The following is a summary of these proceedings 1. Obstructing airways or interfering with the ventilation 3. 4. Contravention of rules about matches and smoking 41 8 6. Contravention of rules about trams or tabs or inclined or engine Of the 29 prosecutions for contraventions of rules about safety lamps, 24 were for sleeping while in charge of a safety lamp. SECTION V.. GENERAL REMARKS. Watering Coal Dust:"" This is one of the most important subjects affecting the safety of mines in South Wales, where there are many large collieries which are naturally dry, and very dusty, and where in the past numerous devastating explosions have occurred in such mines. The importance of the subject is generally recognized, as appears from the fact that in most of the dusty mines systems of pipes have been installed carrying water under high pressure, for watering the haulage roads. The method in which the water is usually applied is by means of a flexible hose pipe attached to the water mains at intervals of about 25 yards. Many permanently fixed sprayers have been tried, and a few are still used, but generally they were found to be troublesome and unreliable, and have been abandoned in favour of the hose pipe. In some collieries there are fixed sprayers for watering the loaded trams as they passed under them, generally at the inbye partings from which the journeys of trams are drawn by engine power. I have also seen sprayers applied near the top of downcast shafts, to prevent dry dust from the screens being carried down. There is probably more watering of coal dust in South Wales than in all the rest of the country together. The result of the watering, I regret to say, is far from satisfactory, and so far as I have seen, it is doubtful whether, in many of the collieries, the watering would be effectual in preventing the extension of an explosion by coal dust. This conclusion is to some extent borne out by the fact that there have been explosions in collieries provided with thousands of yards of water pipes, where the water had little or no effect in preventing the extension of the explosions along the roads in which the pipes were fixed. The chief reason for this state of affairs is the insufficient manner in which the watering is carried out. In many collieries there are, without doubt, serious difficulties in the way of the effectual watering of the dust throughout the haulage roads. The chief difficulty is the deleterious effect of water on the strata forming the roof, floor, and sides of some of the roads; and in some cases, the fact that the roof is formed of broken strata and old timber for a considerable height up, the interstices of which are full of dust to which it is difficult or impracticable to apply water. Other reasons for the inefficiency of the watering are more or less completely within the control of the management. One is the large amount of coal, coal dust and debris which is allowed to accumulate on the haulage roads. In many cases these deposits are found to such an extent that is practically impossible to keep them damp throughout. In some cases these deposits appear to be allowed to accumulate until it is absolutely necessary to remove them to keep the roads available for haulage purposes. The trams used, and the method of loading them from one to two feet above the top, are responsible for the scattering of, much coal and coal dust along the haulage roads. Many of the trams are still open ended, and even when both ends are closed, they are so built as to be far from dust tight. Another reason.is the way in which the actual application of the water is done. This seems to be left too much to the discretion, or want of discretion, of the men appointed to water roads. The result is that some parts of the roads are found with large pool of water on the floor, and other parts absolutely dry. That it is possible efficiently to water mine roads on an extensive scale, was proved to me by what I saw in Westphalia in October last; and although the difficulties encountered in the mines I saw there, were not so great as in many of the South Wales steam coal colleries, I am satisfied that by modifications and greater care the system of watering here could be made of real value for the prevention of the extension of explosions by coal dust. As matters are, much of the money spent on the operation is practically wasted. The whole subject is under investigation by the Royal Commission on Mines, and I have no doubt the colliery owners and mining engineers of South Wales will be amongst the first to take advantage of their investigations. Special Rules. The Special Rules in force in both the Cardiff and Swansea districts require revision. I understand they have been very little altered since they were drawn up in 1872, and in many details they are behind more recently revised codes in force in other districts. The Report of the Royal Commission on Mines will probably deal with the subject of special rules generally, so that the present is not an opportune time to raise the question of the revision of the South Wales rules. Discipline in the Mines. There is room for great improvement in the discipline maintained in some of the collieries, especially in the Swansea district. The inspections made and the investigation of accidents, show that in many cases the rules are not observed and enforced as they should be. It may be necessary, by legal proceedings, to remind the owners and managers of some of these mines of the responsibilities imposed on them by the Mines Acts. Mining School for South Wales and Monmouthshire. In connection with the University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire, a scheme is on foot for the purpose of establishing a mining school worthy of the district. In such a large and important mining district there is ample scope and urgent necessity for the establishment of such a centre of teaching and research. The constantly increasing application of costly and complicated machinery, the wide spread introduction of electricity, and the necessity for scientific organisation and methods to cope with large outputs to be obtained from greater depths and under more dangerous conditions, makes it imperative that in the future mining officials shall have improved scientific training. It is proposed to raise an initial fund