The great changes in technique which have taken place in the basic industry of coal-mining were recently revealed in the House of Commons. Mr, Brown, the Secretary to the Mines Department, stated that the amount of coal cut by machinery had risen from 24,400,000 tons in 1913 to 108,- 700,000 tons in 1934—respectively eight per cent. and forty-seven per cent. of the annual output, Moreover, the 1934 "Agures showed' an Increase of five per cent, over those of 1933, This rapid expansion of the practice of mining by machinery goes tar to explain the great increase, in spite of the shortening of the working day since 1913, in the average output of a miner, to which Mr. Brown also drew the attention of the members of the House, The use of "machines has Towered the economic price of coal, but unfortunately at the same time there has been a decline in the numbers of men employed in the in" dustry. Meanwhile, the economic condition of the industry has been improved by the regulation of output, which has existed for the past five years. In spite of the increase in coal-using plant, the consumption of coal for industrial purposes has decreased, and all the great coal-using industries' have contributed towards sis economy in fuel, The revival of coal-mining cannot be promoted by progress in technical efficiency; what re required are mainly new markets fand new uses to which coal can be put, These objectives are not easily. achieved, Tt has long been recomnizet that another way to improvement, the coal industry lies in the expansion of the use of professed coal or coal derivatives, Accordingly, the Government have actively encouraged the rection of hydrogenation plants, one of which is expected shortly to come {nto full production. This process has been "approved og being of dssistance to the mining industry, and it undoubtedly deserves the enouragement that it har received.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.