A Mines Department for the United Kingdom. 1 7 



of Production Act, 1906, particulars of the quantity and value of the 

 output of coal, metalliferous minerals, and of works engaged in the 

 smelting of metals ; and during the War it has been largely concerned 

 with the regulation of the supply and distribution of coal and coke. 

 The Board of Education, in its capacity as administrative head of 

 the Geological Survey (in succession to the old Science and Art 

 Department), has to do with the Geological Survey of the United 

 Kingdom, i.e. with the preparation of geological maps, explanatory 

 memoirs, and of special Reports on Mineral Resources, as well as 

 the maintenance of a Museum of geological collections and economic 

 resources. The JVoods, Forests, and Land Revenues, through its 

 Commissioner, acts as Gaveller of the Forest of Dean and also 

 exercises the rights of the Crown in respect of mines under the sea, 

 below high-water mark, in all parts of the Kingdom. Similar Crown 

 rights are exercised by the Duchies of Lancashire and Cornwall. 

 During the War the Ministry of Munitions has, under the Defence of 

 the Realms Act, exercised many of the functions of a llines 

 Department. Its activities with regard to minerals have separated 

 naturally on the lines of ferrous and non-ferrous. Through its Iron 

 and Steel Department under the administration of Sir John Hunter 

 and Colonel Charles Wright, C.B., it has been able to develop 

 rapidly home supplies of iron-ore so as to more than make up for 

 any loss of foreign supplies due to the activities of the enemy 

 submarines ; in connexion with this, it became necessary, in order to 

 properly gauge the industrial situation, to organize the collection of 

 very complete statistics of production of raw and semi-finished 

 materials, and it is understood that in the course of this work a most 

 valuable series of records has been accumulated. The Department 

 for the Development of Mineral Resources was established for the 

 purpose of increasing in the United Kingdom the supply for War 

 purposes of minerals other than coal and iron. Sir Lionel Phillips 

 was made Controller ; and his Report, which has just been issued, 

 is the one referred to above. 



The proposal made by the Coal Conservation Committee is that the 

 duties hitherto performed by so many different Government bodies 

 should, with certain specified exceptions, be transferred to and 

 administered by a Ministry of Mines for the United Kingdom. The 

 functions of such a Ministry would from the foregoing appear 

 to be : to collect statistics of production, consumption, and metal 

 requirements of the United Kingdom ; to provide for the certification 

 of the managers of all mines and quarries; to safeguard the health 

 and safety of the employees by administering the legislation affecting- 

 mines and quarries; and finally, to set up machinery to deal with 

 such local mining problems as the working of barriers, the drainage 

 of waterlogged areas, wayleaves, royalties, etc. 



In Sir Lionel Phillips' scheme it is suggested that there should 

 be attached to the proposed Mines Department, (1) an Imperial 

 Mineral Resources Bureau, forming a link with the self-governing 

 Dominions, (2) a Mines and Minerals Commission to watch and foster 

 the interests of the Empire in the output and trade in mineral and 

 metallic products. Other notable points in his scheme are (1) the 



DECADE VI. — VOL. VI. — NO. I. 2 



