1H4! RKPORT — 1873. 



admitted ; but they are removed from place to place with little more trouble 

 than a full corve ; and we have recently made some careful experiments, which 

 prove that there is in " pillar and staU " about equal advantage as in " long 

 wall;" and we can confidently assert that the opinions upon the difficulty of 

 moving them which have been recently enunciated from high quarters are 

 quite erroneous. 



The items of cost in working contained in the previous account, are con- 

 fined to the actual working of the two systems, up to the coal being put into 

 the corves, and ready for being sent out of the pit, all the other work, 

 whether for hand or machine, being exactly alike. 



But there are some advantages in the machine over the hand-working, 

 which pertain to the general mine account, viz. the larger size of the coal 

 brought out, and an increased average price, on sale, with a saving in timber 

 and other stores. 



I may say in conclusion, that, putting aside entirely all reduction in 

 the cost of getting out the coal, there are other and collateral considera- 

 tions which are, in my opinion, sufficiently important and worthy of your 

 attention, 



I now recapitulate the most prominent points upon which I rely, viz. : — 



1. Greater safety for the workmen from falls of coal and roof. 



2. Less danger of explosion, and greater security against the effect of 



choke damp. 



3. Less strain upon the physical powers of the labourers, and great 



amelioration in the hard conditions of their employment, conse- 

 quently adding to the comfort and length of their lives. 



4. Saving from destruction much of the most valuable of all our com- 



modities. 



5. Saving of timber and other materials employed in mining. 



6. Increased control over production, enabling sudden demands to be 



suddenly met. 



7. Preparing for other important improvements in mining, without any 



addition to the first outlay, such as drilling, hauling, and pumping. 



8. The peculiar adaptability of the means set forth for working the very 



deep seams of coal, without which it is very doubtful whether they 

 can ever be profitably worked. 



9. Greater saving of time in opening new pits, and quickening the 



means of such becoming remunerative. 



Considering the vast extent of the trade in coal and the stupendous con- 

 sequences of a short and insufficient supply, and believing that the speediest 

 adoption of coal-getting machinery is desirable, I have myself made some 

 efforts to stimulate that object by an ofi'er of a premium of £500 for the best 

 machine that could be produced ; but those efforts have failed, and I now 

 submit that the question, being of national importance, is one specially 

 entitled to the support and encouragement of the Government, and that the 

 British Association is preeminently the channel through which that object 

 could be obtained in the best manner. 



