transferred from the Joint Committee agency to the presidency, and the
election of Mr S. Galbraith as his successor in the Joint Committee.
In the election the county chose a well-tried and very trustworthy
man. He had been checkweighman at the Browney Colliery for twenty-one
and a half years. Those workmen placed absolute reliance in him, and
without reserve allowed him to manage the affairs of the lodge. The
condition of the colliery, the peace and harmony which obtained, and
the fact that only one deputation visited them to make inquiry into a
grievance during the whole time he was there, are clear proof that he
had great care for the interests of the men, and that they were well
repaid for their confidence in him. His tactful management of the
local business specially fitted him for the wider sphere of labour.
The members reasoned safely when they concluded that he who had been
faithful in the local would be faithful in the general. Those who knew
Mr Galbraith were in perfect agreement as to the opinion formed by the
men who had been in such long and profitable business contact with
him.
AGREEMENTS
Screenmen--Labourers--Datal Wage--Hewers' Datal--Houses and House
Rent--Boys' Advance
The first of these was the raising of the basis wage of the screenmen
and labourers. That wage was fixed by an arbitration at 2s. 7½d.,
but was never quite accepted by the county. Negotiations had been
proceeding, and on 31st March 1900 it was agreed "that the basis wage
of _bona fide_ screenmen and labourers on and about the pit-heap and
on the colliery branches should be 2s. 10d. per day." This was a clear
advance of 2½d. per day, and meant nearly a day's wage increase in
the fortnight.
The second was in reference to the hewers' datal wage. There was no
settled or uniform principle of payment for the back-bye work. On
August 16th it was arranged that:
"When coal hewers are taken from hewing to do other work for a shift
or shifts (or portions of a shift), during which they would otherwise
have been employed at coal hewing, they shall, for not exceeding
three consecutive shifts employed at such other work, be paid the
hewers' county average wage."
The third settlement was the "Houses and House Rent." This had been on
hand for six or seven years. It was placed on the agenda of the
Conciliation Board in 1895. After that Board terminated the question
lapsed, but was brought forward by the owners at the Board meeting on
May 1st, 1900. It was at first part of a general application, but
shortly before the meeting the mechanics introduced a house question,
and therefore the request of the owners was made to apply solely to
miners. The subject was adjourned to give the employers a chance to
rearrange their claim.
Before the meeting held on August 3rd the Owners' and Miners'
Committee held two meetings, and an agreement had been come to,
subject to the approval of the miners' lodges. The Conciliation Board
was informed of this; further, that a return was being taken, and that
the agreement was being strongly recommended. It was adjourned on the
understanding that the owners could put it on the next agenda, if not
settled in the meantime, and could then ask the Board or umpire to
decide. The request of the owners was as follows:--
That the general question of the supply of houses and coals be
considered by the Board of Conciliation with a view to the points of
difference between the Owners' and Miners' Associations being decided
by the Board.
The return mentioned above resulted in a refusal of the agreement,
although large material changes had been made in it to the advantage
of the workmen. The return was most unsatisfactory, as fifty-two
collieries, representing 112 votes, did not vote. The Executive
Committee decided to call a special Council, and informed their
members of the position. The subject was sure to be settled at the
next Conciliation Board meeting.
"We have pointed out to you on one or two occasions that if it is not
settled by us it will come before the next Conciliation Board, who
will be asked by the owners to deal with it or refer it to the
umpire."
The special Council was held, and a discussion took place on the
agreement, but no vote was taken. In due course the subject came
before the Board. It was felt that the refusal was caused by the
exclusion of the shifters and wastemen. The owners were willing to
include these, and the Board agreed to the list of classes and
conditions contained in the agreement of November 1900.
