1242

THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN.

December 13, 1918.

named course, of the youth developing into what
practical men called a “theory ” man. Prof. Hardwick
mentioned an alternative—namely, attendance at evening
or Saturday afternoon courses. Such courses, to be
thorough, would have to be continued for a considerable
term of years—very much longer than was desirable, in
the speaker’s opinion. If the course was not thorough,
it would obviously be impossible to get that higher
standard of technical knowledge which was so much to
be desired. Where it was impossible or impracticable
for mining students to take up a diploma course,
attendance at part-week courses would be preferable to
evening or Saturday afternoon courses. His previous
remarks applied particularly to the education of the
articled pupil, but he also believed that the technical
training of apprentices, etc. (as defined by Mr. Berriman)
would be of considerably greater value if it could
be given in the form of day courses in preference to
evening courses. He was decidedly of opinion that
instruction of an elementary rather than an advanced
nature should be given in evening or Saturday classes.
It was impossible, without extending them over a very
long period, to give a thorough advanced course.

Mr. G-. Blake Walker (president of the Institution
of Mining Engineers) said with a great deal that had
fallen from Mr. Laverick he was quite in accord. They
must remember that they had a great variety of young
men to deal with—men whose ambitions varied a great
deal, from the highest post to very humble ones—and
they could not expect more than a certain proportion
to attain that degree of culture and training which they
all admitted to be desirable. They bad to contend in
practice, with a certain amount of, if not opposition, at
any rate inertia, on the part of the workmen, who did
not wish to see a social class superior to their own put
in positions of administration and responsibility. The
workmen had themselves taken certain steps, though
only tentative steps, to qualify a number of men from
their own class to take the highest positions, and he
had no doubt there would always be that tendency, in
view of the fact that they believed there must be a
certain amount of class prejudice and opposition
between one class and another. One found, in various
Continental systems, that the preliminary course had
been secondary to the higher scientific or university
course. This was probably the case at the older univer-
sities, as compared with the more modern ones. Very
broad-sided men were wanted for the management of
the collieries, which were now becoming very large and
important concerns; and matters which were not,
strictly speaking, technical, became of ever greater
importance as the years rolled on. A high degree
of culture was desired, and not only in the things
which one had perhaps been accustomed to regard
as such, but in such wider fields as economics,
which were now becoming a preponderating occupation
for the minds of all those who had the administration of
collieries. A very wide field of technical knowledge
was expected of the colliery manager, and one which,
in the past, he had been for the most part unequal to.
When a man was called upon to deal with an important
proposition in organic chemistry, be often felt that he
was badly equipped because he had not been trained in
that very abstruse system, and all he could do was to
depend upon subordinates who had specialised in that
particular matter. Then again, with regard to
machinery, which was becoming more and more essential
in the underground management of pits, he required a
training not only as a mining engineer but also as a
mechanical engineer. Mr. Berriman throughout his
report clearly had in mind the shop apprentice, who
after going through the shops became a foreman,
probably rising in importance with regard to the
workmen. But the proposition which the institute had
to considei* was a very different one. He believed the
position of articled pupil was a very valuable one
indeed in the mining calling, but it was not so universal
and so beneficial perhaps as in the mechanical, where a
youth was engaged for a number of years in the same
works. He was convinced that the mixing of the
practical training with the theoretical was very
advantageous. All the time one was fostering the
other. A boy could then learn to apply the theoretical
instruction he received at the universities to his daily
work in the pits, and if he did so he became the most
useful sort of mining engineer that they could have. A
good deal, however, depended upon the individuality of
the pupil. They would not make every young man
take advantage of his opportunities. The pupil must
become as broad as he possibly could, and the wider bis
general knowledge the better it would be. He did not
think they had quite achieved all they bad looked
forward to. They had a class of men on whom they
largely depended for officials, and who would be the
better for being better instructed than they were now.
That class was an increasing class, but one of the prac-
tical difficulties with which they had all to contend was
the question of remuneration. The scientific work was,
in mining as in many other callings, the worst paid.
When they could give a young man an object to work
for—when he could look forward to earning a respect-
able living in middle life—then he had no doubt they
would have a number of people offering themselves,
from the public schools or elsewhere, for the mining
profession; but so long as they could hold out nothing
beyond the position which the ordinary miner could
expect to attain to, he was afraid the inducement
would not be very strong. They had really got to offer
some inducement to young men to enter the mining
profession, and to devote themselves to it as thoroughly
as they would to any other scientific calling.