of £30,000, and Dr. Griffiths, Principal of University College, Cardiff, is making energetic exertions to ensure the success of the scheme. He appeals to the owners of mines and minerals, to the miners and to the mining population generally, and in such a large and wealthy mining district there should be little doubt that the money will soon be raised. Many of the mineral landlords and colliery owners have signified their intention of giving substantial financial support. Sir W. T. Lewis and Mr. F. L. Davis have each promised £1,000 in case the proposed fund is realised. The Miners' Federation of South Wales and Monmouthshire, at their Annual Conference on 20th March, passed a resolution in favour of a levy of Is. 6d. per head of the members, in three yearly instalments of 6d. each. REPORT UNDER THE METALLIFEROUS MINES REGULATIONS ACTS. Neither the Cardiff nor the Swansea district is an important metalliferous mining district. The usual details are given in the reports of Messrs. Gray and Lewis, and nothing has occurred during the past year in connection with metalliferous mines calling for special remarks. REPORT UNDER THE QUARRIES ACT. Nothing appears to have occurred in connection with quarries during 1906 calling for further observations than are given in the reports of Messrs. Gray and Lewis. As in other districts, dangerous practices with reference to explosives require to be sternly repressed. I have the honour to be, Sir, Your obedient Servant, W. N. ATKINSON. The Right Hon. H. J. Gladstone, M.P., His Majesty's Principal Secretary of State, Mr. F. A. Gray's Report. Report on the Inspection of Mines and Quarries in the Cardiff District (No. 10), for the year ending 31st December 1906. SIR, In compliance with Section 43 of the Coal Mines Regulation Act, 1887, Section 20 of the Metalliferous Mines Regulation Act, 1872, and the Quarries Act, 1894, I have the honour, as Inspector of Mines of the Cardiff District, to submit the following Report for the year ending 31st December, 1906. In accordance with your instructions this Report contains three separate Reports :The Report under the Coal Mines Regulation Acts. The Report under the Metalliferous Mines Regulation Act. The Report under the Quarries Act. Each of these reports is sub-divided into five sections as follows:— Section I.-Persons Employed; II.-Output of Minerals; III.-Accidents; There are three Appendices containing respectively a list of fatal accidents, a list of prosecutions, and a list of mines abandoned during the year. The total number of persons employed under the three Acts was 92,276, as compared with 89,581 in the year 1905, of these 89,706 were employed in connection with Coal Mines, 398 with Metalliferous Mines, and 2,172 at Quarries. The total amount of minerals produced was 25,146,836 tons, of which 23,762,976 tons was coal. The coal trade during the whole of the past year has been very good, and consequently the collieries have been kept fully cccupied. The price of coal commenced to improve in January, and continued to do so all through the year, and it is many years since the condition of trade in this district was as bright as it was at the close of the year. In consequence of the improved prices obtained for the coal, the wages of the miners were advanced 23 per cent. in May, and 5 per cent. in September, thus raising the percentage from 30, the figure at which it stood at the end of 1905, to 37 per cent. above the standard of 1879. The prices of coke, owing to the flourishing state of the iron and steel trade, have also improved considerably. One of the most interesting events in connection with the coal trade was the abolition of the shilling tax on coals on the 31st October. OFFICIAL DUTIES. With the exception of three weeks' holiday, I have been fully occupied during the whole of the year with the work of the district. I have made 140 inspections, of which 103 were underground, and I have inspected 38 quarries. I investigated 46 accidents, attended 32 Coroner's Inquests, and was occupied four days at Police Courts, three days at Assizes, and one day at a solicitor's office. On the 28th November I gave evidence before the Royal Commission on Mines. During the last two months of the year I was ill twelve days. On the 21st July you were pleased to promote my senior assistant, Mr. J. Dyer Lewis, to the charge of the Swansea district. Mr. F. J. Trump reports that he made 191 inspections, 161 of which were underground. He investigated 87 accidents, 5 complaints, and attended 56 inquests. He visited 45 quarries, was six days at Assizes, County Court, and Police Courts. He had three and a half weeks' holiday, was ill one week, and was laid up two weeks in consequence of an accident while making an inspection of the workings of a colliery.* He has worked hard, and willingly, and has given me every satisfaction. See page 32. REPORT UNDER THE COAL MINES REGULATION ACTS. SECTION I. PERSONS EMPLOYED. The following table, compiled from the annual returns made under section 33, shows the number of mines at work, and the number of persons employed below-ground and above-ground in each of the counties comprised by the inspection district :— As will be seen by the above Table, the total number of persons employed in and about the mines, including those employed on the sidings at the mines, on private branch railways and tramways, and in washing and coking coal on premises adjacent to, and belonging to the mines, was 89,706, which is an increase of 2,825 as compared with the preceding year. The greatest increase (2,337) has again been in the males above 16 employed below ground. The total quantity of mineral produced from the mines during the year amounted to 23,821,979 tons, being an increase of 1,352,180 tons on the output of the previous year. The difference was made up by an increase of 1,351,139 tons of coal, 4,621 tons of ironstone, and a decrease of 3,580 tons of fireclay. When the district was formed in 1901, the total number of persons employed was 80,221, and the total output was 20,675,940 tons; since then there has been an increase of 9,485 in the persons employed, and 3,146,039 in tons of mineral raised. The quantity of mineral raised per person employed was, below-ground 310 statute tons, and above and below 265 5 statute tons. The quantity of mineral produced |