The agreement settled a long-standing dispute, and established for
twelve classes the right to a free house, or rent if houses were not
found. In respect to the other classes not specifically named in the
list, their right would rest on the custom of the colliery obtaining
on the 1st of June 1900. Under the circumstances the agreement was the
best that could be got, and was a very long way ahead of the uncertain
condition of things which existed prior to its signing. There was this
to be considered: if the Board had not settled it then the umpire
would have been called in, and there was no assurance that he would
have gone so far. With respect to the rent, which was dependent upon
the custom of the colliery, the right of the classes named to a rent
(if not the amount) was guaranteed. Before the arrangement was made,
if there were not sufficient houses, the men belonging to the colliery
had to prove, at Joint Committee, it was the custom to pay rent at
that colliery. If they failed to establish the custom, then they were
non-suited, and without rent. That which was indefinite and uncertain
was lifted out of the region of contention once and for all, and that
in itself was no small advantage. In judging of the merits of the
"Houses and House Rent Agreement" it must be remembered that the
Executive Committee and Federation Board had to contend against time
and precedent. These were no mean forces. Practices which in some
cases had existed for thirty years were difficult to alter by the
party seeking the alteration. If the effort had been made twenty-five
years before it would have been comparatively easy: "Customs would
have admitted of easy proof, and the data would have been new and
readily substantiated." Keeping those things in remembrance, the
conclusion will be that the agreement was a good one.
On the 29th of December other two small agreements were signed. One of
them had reference to boys whose wages were below 1s. and those having
a basis wage of 1s. and 5d. or less. The former were raised to 1s.,
and the latter had to have 1d. increase. The other change was in
relation to smart money for beat hands. It was agreed that, as the
Compensation Act did not cover that injury, the smart money should be
continued where it had been the custom to pay it before the Act was
passed.
1901
The Coal Tax--The Death of Bishop Westcott--The Appointment of an
Accountant
In the spring of the year the whole of the mining industry was
startled by a proposal made by the Chancellor of the Exchequer to
place an export duty of 1s. per ton upon all exported coal. It was
done to enable him to meet the heavy expenditure which had been thrown
upon the nation by the Boer War. The entire cost was over
£250,000,000. The year or two previous the coal trade had been
prosperous. The profits of the employers and the wages of the miners
loomed up very large, and he being in a desperate position (having a
deficit of £50,000,000 to meet) thought it safe to make an attack on
the trade. His proposition was a very disastrous one. The arguments
advanced in support were uneconomic and fallacious, but were forced
upon the House of Commons by the sheer weight and force of a great and
obedient majority--a majority whose party loyalty covered a large
number of political sins.
His main arguments (upon which the changes were rung) were as
follows:--Coals were a great national asset, and the exportation
should be checked, and even if exported under the 1s. tax the
foreigners would pay it. To say the least, the former of these
arguments was too narrow to be considered at all seriously, because if
the necessities of the nation demanded a preservation of our coal
supply, then it could only be done by a total prohibition of the
export. Further, it lost sight of the large mining population, the
amount of capital sunk in the mines, the ships and sailors employed
in the carrying of coal, and the interchange of trade, which would be
interfered with if the policy were effected. The argument as to the
foreigners paying the 1s. was fallacious and selfish; fallacious
because it assumed the foreign consumer would not seek the cheapest
market, which would be opened out to him by the development of the
Continental coal fields; and selfish because, if correct, it was an
endeavour to throw upon him a part of the cost of a mad and wasteful
war, when he took no part in the initiation of it.
His proposal was met by fierce opposition in all the mining districts,
both exporting and non-exporting, but in none more than in Durham.
Employer and employed united in opposing it. To such an extent was
this joint action carried that the pits were all laid idle for the
purpose of affording the workmen an opportunity to hold mass meetings.
In a circular issued on April 22nd the Executive Committee informed
the lodges that they intended to hold seven simultaneous meetings, and
to join the Northumberland miners on the Town Moor, Newcastle. In the
circular they said:
The occasion is important. Time is short. The question is urgent. A
more injurious tax was never proposed. If carried, it will cripple
our trade, but more especially that of Northumberland and South
Wales. Our export trade is not so large as theirs, but we are so
closely bound together that we are sure to suffer with them. Let our
protest be as large and emphatic as the tax will be injurious, and
then the pressure of public opinion will compel a withdrawal of the
Chancellor's proposal.
