The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-06-21 00:00:00

SOUTH STAFFORDSHIRE INSTITUTE OF
MINING ENGINEERS.

The monthly meeting of this Institute was held
on Monday night at the Geological Museum, Dudley.
Mr. A. Sopwith presided, and there were present
among others Messrs. John Hughes, W. J. Hay.
wan, E B. Marten, J. Ritson, S. Watkins, W.
Farnworth, W. H. Whitehouse, T. Pasfield, J. F.
Addenbrooke, H. Cooksey, G. M. Waring, Alex-
ander Smith, (secretary).
A letter was read from Colonel Beaumont, who
at the annual meeting delivered an address on his
Channel Tunnel boring machine, stating that his
paper would SJOU be sent to the secretary.
The discussion on this matter was therefore ad-
journtd until the next meeting.
The Secretary read a letter from the Royal
National Miners' Life Saving Institution, and a
prospectus as to the objects of the institution. This
stated that the scheme was to be supported by
voluntary contributions, and that powerful pump-
ing machinery in case of sudden floodings would be
provided, while colliers in all districts would be
taught to give first aid to all sufferers, and divided
into parties of rescuers..

The President held that this was a carrying for-
ward of the work of the Flenss system, which was
to provide apparatus to enable persons to breathe
in the polluted air after an explosion. ,
The prospectus, signed by Mr. Fenwick, asked
for a member of the Institute as a vice-president
and two members to be on the Council.
Mr. Marten advised delay and further inquiries
into the scheme, and this was agreed to.
The Pi esident, in putting the motion, said some
of the objects of the institution were already in
progress, such as barometrical warnings, and the
teaching of ambulance drill and first aid.
The Secretary promised to learn something on the
matter for the next meeting of the Mining Associa-
tion of Great Britain, of which he 'vas a member.
The President then resumed the discussion on
his paper on "The Depreciation of Colliery Plant,"
and repeated his desire to find a ready and a toler-
ably trustworthy system of being able to determine
the depreciation of colliery plant without going to
the expense of an exhaustive inspection by a pro—
fessional valuer.
The Secretary pointed out that there were two
kinds of valuil g--one for the purpose of sale and
another for the purposes of the book-keeping of the
owner. In the first case it might be the duty of the
valuer to dispense with certain things, believing
and knowing that the colliery could be worked
without them.

The President said he believed the safest and
best plan was to so arrange for the depreciation of
the corpus and the plant that when the colliery
was worked out the shareholders or the owners
should have their capital intact.
Mr. Ilitson and Mr. Cookson pointed out that
the shareholders generally took care to have the
fullest dividends and take care of their own capital.
'I he Prebident thought the best plan would be
to equalise matter and have a tangible method of
calculating the depreciation.
Mr, E. B. Marten explained to the meeting the
steps which were being taken to bring about an
arclueological meeting at Wolverhampton. and they
proposed to have specimens of the archaeology of
mining. He therefore ask( d for the loan of old maps
of coalfields, old methods of getting coal, old tools,
old means of lighting, aud side by side with this he
should like the most modern appliances of the
day._ _

The Instituto a ;reed to lend w a colio3ities it
had, and Mr. Marten tnea appealed to the weinner3
individually for assistrtace„