September 27, 1918. THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN. 661 SOUTH WALES MINING TIMBER TRADE. During the week a good number of cargoes of foreign mining timber arrived at Cardiff, and unless care is exer- cised in the remaining week of this month, importers will have exceeded the quantity they are allowed to import under the rules of the Timber Controller. In case the quantities are exceeded, the Controller will allow the excess to be taken from the following month’s quan- tities. The Importers’ Association adjusts the individual excess, a fine being paid upon each ton imported in excess, such fines being divided at stated intervals amongst importers in proportion to their pre-war per- centage of trade. A large number of sailing vessels with French pitwood were cleared at Cardiff last week. These vessels are very small; consequently, one importer has had over twenty vessels carrying pitwood, the total of which does not amount to a good-sized cargo. The actual quantity of mining timber imported for the week ending September 20 is as follows:— Pitwood Imports for Week Ending Sept. 20, 1918. Date. Consignee. Loads. Sept. 14 Lysberg Limited........ 4,080 „ 14 Lysberg Limited........... 760 „ 14 Lysberg Limited.......... 960 „ 14 Lysberg Limited .......... 2,280 „ 16 Vyvyan Kelly ............... 1,5’ 0 „ 16 Lysberg Limited......... 1,080 „ 16 Lysberg Limited........... 720 „ 16 Lysberg Limited........... 360 „ 18 Lysberg Limited........... 420 „ 18 Bromage and Co ......... 2,160 „ 18 E. Marcesche and Co...... 300 „ 18 Grant Hayward ........... 144 „ 18 Morgan and Cadogan....... 500 „ 18 Morgan and Cadogan....... 500 „ 18 Bromage and Co............ 96 „ 18 E. Marcesche and Co...... 409 „ 19 Grant Hayward ............ 66 „ 19 Morgan and Cadogan....... 300 „ 19 Lysberg Limited ....... 3,240 ,, 19 Lysberg Limited.......... 300 „ 19 Lysberg Limited.......... 336 „ 19 Lysberg Limited.......... 810 Prices remained at the top scheduled leyels, viz., 65s. per ton ex ship Cardiff. Imports of Irish Pitwood. The imports of Irish pitwood continue satisfactory. The wood is excellent for mining purposes. It is expected that during the coming winter the imports from Ireland will fall off, owing to the boisterous weather usually expe- rienced in the Irish Sea. At the limitation freight rates fixed for the carriage of pit wood from Ireland there is little left for the ship owner to compensate him for loss of sails and other damage usually experienced in winter runs. Supplies of mining timber at the Cardiff wharves are rather heavy, and collieries are stocking so as to secure a good margin to enable them to tide over any period in the winter, when deliveries are usually spasmodic. There is no reason to suppose that any collieries will be short of supplies this winter, the position in this respect being very much better than was the case last year. Home Grown Timber. Deliveries to collieries of home-grown timber were upon a good scale. The better qualities realise the full maximum prices, but there is a large amount of inferior quality which fails to secure the top prices. It is a most extraordinary fact that when maximum prices were fixed, a flat rate was conceived with no regard for length, shape or quality. It would have been best if qualities were graded. The flat rate for coal, which was instituted soon after the outbreak of war, was ultimately abolished, and a proper scale according to calorific power was sub- stituted. This should have been done in the case of mining timber. The prices for home-grown timber run from 40s. to 50s. for hard woods, which a large number of colliers object to use, and from 50s. to the maximum for larch and pine. Pitwood Imports During August. The imports of mining timber into the United Kingdom during the past month amounted to 44,169 loads of a declared value of £216,132. Out of this total South.Wales received 36,200 loads. The bulk of the imported pitwood therefore is imported by South Wales. This is probably permitted owing to the contiguity of South.Wales to the French Bay ports and the regular service of small steamers and sailing vessels engaged in the French coal trade, which carry pitwood homewards as a sort of ballast. How the imports of mining timber have been cut down is shown by the returns for the first eight months of this year. The quantity of mining timber imported into the United Kingdom for the eight months ended August 31 amounted to 535,990 loads, compared with 733,926 loads in the corresponding period of last year. The decline is due to the action of the Timber Controller in further restrict- ing the import trade. Pitwood Dischargers’ Wages. Under the Committee on Production’s award of August last, No. 2061, the pitwood workers of the Bristol Channel ports were parties to the enquiry. There was consider- able doubt as to whether the 5 per cent, increase granted to dock workers applied to the pitwood workers, inas- much as in May last the pitwood workers’ case was dealt with under the award of Mr. J. Bailie, who extended their war bonus to 60 per cent. Thus they were placed in a better position than other dock workers, whose war bonuses ranged from 30 to 50 per cent. The award of the' Committee on Production stated that the workers concerned should be brought up to a certain level, but that no one section should have its bonus reduced if it so happened that that section received higher . rates. Therefore it was reasonable to suppose that the pitwood workers were not entitled to any further award. To end the deadlock the Bristol Channel Pitwood Importers’ Association agreed to accept the men’s interpretation of the award, which was that the extra 5 per cent, should be paid, making 65 per cent, over pre-war rates as from July 29 last. It is now understood that the workmen intend to ask for a still higher increase, and in all probability 100 per cent, increase will be demanded. Importers view with apprehension the constantly . in- creasing demand for higher wages, which create a vicious circle. Order Regarding