In connection with the national protest large conferences were held.
The first of these took place on April 25th and 26th, at which a
deputation was appointed to meet the Chancellor on the 29th; but he
held out no hope. The conference was resumed on the 30th, and on May
1st. There was a very strong feeling in favour of stopping all the
mines in the country, and a resolution in that direction was adopted.
The main obstacle to an immediate stoppage was the fact that certain
districts had not considered it, and the conference was adjourned for
a week to give them time to call Council meetings and consult their
members. The adjourned meeting took place on May 7th, but it was found
that there was a more peaceful spirit abroad. Durham was in favour of
the stoppage, and the delegates, acting on instruction from the
Council, voted for that course of action. The conference was against
it. An arrangement was come to in view of any district being asked to
submit to a reduction in consequence of the coal tax. If that
occurred, then "another conference should be called to consider and
determine whether the whole of the mines of the country should be laid
idle until such intimated reduction is withdrawn."
So far as any stoppage of work was concerned, the agitation was at an
end, but the protest did not cease with it, for year after year it was
brought forward, and at all the galas it was made part of the
resolutions. Deputations met the Chancellor, and in Parliament the
spokesmen of the miners brought forward the question on every
opportunity. At the very outset they compelled him to exempt all coals
sold for 6s. per ton and under. And (to anticipate a little) one of
the first effects of the return of the Liberal party in 1906 was the
removal of the tax, to take effect on the 1st of November that year.
THE DEATH OF THE BISHOP OF DURHAM
The history would be incomplete if we did not make a reference to the
death of Bishop Westcott. He was known amongst us as "The Pitmen's
Bishop," and well he deserved the designation, for from the time of
his coming to the county he sought on all occasions to make himself
acquainted with our conditions, and was ever ready to assist in the
work of amelioration. In every effort in that direction he was ready
to counsel. He was one of England's greatest scholars, but his
learning did not blunt his sympathies nor check his desires to help
the people in their struggles. He was highly religious, but it was not
the religion of the visionary. It found expression in actions. He
proved his faith by his works, and demonstrated it by that higher and
truer exponent of a man's creed, his active participation in every
movement which tended to purify the conditions of our working and home
life.
His death was a unique circumstance. At the gala held on July 20th he
delivered a masterly address in the cathedral. His closing words were
prophetic. He informed the large gathering, mainly miners, that it
would be the last time he would address them. Whether this was the
presentiment of the coming of the last messenger or not we cannot
tell, but it is certain that the kindly heart and eloquent tongue
were both stilled by death, and the miners were in sorrow longing for
the sound of a voice that was gone, within a short week after he had
thrilled the hearts of his hearers, and a great sorrow fell upon the
county without regard to class, creed, or social status.
The following resolution passed by the Executive Committee will show
the appreciation of his worth expressed by them in the name of the
miners:--
That we, the Executive Committee of the Durham Miners' Association,
in the name of our members, express our universal sorrow at the death
of our respected Bishop and friend, the late Bishop Westcott. We
recognise that we have lost a sympathiser, counsellor, and helper in
all our efforts for better conditions both in our home surroundings
and our working life. From the first day of his residence amongst us
we felt that it was his desire to be the Bishop of the diocese in the
truest and best sense of the term; and as the years have passed that
feeling has been strengthened by the words of kindly counsel he has
given us and by his generous and helpful actions. While, therefore,
we share in the loss that has fallen upon the whole community we join
in the expression of regret and sorrow which will be felt in every
portion of the sphere in which he moved, and we tender our sympathy
to the relations of the truly great and kindly Christian, who has
been taken from a life in which he lived usefully and well to a
reward which awaits all who try to correct the wrongs and brighten
the darkness of this life.
