VEND. 85 



safeguard the fund, which exists for the benefit of the workers. 

 It is 1>3 T 110 means certain that these precautions are sufficient, 

 and there are cases where the committee have grave suspicions 

 that the benefits of the fund have been abused ; but when a 

 certificate from the local doctor, who is dependent on the 

 miners for his living, is produced, to prove the man is unfit 

 for work, the committee is helpless. One thing is noticed by 

 managers, viz., that more accidents are reported than formerly, 

 and that the men take longer to recover. No doubt a travelling 

 doctor, available for doubtful cases, would cure the victims 

 quicker. 



Selling Agencies. 



The Noithern, Southern, and Western coal-fields each 

 have combinations bearing on the disposal of their output. 

 Some mines prefer to associate together, and have one selling 

 agency, while others prefer to find their own markets. The 

 advantages of a selling agency is that it saves each mine 

 time and trouble in searching for a market. It limits the 

 cutting down of prices, so the mine-owners get more for their 

 coal. It is not always easy for one mine to supply large 

 quantities right away on short notice, and the want of facili- 

 ties may oblige a mine to refuse a large extended contract ; 

 but when several collieries combine together they can help 

 one another to fulfil such contracts, and consequently trade is 

 not lost. The mines belonging to such selling associations are 

 worked and managed by their owners ; each mine is appor- 

 tioned a certain amount of the contracts obtained, according 

 to its capacity. If a buyer specifies coal from a particular 

 mine, then that coal is supplied, but so as to balance matters, 

 that mine is given a smaller proportion of other contracts. 



The Northern coal-field has formed a vend, with the 

 object of regulating the coal trade. This affects all the large 

 Northern coal mines, except the Newcastle- Wallsend and 

 Burwood Extended collieries. Some years ago a somewhat 

 similar arrangement was come to, but some of the conditions 

 were broken, and those at fault refused to pay the stipulated 

 penalty. An attempt made to recover the penalty in the 

 Supreme Court was unsuccessful, as it was held that since 

 the agreement was in restraint of trade, it was therefore 

 illegal. After this, competition set in as before. Later on i 

 standard selling price for coal was adopted, so as to afford a 

 basis for a uniform hewing rate on which to pay the mines, 

 but the standard selling price was no criterion as to the actual 

 selling price. 



The vend formed in October, 1906, to last for a year, had 

 many difficulties to overcome, for conflicting interests had to 