Non-Detonating Explosives. — The Home Secretary has made an Order which extends until December 31, 1910, the period during which the non- detonating explosives named and defined in the Second Schedule to the Explosives in Coal Mines Order of September 1, 1913, are included in the term “ permitted explosives ” in clause 11 of that Order. INSTITUTION OF ENGINEERS. ANNUAL MEETING AT NOTTINGHAM. (Continued from page 603.) Report of the Mine Rescue Research Committee. In opening the discussion on Mr. D. Penman’s paper, “ Digest of the First Report of the Mine Rescue Apparatus Research Committee,” The President said he thought that all those who were interested in rescue work felt that it was a good thing that the Government had taken up the matter and were likely to stand to tbe highest form of appa- ratus which they approved. Whether it would be a perfect one or not he did not know, but at present they were rather at sixes and sevens. With regard to brigades, many of them were under the disad- vantage that a number of their trained men had gone to the front, and personally he had had to contend with the fact that years rolled on and their trained men reached the age of fifty or over, beyond which, according to Mr. Penman, the committee considered they ought not to be employed. It was quite evident that men in advanced life were not suitable for rescue work, and the younger men were indisposed very often to take it up. The whole question was one of very considerable difficulty, and it was a pity that the apparatus which they had obtained, and which was installed in the different rescue stations, seemed likely to be scrapped. However, some fatal accidents had undoubtedly occurred through the failure of rescue apparatus, and they did not want to provide death-traps for their men. At the same time they must have something of the kind, and he hoped that the result of the investigations of the Committee would provide them with something better than they had got at present. Whether before or after legislation, they would have to consider carefully what they would do in the matter, for it would make a considerable difference in the management of their rescue stations. Mr. H. E. Mitton said that, in looking over the digest, he saw that the first report of the Research Committee did not deal with the question of liquid aid. When he first had the opportunity of talking with Sir William Garforth about the formation of this Committee, he told him that he thought one of the points to which it would direct its attention would be to consider very thoroughly the question of oxygen versus liquid air. There was a very wide difference of opinion on this matter, and he therefore did feel that it was one which the Committee might have considered. The question of rescue work was only in its infancy. They had only just started to learn that there were forms of apparatus for which they could find a valuable use in their mines. In various districts large sums of money had been expended upon them, and just as they were beginning to get to work, and the interest of the whole mining industry was being aroused in the work, they were faced with the war. The result was that men who had been trained were taken away from them, and they were confronted by the difficulty of finding others to take their places. It was certainly one of the most important questions which had been brought before the mining industry of late years, and he agreed with the president that no useful purpose could be served by discussing the paper at that stage, but it should be left open to further meetings. Mr. Kerr said that so far as he could judge, the report limited itself to enumerating the defects of the various kinds of apparatus in use, but did not say anything about what was the best form to use. Mr. Penman pointed out that it was only a “ first report,” and that other reports were to be issued subsequently. Mr. Kerr said that a colliery manager was hardly able to judge who had the best apparatus. It was a very invidious question to ask anyone, and a very difficult one to answer. Sir William Garforth said he quite agreed that the discussion should be adjourned until they had had the opportunity of closely considering the paper and the report. He would, however, like to take that opportunity of complimenting Mr. Walker, Dr. Haldane, and Dr. Briggs on the very valuable report which they had presented, and also of complimenting Mr. Penman on the way in which he had prepared the digest. From the experience they had gained in the last fifteen or twenty years great advances had been made in securing the safety of mines, but although they might not have explosions in the future on the same scale as they had had in the past, they did not know whether the introduction of electricity in deep mines might not cause an even greater neces- sity for this apparatus than they had in the time before. The Committee suggested that u competitions between rescue-brigades, after the system in vogue in many mining districts in connection with ambulance teams, would stimulate interest in the subject of rescue-training amongst miners, maintain the zest and efficiency of members of the brigades, and encourage enlistment for the brigades.” He thought that if they could have friendly competitions among the men in the way mentioned and have demonstrated, in a competitive fashion, the advantages of the various apparatus, it was very likely that in a year or two the best points in each apparatus might be embodied in one, that it might be called the British apparatus, and go forth as the British apparatus to managers, engineers, and workmen in every part of the world. He believed they would make a great step forward in improving their apparatus if they could secure the co-operation of the workmen. A shield m’ght be the means of helping forward rescue work in the same way as ambulance work had been promoted, and he would be glad to give a hundred or a hundred and fifty guineas for the provision of a shield for com- petition. It should be called