Society was first called into existence in the beginning of the present year, and at a meeting of the members held at the Mechanics' Institute, Newcastle, in August last, the chairman, the Rev. Dr. Rutherford, announced that they had then 3,000 shares subscribed, a capital of £15,000, and £9,000 of it paid up that was almost exclusive of any society. A current-going colliery had been offered to them on favourable terms, not far from Manchester, and the committee would have entertained the offer if they had had sufficient capital to do so. With respect to their present project, their mining engineer, Mr. George Baker Forster, had advised them at once to secure the Diamond Boring Company's apparatus, and they had accordingly done so, and would commence to bore very shortly at Steeton Hall. In proof of the success attending co-operative mining, I may here quote from the last half-yearly report of Messrs. Briggs, Sons, and Co. (Limited), whose collieries are worked on the co-operative principle, the following: "The past 12 months have been the most prosperous yet enjoyed by the Company. Including the balance brought from last year, and deducting the interim dividend paid in February last, and the interest on new shares, there remains an available balance of £71,797 3s. 3 d., out of which the directors recommend the payment and appropriation of the following dividends and bonus free of income tax-a dividend of 18s. 9d. per share, being 7 per cent. on the paid up capital, making a total distribution for the year of 25 per cent. A transfer to the fund for payment of bonus to the employés of the company of £14,256 5s., leaving a balance to be dealt with of £32,592 9s. 6d. During the year the directors have purchased the Whitworth Main Colliery for £55,000." Then again may be mentioned the fact that the newly-formed Industrial Coal and Iron Company declared a dividend of 3 per cent. for three months, being at the rate of 15 per cent. per annum.

In concluding this chapter, which I have devoted almost exclusively to co-operation, it will not be out of place to quote an abstract from a paper on co-operative coal mining, read by the Rev. Dr. Rutherford, Newcastle, at the quarterly meeting of delegates connected with the Co-operative Association in Manchester and the North of England, held at the Temperance Hall, Barnsley, in September last-Mr. T.

Hughes, M.P., in the chair. After giving a number of statistics as to the condition of the coal trade at the present time, the rev. gentleman goes on to say:-" The capital employed in the coal trade is probably not more than £20,000,000. Supposing the average increase of price of coal last year to have been 7s. 6d. per ton, the difference to the consumer would have been £45,000,000; and of this amount not more than £10,000,000 went into the pocket of the miner, and not less than £30,000,000 into the pocket of the coal owner. Where the coal owner has also been the iron manufacturer, the profits of one year's trade equalled, and in some instances even exceeded, one half of the amount of the capital invested. These are some of the facts that reveal the importance of the coal question, and the vast field which it presents for co-operative enterprise. The present system, even where most considerately managed, is full of conflict. The manu

facturer is crippled, and is tempted to economise where economy is most dangerous to the quality of his manufactures. The miner is not wholly satisfied, for although he has better wages he has mostly to live in the same wretched hovel as before the era of great prosperity; and, moreover, he does not wish to prosper at the sacrifice of the nation's welfare. The coal owner will even say that if he has more wealth, he has more worry: and the poor householder, most to be pitied of all, finds that owing to the high price of coal, disease and death have a firmer foothold in his household. It is everybody's interest-it is the interest of the nation—to put an end to this anomalous and vexatious state of things. Whether it is the nation's duty to buy up all vested interests in the coalfields of the country, and to work them for the nation on the broad principles of the greatest economy-the greatest good-is a question which we cannot to-day consider, although the day may come when it will be forced upon the consideration of Parliament; but we are here to-day to express our conviction that the application of our principles over any considerable area of our coalfields would very soon put an end to the coal famine, to all its sad consequences, and would introduce harmony between the conflicting interests of capital, labour, and trade. All over the country efforts are being made to establish co-operative mining societies, and considerable amounts are already subscribed for

working coal.

The question now is, whether, at all events at the commencement of the movement, those efforts would not gain strength by such an arrangement; concentration might destroy the possible competition between such societies for coalfields, and would render the purchase of mining properties more easy. The larger capital thus secured in the hands of our society would be inspiring greater confidence, facilitate such purchase, and possibly secure better terms. It would contribute to economy both in the purchase of shares and in the distribution of products. By having a number of collieries in different parts of the country, there would be a greater probability of success from distribution of risks. Then there would be a better selection of properties, and probably a more uniform, scientific, and therefore, economical working. With general unity, there should be local committees for superintendence of mines,so as to lessen all risks, and the adaptation of general principles, with special modifications. Such were the requirements at the present time to prevent a scarcity and famine of coal."

Leaving this important and interesting question here, for the present, we come back again to the efforts of the men at the various collieries to free themselves from the universal thraldom that was now apparently about to settle over them. With the passive conduct of the men, the employers had grown bolder, and every now and then new and irritating regulations were being introduced by them, the tendency of all of them being to limit the earnings and liberty of the men as much as possible. Scarce a month passed at this time without there being a strike in some parts of the two counties. Now it was in Durham, and then it would be in Northumberland, but these for the most part were not only productive of no good but often brought about unpleasant results to those who had taken part in them. West Cramlington Colliery, from the first commencement up to the 22nd year of its being worked, had had no less then 23 strikes, thus making an average of one strike in every year, and two in one year. The last

strike which occurred at this colliery took place in April, 1861. The men gave in their notice for an advance of price, and a few days before their notice expired one of the work

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men, who was supposed to have a great deal of influence over the men, was sent for to the colliery office, where he had a long interview with the manager. He declined taking upon himself the responsibility of deciding for his brother workmen, or of urging them to withdraw their notices, on which the manager at the close of the interview said to him:-" If the pit lies idle I will blame you for it, and not give you another day's work." The answer he received was a very proper and deserved rebuke, for he was told, "You can do as you please, but such conduct is not gentlemanly." The pit was laid idle two days previous to the expiration of the notice, the men leaving all their work tools in the mine together with the coals that were standing on their way from the face to the shaft, and, many of them, all the coals they had hewn on the previous day. The agents thought by this to get the men to work to fill their coals, so that it would enter into a fresh month's engagement, but the men came out on strike with a very determined temper, and would not even go and fill their loose coals. The head viewer met the men at the colliery office and endeavoured to arrange matters, but as he had nothing to offer, the interview terminated without any arrangements being come to. When he found that the men where disposed to stand to their terms he marched into the village at the head of a band of policemen and bailiffs, and commenced to turn them out of their houses. At this the men became desperate, and the miners from Dudley, Seghill, and Cramlington, coming in force to resist their ejection, it was found that the policemen were not sufficiently strong to keep back the crowd. The position of the bailiffs began to look very dangerous indeed, when those who had some influence over the men called them to aside, and after some discussion a deputation was sent to the viewer, and the official in command of the police force. But for this timely interposition, a riot would certainly have occurred. The harsh and illegal proceedings of turning the men out of their houses when the colliery owners were still in their debt for work which had been done and not paid for, was pointed out to them and they, seeing the force of this argument, gave orders to the bailiffs to cease operations. This being done the