1927-06-18 — Page 11

GERMAN MINES.

SAFETY AND RESCUE

PRECAUTIONS.

Robert Rother, Chief Councillor to the Mining Security Board of the Prussian Ministry for Trade and Industry, writes:"

The technical standard of the German mines is a very high one. Foreign competition in the produc- tion of coal, ores, salts, petroleum ete, hus, cepecially during the past decade, led to important improve ments in the methods of mining; it has also been responsible for con- siderable development in the use of mechanical appliances; and it has greatly promoted rationaliza- tion of the industry, so that prae tically all upremunerative and out of-date plants have been closed. down. The consequent increase in the capacity of the mines finds a

HARNESSING THE

TIDE.

THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH,

PROVIDING CHEAP ELECTRIC POWER.

The House of Commons in mail week went into Committee of Sup ply, and on the Ministry of Tran- sport vote Col. Ashley said the groas total of the estimates of the Ministry was £288,296, but, after allowing for appropriations in aid, the net total was £126,346- Te duction of £15,000 on last year: The sum of £30,000 in the present financial year would be paid into the Exchequer by the Central Electricity Board.

TOTAL FAILURE.

SOCIALIST GOVERNMENT

·ON CONTINENT,

involving

"Private ownership, personal responsibility, serves the public better than State ownership, disappears," said Dr. Arthur Shad- well. M.D., LL.D., in the course of in which personal responsibility

an address on "Socialism," dell vored to the School of Study for Women, organised by the Eastern Divisional Council of the Scottish Unionist Association. The School, which closed recently was held at the Gartshore Hall, Edinburgh. A special feature of the pro- gramme of lectures has been the addresses on "Trade Unionism" and "Socialism" by Dr. Shadwell.

In the last two or three years Estimates, he had put in a sum to be voted by Parliament in order

The Socialists in this country, that proparatory work in the general scheme of electrification shid Dr. Shadwell, had never been In this country should be put lain power, but on the Continent

power in Russia, and pretty near- ly as complete power in Germany, and to a less extent in Austria.

parallel in the increased importhand, if and when the Electricity they had been striving-absolute ance attached to mining security, Bill became an Ael, the object be The industry employs upwards of 3/4 of hemillion miners, in the in- ing that they might not be held up terests of whose safety the Mini Its work through lack of money. ing Security Board has been creatThey had by this means succeeded

ed.

.

in getting the Electricity Board to Particular care is taken thor-function as once. oughly to instruct not merely the mining officials, but also

In Russin. they obtained com-

plete nationalisation of property; which was an utter and total fall- The Board had already received ure. Production of every kind the one scheme from the Electricity went down. After trying to in- miners themselves, in all that per- /Commissioners in respect of Scottroduce a complete scheme of Com-

prevention of accidents. An im-advanced state of preparation, andket and the use of money, they had portant advance in this direction / two other schemes were being into reintroduce capitalism, and just i

in a very few In proportion as they had had the cently introduced coal miners' months would come up for con capitalist system and organisation has been accomplished by the re-vestigated and examination. Furthermore, grentsideration by the Central Board.

The Severn barrage scheme had reintroduced, the country had been

able to recover. efforts are made to enlighten, by other means, every individual formed a fascinating and interest-

In Germany, after the revolution, miner concerning the character of ing investigation. If they could the dangers involved in his call by harnessing the tides find cheapthe Socialists were in complete and abundant power for the indus-pewer, without any opposition, ing and how to meet them; for, in trial regions of South Wales, they and they were not so foolish or so aubterranean. mines, a blunder or an inadvertency on the part of one would have done much to decrease hasty as the Russians. They be Individual may endanger the lives the price of electrical power. of many. Information on the sub- ject is now being disseminated by pictorial illustrations and by let- ter-press notices displayed at the mines and in suitable spots near the miners' homes. Many good sketches have, been made by the minors themselves. A number of have started mining concerns

offices of their own for the further.

This was one of those investiga- tions which had had to proceed step by step, but the scheme had now reached a stage in which very considerable hopes were that it would be a success.

gan to look at the problem as they never had looked at it before, and they didn't quite see what they could do. A great many schemes were produced for a new economic rained organisation in place of the, exist- ing one, and not one of thege A modet of the proposed bar-schemes was put into operation. rate was being made and he hoped

In Austria it was very similar that a definite number of years and they tried a sort of half-heart- it would be possible to say thated scheme of socialisation with a

ance of the movement. in the the scheme was within the range little anccess at the beginning,

2. coal-mining districts, the Prussian of practical politics.

