ We must be very careful in interfering with
any men who are selected by ballot at the collieries. We
do not know where we are. The miners go to and inter-
view the Ministry of National Service, and get an agree-
ment with them. We are not informed. I have seen
instructions which have been given to these men by their
unions as to what they are to do in certain cases of
hardship, but we have had no instructions at all.”—A
colliery architect and surveyor who asked for exemption
was accompanied by the managing director of two colliery
companies and the agent of another by whom he is em-
ployed. It was explained that among the work upon
which he was engaged was the supervising of the drainage
of agricultural land affected by colliery subsidences. The
collieries with which he was connected were reported to
be subsiding in such a way that if the matter was not
attended to, flooding would result, and agricultural land
would be thrown out of cultivation. In addition, it was
stated that the appellant was in charge of an important
undertaking to save timber in collieries by the manufacture
of concrete pit props, from which important results were
expected. Conditional exemption was granted.

Four men who were in the first ballot at the Bedlington
Collieries were not called up before some who were
“ combed out ” in the second ballot, and the circumstance
almost resulted in a stoppage at the collieries last week-
end. Representations made by a protest meeting of the
men have resulted in the four men receiving their calling
up paners. Objection has also been taken by the under-
ground men of Bedlington to the system whereby em-
ployers may appeal for mechanics, etc., but not for under-
ground workmen, with the result that many of the former
are being exempted. It is understood that this matter
has been settled.

A promoting committee has issued an invitation to all
mine owners of Tuscany and Umbria to discuss a scheme
for a syndicate of lignite mines. It is only recently that
the lignite industry has taken solid root and has shown
any considerable development.