APPOINTMENT OF THE ACCOUNTANT
Under the sliding scale there were joint ascertainments of prices by
each side having a firm of accountants, who agreed to the average
realised selling price of coals. When the scales terminated the
services of the accountants on the miners' side were dispensed with,
and the selling price was gathered by the Federation Board visiting
various depôts, the ports whence coal was exported, and the coal
exchange in London. Now it was obvious that such a system was at its
best very uncertain, and while the data gathered might be asserted it
never could be put forward as accurate. Without the accountants, the
mode adopted was necessary, but it was difficult, expensive, and
unreliable. The Federation Board, upon whom the burden of seeking the
prices fell, was never satisfied, and in the end the members came
round to that way of thinking. On the Miners' Council programme for
September 28th the following resolution appeared:--
Accountant be engaged for the purpose of ascertaining the price of
coal, the mode of procedure to be arranged by the Executive
Committee.
The resolution was carried, and was sent to the Federation, and by
them placed before the other sections, and finally adopted. At the
Board meeting held on November 28th it was decided "that Mr E. Sparks
be appointed as the accountant for the Board in the ascertainment of
coal prices on the terms which obtained under the sliding scale, and
that he be asked to meet the Board at the next meeting."
Between the loose system which obtained prior to his appointment and
that which resulted from it there was a very great contrast. Without
the definite figures he was able to supply the workmen were always in
an atmosphere of uncertainty on two points--first, the time when to
apply for an advance; and second, as to the amount to ask for.
Further, whatever demand the owners might make it was a matter of
guesswork as to the accuracy of the change in the markets. With the
quarterly ascertainment the state of the trade was given to the very
smallest decimal, it gave reliability as to data, and guaranteed the
stability of trade and the regularity of work, which is a great
consideration to the workmen.
1902-1903
Hours of Datal Boys and Firemen--Bank Holiday--Mr Patterson's
Statue--Ballot on Eight Hours--Coal Drawing after Loose--Agreement of
15th August--Surface Firemen's Wages
On Monday, the 27th of January, the Executive Committee met the
Employers' Committee on six requests. Three of them were the hours of
timber leaders and others, putters at datal work, and the hours of
firemen at the week-ends. Those three were settled by the allowing
agreement:--
It is hereby agreed between the Durham Coal Owners' Association and
the Durham Miners' Association as follows:--
_Putters at Datal Work._--That the hours of putters when sent to
datal work shall be those applicable to the particular class of work
which they are required to perform.
_Firemen's Week-end Shifts._--That the hours of firemen employed at
boilers attached to stationary colliery engines which work
continuously between 6 A.M. on Saturday and 6 A.M. on Monday shall
be eight per shift between these hours.
_Timber and Water Leaders._--That the hours of the following classes
of boys shall be in future eight per day--namely, timber leaders,
stone putters and water leaders, and those boys who for a full
shifter's shift may be working with shifters whose hours are eight.
Those whose hours are reduced to suffer a proportionate reduction of
wage.
This agreement to take effect with pays commencing the 3rd and 10th
February 1902.
For the Durham Coal Owners' Association,
REGINALD GUTHRIE,
_Secretary_.
For the Durham Miners' Association,
JOHN WILSON.
The result of the settlement so far as it affects the young men will
be seen by the following table, and it must be remembered that the
total number of days reduced was for any one day, and not for a
fortnight:--
Timber leaders 80
Water leaders 234
Stone putters 76
Number of putters at datal work on any given day 220
Other boys so engaged 220
----
Total days reduced 830
These figures were taken from the Associated Collieries. There were
a number of others, which would increase the total somewhat. It will
be observed that the hours shortened did not in any way affect
the coal-drawing time, and were indications of the willingness
to meet the shortening of the hours if it were expedient to do
so. It was in complete harmony with the general policy of the
Association--self-effort even if the end were a little longer in being
reached, and negotiation in preference to an appeal to the legislature.
