TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION F. 775 



4. Sliding Scales and Hours of Labour in the Northumherland Goal Industry. 



By Ralph Young. 



The Northumberland Slidin;^ Scale was established in 1879. Dui'ing the pre- 

 ceding years an important rise occurred in the price of coal, and from 1871 to 1873 

 it advanced 200 per cent. Three general advances were conceded in wages, and 

 these advances with special local advances amounted to 74 per cent. When the 

 price of coal began to fall the mine-owners claimed a reduction in wages, and in 

 April 1874 the men agreed to a reduction of 10 per cent. A second reduction of 

 20 per cent, occurred in October. A third reduction of 20 per cent, was demanded 

 in 1875, but was strongly resisted by the miners, and a strike was only arrested by 

 a reference to Sir Rupert Kettle, who awarded a reduction of half the amount 

 claimed. Further arbitrations in January and October 1876 resulted in a reduction 

 of 16 per cent., but in 1877 Lord Herschell decided in favour of the miners. Three 

 months later the owners gave notice of a reduction, and an eight weeks' strike fol- 

 lowed, but in the end the miners submitted to a reduction of 12^ per cent., and ten 

 mouths later the owners again demanded and enforced a reduction of 10 per cent. 



The irritation and disturbance in trade produced by these constant disputes 

 about wages led to the appointment of a committee of miners and mine-owners to 

 consider the possibility of framing a sliding scale; and eventually a scale was 

 framed, of which the chief features were (1) that when the average price of all 

 coal raised was the price realised in November 1878 [5/1*28] the wage of hewers 

 was to be the average wage earned after the last 10 per cent, reduction, i.e., 4/y|. 



(2) An advance or reduction of 2^ per cent, was to take place for every rise or 

 fall of 0/4 in the price of coal, with an extra 2^ per cent, when the price readied 

 6/4, and S3 on, every 1/4 carrying an extra 2^ per cent. 



(.3) The ascertainments of price to be made four times a year. 



(4) The scale to remain in force for twelve months certain, and after that from 

 year to year, unless terminated by one month's notice. 



In 1882 the standard price was reduced from 5/1-28 to 4/8, and it was arranged 

 that wages should rise or fall 1^ per cent, for every rise or fall of 0/2, and that an 

 extra 1^^ per cent, advance should be given when the price of coal was 6/0, 6/4, 

 7/2, 8/6, and 9/0. 



The adoption of the scale led to a great improvement in the coal trade. From 

 1874 to 1879 the output in Northumberland gradually declined 14-.35 per cent., 

 though the output for the rest of the country had increased 7 per cent. The first 

 year the scale was in operation the outpiit in Northumberland increased 23 per 

 cent, as compared with an increase of 9 per cent, in the rest of the countr)'. 

 From 1879 to 1884 the output increased 3579 per cent, as against 19'55 per cent. 

 for the rest of the country. 



The sliding scale is a much more effective method of settlmg wages than arbi- 

 tration. The defects of arbitration are : — 



1. There can be no agreement as to how long prices are to rise or fall before 

 arbitration is resorted to. 



2. There can be no agreement as to what advance or reduction is to take place 

 for a given rise or fall in the price of coal. 



The sUding scale avoided both difficulties, and greater continuity of employ- 

 ment was worth at least 10 per cent, to both miners and mine-owners. 



The hours of hewers are 6| at the coal face, or 7^ from bank to bank; of other 

 undergroundmen 8 from bank to bank ; and of boys under 16 years, 10 from bank 

 to bank. 



The 7^ hours system was introduced between 1852 and 1856, when the process 

 of getting coal by wedging gave way to blasting, the hours previous to that year 

 being 9 to 12 hours per day. The produce per man per shift of 7^ hours under the 

 new system was as great as the produce under the old system of an average 10 1 

 hours' shift. The 7| hours' shift continued until 1873, when the Mines Regulation 

 Act came into force, and the restrictions placed by that Act on the employment of 

 boys (10 hours being a maximum) led to the hours of hewers being reduced from 

 7^ to 6^ per shift ; but in 1878 the depression in the coal trade led to an increase of 



