Striking Result of Working of Five Counties Scheme London, July 8.
A. very successful year's working is described in the first annual veport of the Central Collieries Comation, known as the Five Counties Scheme, which was. formed in April last year to secure ce-operation in the production and marketing of coal.
The Association represents 90 per cent. of the collierieS in the Humber, Trent and Mersey basins, ig as the Ruhr coal export trade of the ce-operating: collieries increased in a year from 3,560,000 to 4,700,000 tons.
In order to recapture lost ma kets, the Association levied threepence on every ton of coal mined by its members and, with the pro. ceeds of the levy, Subsidized al exports. Regulation of output prevented a fall of prices at pit-head, the Association endeavouring ty avoid either a shortage or a surplus in production.
The report mentions that co!- jerles in the area which have not! Joined the Association reacted in a detrimental manner to the work of the Association—Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.