NOTES AND COMMENTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15975, 21 July 1915, Page 6

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

PRODUCTION* OF COAL.

The strike of coal miners in South Wales 'ends interest, to the report of the Departmental Committee appointed to inquire into the conditions prevailing in the coalmining industry due to the war. The summary of conclusions arrived at by the committee contains the following: —"The number of persons from coal mines who joined His Majesty's forces up to the end of February. 1915. if 191.170. We rind from returns representing 89 per cent, of the tnial labour employed in coal mines that the net decrease in mine labour at the end of February amounted to 154. persons, or loj per cent of the persons employed in July. 1911. and that there has been, over the seven mouths August, 1914, to (and inclusive of) February. 1915, as compared with the corresponding months 12 months earlier, an average fall in output of .'".044.529 tons (or a total loss in output of ]?>£ per cent.). which loss will continue unless means arc taken to prevent it. We find alfo that ahsence from work over all classes of mine workers was, for the seven months preceding the war. an average of 10.7 per cent., and for the seven months succeeding the outbreak of war an average of 9.8 per eent. ; and we have arrived at the conclusion that fully 4.8 per cent, of this is avoidable absence. The absenteeism, taking the coalgetters only, is very much higher. Tho loss in production for the year commencing from the outbreak of war will, unless means are taken to reduce the loss, probably amount to 36 million tons, against which must, be put a probable reduction in the quantity of coal exported of 21 million tons, leaving a net shortage of 12 million tons. Rut if the miners continue to be recruited for the forces the deficiency will be increased. The evidence before us is conclusive that if labour is further withdrawn from the collieries, notwithstanding the adoption of all possible ameliorative measures, the output will be so reduced as to seriously affect the industrial position of tho country, and the time appears to the committee to have arrived when very full consideration should be given to the question as to whether further recruiting among the miners should be encouraged. We think that the importance of economy in the use of coal tihould be brought before the public. Savings which at once occur to the mind are economies in public and. private lighting, whether by gas or elecI tricity, and the manufacture of luxuries which require coal." BULGARIAN CONVERT. A notable Bulgarian convert to the side of the allies is M. Glionadieff. the same fihenadieff who was the incarnation of Bulgarian Austropbilism. He has radically changed his political attitude, and makes no secret of the fact. He advises Bulgaria now persistently to lay aside her neutrality and intervene on the side of Russia and her allies. "I signed." he said, "our letter of June 23 on the necessity of a rapprochement with Austria, but I. did so l>ecause at that time, in view of the animosity of Russian diplomacy, which sacrificed Us systematically to its dream, of a Greater Sorvia. the only thing for us to do was to seek the help of Austria. Since then the situation has completely changed. Russia has understood her mistake and shown her desire to make it good by reforming the Balkan Union and giving necessary satisfaction to the national demands and interests of Bulgaria." The Russophilism of M. (Jhenadieff has. not yet met with general approval among bis Stambulovist partisans. There is even some talk of his being hided from the party. But his new policy has many champions.

CONTRACTS IN* AMERICA. The extent to which neutral America is helping the allies is illustrated by some figures in an American magazine. The same figures give an idea of the profits her manufacturers have been making. A few weeks ago the contracts already placed in the United States for ammunition were worth, altogether, £100.000,000. and the contracts for foodstuffs, wearing apparel, horses, and motors at more than as much again. Even by January, before the really hig orders were sent out. European pur- < liases directly traceable to the wax amounted in value to £40,000.000. Rifles and ammunition, heavy guns and shrapnel, horses and mules, and harness and saddles, blankets, sweaters, underwear, mittens, and shoes and stockings, horseshoes, and first aid kits—everything that could possibly be needed by an army in the field was ordered' in the United States. And not only the things themselves, but the machinery for making themlathes for turning big guns and small arms, and lathes for turning and boring shells are loaded upon nearly every vessel which leaves American ports for Liverpool or Bordeaux. The shares of the great Bethlehem Steel Company, which 'before the war was running at only 60 per cent, of its capacity, have risen from £6 to over £30, and for a while there was a mad craze for ordnance stocks on the New York Exchange. When the war first hroke out and the allies began to realise how unprepared they were, there was such a rush for supplies that enormous sums weir wasted. Commissions for the same services were often paid several times over, and it was reckoned that as much as 50 per cent, had to be added to the actual value of goods before they were put on board ship. Now, when orders have been systematized, it is estimated that on the larger contracts the net profits will amount to 10 or 15 per cent.

ARMOUR AGAINST TORPEDO. I» there any way of making ware-hips safe against the torpedo? A writer in the Scientific American remarks that there are only two linos alone which a solution of the difficulty may he sought. Either tho bottom plating of the. vessel must be made extremely powerful, or means must bo found to keep the torpedo at a distance. When the sea is rough, and periscopes ar© j correspondingly hard to sight, the best I defence so far has boon speed and a zigzag course. But the naval architects are now experimenting both with tho armouring of .-hips' bottoms and with the j provision of a large number of watertight compartments between the bottom and an! inner skin. This inner skin is made of i particularly hi. k. tough steel, which the force of a torpedo or mine explosion, I spent mainly on piercing the. outer skin, is supposed not to penetrate. Practically all up-to-date battleships are protected : in this way. but. the British, expert, ' Sir John Brie. say, " When all that is I possible in this direction has been done there seems to be no great certairttv that a battleship will {.till be a. formidable fighting machine after receiving the sue ' cessful contact explosion of a 21in tor- ' redo." But to armour the bottoms of battleships with 4in plate, the thickness that would probably be necessary, would make a considerable difference to their I eneed. j