Prof. L. T. O’Shea, in a written contribution, said he
agreed with Prof. Hardwick that the provision of a
central bureau as proposed by the Engineering Training
Organisation was of primary importance. There was
at present no central authority to whom a parent or a
headmaster of a school could turn for advice. Those
in the profession probably knew the best avenues by
which a youth could be trained for it, but one who was
outside was usually dependent on the advice of his
friends, which might or might not be reliable. The
object of the discussion, however, was to obtain the
views of the mining profession on the necessary qualifi-

cations and the best method of obtaining them, in
order to give information to the Engineering Training
Organisation for its guidance. It was difficult to decide
this question from the papers and discussions published
in the Transactions, as the opinions expressed differed
very widely. Training in the mining piofession differed
from that in other branches of engineering. It was
largely controlled by the statutory qualification required
for the first-class certificate of proficiency. This quali-
fication made no distinction between the mining
engineer and the colliery manager. Did it not seem
desirable, therefore, that the institution, as a whole,
should decide whether the training necessary to qualify
for the first-class certificate of proficiency was sufficient
for a man who hoped to undertake the responsibilities
of the development of large properties and the control
of large amounts of capital. Another point of difference
was the position of the articled pupil. The ulti-
mate object of the pupil articled to a mining
engineer was to obtain the first-cl ass certificate, to
achieve which he had to comply with the statutory
regulations with regard to experience. It would
appear that he belonged to both classes defined by
Mr. Berriman. He was an “articled pupil,” whose
object was to obtain an insight into the general organi-
sation of a colliery in its various departments; whilst
legislation compelled him to acquire a definite standard
of practical experience, which brought him under the
class of “ apprentice ” as defined by Mr. Berriman.
There was also the worker at the face to consider. It
was within his power to obtain the first-class certificate,
and, having obtained it, he and the articled pupil with
same qualification entered the same field, namely, as
men qualified by statute to undertake the management
of a colliery. It seemed, therefore, necessary to decide
how to ensure that the best and most capable of these
two classes should rise to the highest ranks in the
profession. If it were decided that no further training
was necessary, except that obtained by experience in
colliery management then the problem was reduced to
the consideration whether the education training at
present offered in universities and technical schools
required any modification, and whether the system of
practical training of articled pupils could be improved.
If, on the other hand, it were decided that the more
capable and intelligent of these men should be encouraged
by a higher training than that required for merely passing
the examinations for first-class certificates, the problem
was what that training was to be and how it was to be
incorporated into the present. Educational facilities
were both academical and practical. This was a general
aspect of the problem which, in his opinion, required to
be settled by a general consensus of opinion on the part
of the profession. There were also important points of
detail, but these were different for the articled pupil
and the worker at the face. With regard to the articled
pupil who had had a public school or secondary school
training, various points arose : - (1) To what extent
the school education of these boys could be directed
as a preliminary training for entering the profession.
Boys intending to enter the Army or Civil Service had
special attention given to them in the later stages of
their school career to this end, and it was not too much
to suggest that speck 1 attention should be given to
physics, chemistry and mathematics in the later years
of the school course in the case of boys who intended
to enter the mining profession. (2.) Whether boys
intending to enter the profession should be encouraged
to matriculate before leaving school, so that they could,
if they so desired, proceed to a degree in mining engi-
neering. Whilst he did not know that the degree in
mining was essential so long as the training was under-
taken, it was important to remember that a pupil could
not proceed to a university degree unless he had passed
the matriculation or some equivalent examination, and
it was desirable that this should be done on leaving
school. (3.) A most important point was the relation
between colliery practice and academic studies. There
was little doubt that, in all applied studies, the sooner
the pupil got into contact with the industry he intended
to enter the better; the workshop was an excellent
training school. There was considerable difference of
opinion as to how these were to be co-ordinated. Was
it better that a youth should spend one or two years
entirely at a colliery before taking up his academic
studies, or should he at once combine works practice
and academic studies on entering his pupilage ? There
was much to be said for both, but of the two he preferred
the latter, as much might be forgotten in one or two
years, especially the habit of study, unless there was
some compulsion to attend evening classes during that
period. At some of the universities there were diploma
courses arranged on the plan of six winter months given
entirely to university work, and six summer months given
to work at a colliery for three or four years, and he felt
that much good would result if the articles of a colliery
pupil included a condition that he should be allowed
the time necessary to follow this course. Some
advocated that it would be better if a pupil spent his
whole time at the pit and continued his academic
studies by means of evening classes, at all events for
some three or four years, before joining day classes at a
university. He doubted if this was a most profitable
course to be taken by articled pupils. Day study was
much more profitable than evening study, and it would
be for the good of the profession to encourage day work
at the universities and technical schools. The case of
the worker at the face was different. He obtained
experience of work underground, and, except for officials,
this might or might not be limited in its scope. His
education was carried on in the meantime by means of
evening classes in which the subjects were to a great
extent limited to cognate technical subjects. He
probably would rise in the profession through the stages
of deputy and under-manager. In his case it was first
necessary to ensure for him progressive training up to
the time of becoming deputy, and during that period,
by a system of scholarships or other financial assistance,
to afford the most promising of these students the
opportunities for higher training in the scientific
branches of study cognate to the profession. The
institute had under its consideration a comprehensive
scheme of mining education. It had adopted proposals