Further, the settlement proved that the inexpediency and difficulty of
applying the eight hours a day was the only obstacle in the way of the
Durham men, and not their unwillingness to shorten the working time, as
was alleged by many outside the county.
THE BANK HOLIDAY
For some years there had been complaints from the employers in
reference to the pits being laid idle on Bank Holidays, without any
arrangement being made for the same. The logic of their position was
incontrovertible. They stated it in the following manner:--
As Associations we have had business relations for over thirty years.
We have in that time made many agreements, and have arranged
tribunals for every class of difference, and yet you, one of the
Associations, have deliberately set all that machinery to a side,
have ruthlessly broken all precedents and procedure, and have for
some years laid the pits idle, without even consulting the owners'
side.
They then brought the subject before the Conciliation Board in August
1902, but while they were wishful to call in the umpire they agreed to
defer it for three months. Their request was in the following form:--
The owners complain of the action of the workmen in laying collieries
idle on August and December Bank Holidays, and ask that the
Conciliation Board take this matter into consideration with a view of
requiring the workmen to continue previously existing county
arrangements until such are altered, either through negotiations
between the Owners' and Workmen's Associations or by the Conciliation
Board.
After being discussed it was decided that:
The claim of the owners, that this Board shall restrain the growing
practice of laying pits idle on the August and December Bank
Holidays, is to be considered and dealt with at the November meeting
of the Board.
At that meeting the question was again brought forward; but it was
thought desirable that the miners and the employers should have a
chance of settling without a reference to the umpire, and for that
purpose another adjournment took place, it being understood that if no
arrangement were come to the reference should be made as soon as
possible. The umpire was not called in until the 8th of July 1903. The
hearing of the case took place in London in the Westminster Palace
Hotel. On the 13th Lord Davey gave his award: "On the question
referred to me at the meeting on July 8th I award that the workmen be
allowed the August Bank Holiday, but go to work on the day after
Christmas Day."
MR PATTERSON'S STATUE
The statue was unveiled on Saturday, 31st of January 1903, at two P.M.
The ceremony consisted of a formal unveiling in front of the Hall,
and a meeting in the Council Chamber immediately after. The Executive
Committee, in a short circular sent out to inform the members of the
event, said:
It will not be necessary to urge upon you to send a deputation to
represent you, and thus show respect to a man who did as much as he
could to establish our Association and to promote its usefulness.
Don't let this be a mere ceremonial function, but let us show by our
presence as much as by the statue we are placing in front of the Hall
how we appreciate the labours of men like our departed friend.
There was a great response to the circular, and both the unveiling and
the meeting inside were well attended. The ceremony was performed by
the corresponding secretary (J. Wilson), who gave the address. The
proceedings were presided over by Mr W. House, the president of the
Association, and a number of speeches were delivered by representative
men, and many who had been with him during the greater part of his
life, and throughout the highest testimony was given to the good
qualities and disinterestedness of Mr Patterson.
His would be a narrow mind who could say anything else. If true virtue
consists of desire to do good, and he is only great who loves his
fellow-men, then Patterson was truly great. And that was the standard
by which the county judged him, and on that he carried their
appreciation. It will be fitting to quote in connection with the
unveiling a portion of the _Monthly Circular_ written by one who had
lived and worked with Mr Patterson and knew him.
But the most cheering part of the unveiling to me does not lie in the
appreciation as expressed by the marble, but in the numbers who
attended the ceremony and the feeling manifested during the whole of
it. If it showed our respect for a colleague and friend, it reflected
honour upon us because there was nothing of the cold and formal about
it. The gathering was truly representative, and from first to last
friendship was in the air and in every heart. There were very few
lodges (if any) that were not represented, and in addition there were
gentlemen who, although outside our ranks as Trades Unionists, came
uninvited to pay a last tribute to a man who in life they had known
and learned to respect, and warm were their words in reference to
him.
THE EIGHT HOURS--SECOND BALLOT