Mr. Ronaldson's Report. 44, Athole Gardens, Glasgow, SIR, As Inspector of Mines in charge of No. 2 or West Scotland District, I have the honour to submit to you the following report under the Coal Mines Regulation Acts, the Metalliferous Mines Regulation Acts, and the Quarries Act, for the year ending 31st December, 1906. Mining operations generally have been carried on without interruption due to bad trade or to disputes between owners and workmen. Towards the end of the year there was a distinct indication of better times for the coal trade, and the standard wage of the miner, which for a long time stood at 5s. 6d. per day, was advanced to 5s. 9d. With a slight decrease in the number of persons employed, there has been a considerable increase in the output of minerals from the mines. Quarrying operations still continue to be carried on under depressed circumstances, this being generally due to the collapse of the building trade. At least one underground inspection has been made of every mine in the district worked throughout the year, and a large number of quarries have been visited. REPORT UNDER THE COAL MINES REGULATION ACT. SECTION I. PERSONS EMPLOYED." Including those employed on sidings at the mines, on private branch railways and in washing and coking coal on premises adjacent to and belonging to the mines, the total number of persons employed in and about the mines during the year was 57,030, as shown by the annual returns, which is a decrease of 200 as compared with the year 1905. Below ground there were 265 fewer persons employed, and above ground there was a decrease of 53 females, but an increase of 118 males. Table No. 1 gives the number of mines worked and the number of persons employed in the different counties during the year : In Lanarkshire there has been a decrease of 1,207 in the number of persons employed, but the other counties, with the exception of Argyll and Renfrew, show an increase. SECTION II. OUTPUT of MINERAL. The total output of minerals from the mines was 20,150,760 tons. Compared with the year 1905 this is an increase of 733,277 tons, or 295,413 tons more than the output of the record year 1903. There was an increase in the output of coal of 725,071 tons, of ironstone 26,787 tons, and of limestone, &c., 2,546 tons, while there was a decrease of 21,127 tons in the output of fireclay. Although in Lanarkshire there has been a considerable decrease in the number of persons employed, there has been an increase of 244,887 tons in the quantity of ccal produced as compared with the previous year. Table No. 2 gives the quantity of the various minerals raised in each county : The average quantity of mineral raised during the year per person employed below ground was 435-3, being an increase of 18.23 tons as compared with the year 1905, while the average quantity per person employed above and below ground was 353.33 tons, or an increase of 14 tons. Table No. 3 gives the average number of days on which mineral was drawn from the mines in the various counties for the last two years :- Table No. 4 gives particulars regarding the number and kind of machines used for coal cutting, and the output produced :— Comparing these figures with those for the preceding year, there is an increase of 20 in the number of coal-cutting machines used and of 316,519 tons in the quantity of coal produced. The figures given are from the returns by all the mine owners using machines, except one firm whose output is estimated. Year after year there is an increasing number of coal-cutting machines in use. While the use of compressed air as the motive power for disc and chain machines is not. extending, electricity as a motive power for these types of machines is being more used. |