for the advancement of the education of the deputy
and under-manager, and was now engaged in
extending the scheme to the training of colliery
pupils and such mine officials who were able to
profit by more advanced studies. How the scheme
was to be extended to the higher training of a
mining engineer was under consideration. To a
large extent, this invo’.vcd the question of scholarships,
which it was the object of the Engineering Training
Organisation to foster. If students from the operative
ranks of life were to take advantage of the higher
training, they would require substantial financial assist-
ance—assistance considerably greater than it appeared
necessary or desirable to offer to youths of 16 to 18
years of age. Scholarships of two kinds would appear
necessary :—(1) Of a value suitable for boys leaving
school, viz., from £30 to £50 per annum, which would
cover tuition fees, books and travelling expenses ;
(2) of higher value for the student from the operative
class, which would afford some degree of maintenance
in addition to tuition fees; in these cases certain
restrictions could be attached, with respect to the age
and financial position of the candidates. On some such
lines as these a scholarship scheme might be formulated.
In many of the education schemes under the county
councils, there were certain scholarships that could be
obtained by the boy leaving school. These, however,
were not generally for mining students only. It would,
he thought, be desirable if mining scholarships were
offered. He knew of none on the higher scale. Who
should provide these scholarships was an important
question. Personally, he thought it would be in the
best interests of mining education that the industry
should do so. Various schemes had been put into
operation, and were worked with various degrees of
success. To get a scheme applicable to the whole
country was hardly possible. What was wanted was
to arrive at general principles which should form a
foundation on which a sound system of education could
be built, and leave each mining district to work out the
actual means of carrying out the plan. If this resulted
from the discussion, as he hoped it might, the council
of the Institution of Mining Engineers would be able to
respond to the Engineering Training Organisation in its
desire to forward the training of mining engineers.

The further discussion of the paper was adjourned.
(To be continued.)

RAILWAY WAGONS DISPOSAL (Scotland).

A new Order, dated November 28, and issued by the
Board of Trade with reference to Scotland, contains the
following regulations:—

1.	The trader responsible for the loading or unloading
of any merchandise, including coal, coke and patent
fuel, conveyed or to be conveyed by railway, shall load
or unload and tender to or place at the disposal of the
railway company the wagon employed, together with
the covering sheet or sheets, if any, within such time as
is specified in the schedule hereto.

2.	After the expiration of such time as is mentioned
in the schedule hereto, a railway company may make
charges for the detention of any wagon or sheet owned
by them, or which for the time being they are entitled
to use, or for the use or occupation of any accommoda-
tion provided by them in connection with or arising out
of such detention of any wagon or sheet.

3.	No trader shall, without the written consent of the
railway company, use for internal purposes any wagon
or sheet belonging to a railway company, or any wagon
or sheet of which the Board of Trade have taken
possession under any orders made in that behalf.

4.	Nothing in this Order shall extend or apply to a
wagon belonging to a private owner whilst the same is
upon the private siding or premises of such owner, but
save as aforesaid this Order applies to all railway
wagons whether owned by a railway company or by a
private owner. The expression “private owner”
includes a person entitled to the use of a wagon under a
hiring contract.

5.	In this Order, the term “trader” includes any
person sending or desiring to send or receiving
merchandise by railway at whose disposal a wagon,
whether empty or loaded, is placed.

6.	The provisions of this Order are in addition to and
not in derogation of, any other provisions for enforcing
the prompt loading or unloading of wagons.

7.	The Railway Wagons Disposal (Scotland) Order,
1918, is hereby revoked without prejudice to any matter
or thing done or suffered or penalty incurred or pro-
ceedings taken thereunder.

8.	Infringements of this Order are summary offences
against the Defence of the Realm Regulations.

Schedule.

Number of Days Allowed for Loading or Un-
loading Coal, Coke or Patent Fuel.

Wagons Supplied Empty for Loading for Shipment at
Private Sidings :—Wagon to be loaded and tendered to
railway company for conveyance within two days
exclusive of the day on which the wagon is placed at
the trader’s disposal.

Loaded Wagons after Conveyance. At Stations:—
Wagon to be unloaded and placed at railway company’s
disposal within three days exclusive of the day of receipt
by the trader of notice of arrival.

At Ports (Shipment Traffic only):—Wagon to be
unloaded and placed at railway company’s disposal
within four days exclusive of the day of arrival.

At Private Sidings, Docks, Wharves, &c.:—Wagon
to be unloaded and placed at railway company’s
disposal,if empty, within three days, or if reloaded, within
four days, exclusive in either case of the day on which
the wagon is placed at the trader’s disposal.

The number of days allowed for the return of any
covering sheet or sheets to be the same as for wagons.

The term “ day ” in this schedule means the 24 hours
beginning at 6 am., excluding the 24 hours beginning
at 6 a.m. on Sundays, New Year’s Day and the day
following, and any day declared by or under any
statute or regulation to be a public holiday in Scotland.

Notice of arrival may be given verbally or in writing,
and may be sent by post, telegram or telephone.