the shield of the Insti- tution of Mining Engineers, in order that everyone might realise, as most people had done in the past, that coal owners had done, and did do, all they could to promote the safety of their men, acting on the motto, “ Safety first and profit afterwards.” There ought to be no difficulty in carrying out the suggestion of the Committee as far as friendly competitions were concerned. Mr. J. Parkinson (Barnsley) said that while he agreed that competitions might stimulate rescue work in the sense of encouraging the men to join rescue teams, he did not think that it would prove which was the best rescue apparatus on the market. He believed that the men would join up not for the reward they would get, but from the competitive spirit which had proved so successful in ambulance work. Mr. E. W. Thirkell (Wakefield) said that certain defects in various kinds of apparatus had been men- tioned, and it was for those who had any of these types to see whether they could put those defects right themselves. A great deal could be done at the rescue stations in finding out where the faults were, and probably in many cases finding the remedy for those faults. In thanking Sir William Garforth for his generous offer, he said he certainly thought that a competition amongst rescue teams would do good. He did not regard it so much as a means of securing the best type of apparatus. It was very likely that ultimately they would have certain forms of u approved ” apparatus, just as they had approved safety lamps and approved explosives, but such a com- petition as that suggested could not fail to have useful results. Mr. Joseph Parker (Cowdenbeath) wrote that the decided preference shown for the mouthpiece over any form of face-mask was fortified by some good arguments, but the face-mask, if it could be designed to be close-fitting and to have little dead space, had so many decided advantages, that it might be per- missible to enquire whether sufficient efforts had been made to perfect it before definitely casting it aside. Mr. A. T. Winborn (Crumlin, Mon.), in a written statement, said that the recommendations of the Com- mittee, having regard to the construction ot existing types of apparatus, were of a somewhat sweeping and wholesale character. It was certain that no single form of apparatus enjoyed the possession of all the good points recommended, and it was equally certain that even the Research Committee themselves, by a careful selection of the good points possessed by the whole of the various types, would be quite unable to construct one comprehensive whole such as would form a complete breathing apparatus embodying all the good points they recommended. When one con- sidered the problem of temperature of the inspired air and the probability of further recommendations under this h^ad the task of rescue apparatus con- struction from existing types was likely to become still more hopeless. The Research Committee had performed an extremely valuable work, and their recommendations, when acted upon, could not fail to result in the evolution of a breathing apparatus that would tend to increase the degree of immunity from accident that had hitherto been experienced by wearers of these appliances. It was doubtful whether the recommendations by the Committee would be endorsed en bloc by station superintendents through- out the country. For instance, in spite of eminent individuals’ theories to the contrary, there were still a number of thoroughly experienced men whose faith in the “ injector ” class of apparatus remained un- shaken. Some of these men could point to long records of practical work underground, and their faith in an apparatus in which they have risked their lives upon many occasions could not be so easily shaken by theories advanced by men who sometimes lacked practical experience in the wearing of apparatus under irrespirable atmospheric conditions under- ground following colliery accidents. These men had their own theories as to the cause of accidents that had happened from time to time, and they did not in every case attribute this to failure of apparatus but to failure of the human element. The question of pit practices might be studied from more than one point of view. It was to be presumed that such practices were to be carried out under ordinary normal atmospheric conditions, for it was certain that no colliery manager would consent to the fouling of any part of his mine for rescue-brigade pit practices. That being so, the value of such practices was ques- tionable, for it needed more than the average amount of enthusiasm in the subject to make a man breathe artificially when there was no vital reason for his doing so. Mr. D. Stevenson, in a written communication, made suggestions with regard to instruction of members of rescue brigades, dealing especially with plan reading, and urging the adoption of the sug- gested uniform code of rules. Mr. Robert Currie (Crumlin, Mon.) wrote regret- ting that some of the recommendation of the Com- mittee had not been examined in more detail by Mr. Penman. He questioned the value of an apparatus, made to the specifications of Dr. Briggs, a member of the Commission, for making an analysis to ascertain the purity of the oxygen for the breathing apparatus. Mr. Walter Clifford (Mines Rescue Station, Stoke-on-Trent) wrote dealing with the subject of rust in the cylinders of apparatus, and said that in ths Proto apparatus he did not consider it as much a danger as an inconvenience and expense, as the gauze under the reducing valve appeared effectively to pre- vent the rust getting into the valve. At the same time he would like to think that the formation of rust could be avoided. He was particularly pleased to see the recommendation regarding the establish- ment of three men on the staff of a rescue station with fifty or more brigades. His own opinion was that all three should be skilled instructors, so that any one of them could assume control of the station when necessary. The discussion was then adjourned.