Mining Security Board runs a spe- clal cinema film illustrating in lifè- like manner the, prevention of ae- cidents in mines.

which faded. away and gradually came back to the ordinary form of organisation. In all these cases they utterly failed to solve the problem of production.

The Dangers. The dangers of the mining in dustry are due, partly to naturalued concerning the safety appli-existence? The Socialists usually "circumstances, partly to the use

In Case of Emergency.

Question for Socialists. How did capitalism come into assumed that it was a system im- posed from above, compulsorily, and they enntinually referred to “a state of primitive Communism;"

large-scale working of modern mines has greatly angmented the use of locomotives, rope-railways and the like. Particularly strict regulations have recently been is- aures to be employed in raising of technical appliances. One danand lowering persons through the ger, common to all mines, is the pit-shaft. collapse of earth and rocks. To obviate this danger use is made of wooden and iron props, brickwork Intimately connected with seeu-and their common argument was and cement, and the excavation of rity in the mines is the problem that they had been robbed of their the mines is arranged in such, a of rescue in the event of an emer-heritage, and particularly the way as to counteract the pressuregency. For saving the lives of land. That argument depended of the mountains. The supply of endangered miners most mines, upon this hypothesis of primitive fresh air is obtained in most Ger- have a life-saving brigade of their Commanniam, which was rather man mines by means of ventila- own; the men are provided with doubtful from historical evidence. tors, the current serving also to gas masks and other contrivances

Why did they give up Commun- carry off the hoxious gases emanatwhich enable them to penetrate that was a question which ing from the earth. In some dis-into the cavities affected by fire was never asked by the Socialists. tricts of Germany, carbonic or explosion. Agreements exist was given up because they dioxide occurs in the mines and exerywhere concerning reciprocal found a better way of satisfying causes risk of suffocation. To assistance among

neighbouring their needs. meet this diffenity explosions are mines. As a rule, motor-cars are

The division of labour began in brought about which cause the kept" ready to transport the bri- carbonic acid as to escape, at à gades, and their apparatus. Merea very small way, and at a very time when no-one is within over, the larger mining districts remote period, and gradually in the danger zone, One of the min- have central rescue stations. The creased. Two things necessarily er's oldest enemies is fire-parti-achievements made, year by year, wont with the division of labour; cularly fire in the zeama. Only by the brigades are proof of the one was ownership of the thing very seldom can it be put out by excellence of the German rescue made, and the other was exchange water or by chemical extinguish-organization. First aid to the sick of products. The division of lab- ers; as a rule the fire zone has to and injured is given in the dress our and the process of exchange bo closed by dams, which shut outing stations of the mines. A num developed, and to facilitate ex- ber of the men are trained in am- change they introduced à common the alri

In addition to these natural dan-bulance work and especially in medium-and that was money. gera is that caused by the use of behling gassed miners.

On that basis the capitalist syя-

explosives for the purpose of loos- Mining security and rescue worktem of economy gradually deve- ening rocks, coal, ere etc.;in re are mainly organized under the reloped, and became more and more cent years, the German industry gulations issued by the mining elaborate. It was a gradual ex-

various Federal has consumed, on an average, 3D-thorities of the

pansion, á living organism, ex- The authorities also 000 tons of explosives annually. States.

panding into, a system which no- In the coal-mines liable to fire-supervise the safety of the underbody, could. impose. It was a liv damp and coal-dust risks, the expio-takings and the carrying out ofing growth, and you could not take sives are now being replaced, as for the regulations. We are, nevera living organism and tear it to as possible. by peumatic batheless, well aware that the activi- pieces and put it together again.

ers. In the Rhenish-Westpha-ty of the authorities can supply lian con districts, 70,000 mining only the basis for thining security,

Dr. Shadwell concluded with a

to bureaucracy, machines, are already in use. this since the prevention of accidents. brief reference being doubtless one of the biggest and the minimizing, of injuries is and the assurance of the Social- revolutions yet effected for thean aim which can be complished ists that they would not have a said, Dr. purpose of coping with mining solely by the closest co-operation bureaucracy. "But," risks. Other measures have also among all concerned, whether au- Shadwell, "there must be officials, been taken with the object of ren-thorities and mine-owners, or and burcapcracy only means ofli-

staff-workers dering transit in and around the managers,

and, cialdom--and that takes all the 'mines as safe as possible: the above all, the minera themselves.life out of it.”

SATURDAY, JUNE 18, 1927.

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Group of Battalion Headquarters and Headquarter Wing, 2nd Bn. Coldstream Guards, recently taken at Waterworks Camp, on Kiagchow Road.

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