V o l . X. JULY, 1929. No. 106. Concerning the A.M.E.E. Captain S. Walton-Brown, The Association of Mining Electrical Engi­ President of The A.M E.E. neers lias ever been kindly favoured in regard to its Presidents. Looking down the list of those Capt. Walton-Brown was educated at Shrews­ who have occupied the premier office in past bury School and graduated at Durham University, years, one cannot but be impressed with the obtaining the degree of Bachelor of Science. lie always very high but widely diverse credentials served an apprenticeship with the late Mr. C. C. of those leaders of thought and practice in every Leach, of Seghill, and obtained a First Class branch where electricity and mining come to­ Mine Manager’s Certificate and Surveyor’s Certifi­ gether, who have voluntarily given their best for cate. He was appointed Manager of the Seghill the Association as President. The members of Collieries in 1911 and General Manager in i923; the Association must feel proud and grateful .in his services are also in demand, in a consulting recognising the honour which is theirs in having capacity, for other important collieries. Capt. gained the confidence, the esteem and active co­ Walton-Brown saw active service in France and operation of these leaders. Nor, as being in Salonika during the Great War. keeping with the generous interest with which those past presidents are imbued, will any one Of (he many influential public offices held of them begrudge the mutually congratulatory by Capt. Walton-Brown may be mentioned: Jus­ sentiments which animate the Association, res­ tice of the Peace for the County of Northumber­ pecting this year’s appointment. land; Member of the Northumberland County Council; Member of the South Northumberland It has come to be usual in this column each Assessment Committee; Chairman of the Seaton year to give such items of biography as will Burn Valley Joint Sewerage Board, of which serve to introduce more closely to every member scheme he was one of the prime movers; Mem­ the personality of the new President. It is good ber of the Earsdon Joint Hospital Board; Mem­ to know something of the home life and inter­ ber of the Seghill Urban District Council; and ests of the man with whom you deal: it hegets Chairman of the Seghill School Managers. He confidence and creates a pleasurable atmosphere also serves the temporal needs of his fellows as in intercourse. The fortunate members who atten­ Chairman of the Seghill Colliery Institute Com­ ded the Convention will already rejoice in the mittee; President of the Seghill Nursing Associa­ possession of the unassuming and genial friendli­ tion and Child Welfare Centre; Chairman of the ness of Cap I. Walton-Brown. So that those who Seghill Comrades’ Club; and President of the have not met him may have some compensatory Seghill Staff Association. Nor is the spiritual means of sharing the happy acquaintanceship, we welfare of the people neglected by Capt. Walton- have been at pains to gather for them some Brown, for he is ardently interested as an active items of the career and life interests of Capt. Member of the Seghill Parochial Council and is Walton-Brown. It was no light task, in fact it the Ruri-Decanal and Diocesan Representative; was unsatisfactory to the point, of impossibility furthermore, he is a Member of the Bishop of to get Capt. Walton-Brown to say anything about Newcastle’s Commission. himself. Perhaps it was by very reason of his modesty that we soon found good friends of his His technical interests are indicated in that who were just as ready and willing (o speak for he is: Member of Council of the Institution of him and to accord him the credit to which he is Mining Engineers; Member of Council of the so fully entitled. Here then are some of the North of England Institute of Mining and Mechani­ facts (some of those more strictly relevant to cal Engineers; Member of the National Associa­ our present purpose) which we learned. tion of Colliery Managers; and now President of 2 THE MINING ELECTRICAL ENGINEER. July, 1929. the Association of Mining Electrical Engineers. future, in addition to being manually capable, He has been responsible for the electrification must use his brains lo save his muscles, and and re-organisation of the Colliery and Coal Pre­ should have a better technical preparation. He paration Plant at Seghill. This colliery has been looks to the Miners’ Welfare Technical Schools described as “ the best example of the all-electric- to provide this and also to act as feeders for the power operated type of colliery in the country.” Universities. Naturally, therefore, any branch of An account of the extremely enjoyable and use­ sport has attraction for him. He represented ful visit paid to Seghill by the A.M.E.E. during Northumberland County at Lawn Tennis and Convention week, as well as some technical de­ Rugby Football, still acts as a Member of the tails of the plant, appear elsewhere in this issue. County Committee for each game and is Captain of the Brandling Lawn Tennis Club and President Only a man of pleasing personality, tactful of the Seghill Golf Club. He is the Chairman of and far-seeing, could have earned this enconium the Seghill Miners’ Welfare Committee, which of a well-known Labour Leader, who said: “ I movement he characterises as the “ Miners’ Pub­ meet many men to-day who advocate Socialistic lic School,” takes a similar interest and position Principles but in Captain Walton-Brown I find a in the Seghill Brickworks’ Welfare, and encour­ man who, whilst he may not in thought be Social­ ages the youth to follow the right road by acting istic, cannot deny that he has many times by his as President of the Benton and District Boy kindly actions shown himself to be more than Scouts’ Association. Socialistic in deed.” He acknowledges the good fortune which has attracted capable officials to Here then in Capt. Walton-Brown is a forcible bis service and is the first to attribute any suc­ example of the precept that, if you want anything cess he may have obtained to the abilities of done quickly and well give it to the busy man. those whose duty it is to work under his direc­ The affairs of the A.M.E.E. are in good hands. tion. Capt. Wallon-Brown is always progressive By way of summarising the lasting impres­ in outlook: he is a keen and determined advo­ sions of an exceptionally successful Convention cate of the principle of a High Wages Policy may be noted: the unflagging efforts of the men allied closely with high production per man per of the local Organising Committee; the whole­ shift. Moreover, he believes in practising at home hearted hospitality of the City of Newcastle, its the policy he preaches and strongly supports the leaders in civic and county affairs and in coal saying, "There is no place like Seghill” ; he is and electricity, who did not spare themselves in a patriotic Northumbrian, much interested in his the aim to instruct and entertain their guests; the county's customs, history and products such as generous and candid recognition accorded to the Northumberland Sword Dancing and Music and Association by Coal Owners and Managers, who in the merits or points of Border Terriers. in acknowledging that the A.M.E.E. had indeed The spreading of Education is one of his played an essential part in securing such a con­ keenest desires: he is very proud of the fact that siderable degree of progress in British Mining two men from the coal face at Seghill Colliery as was already in being, were convinced that the have qualified as First Class Colliery Managers Association was destined to carry forward its and obtained positions as such. He holds the good work with greater strength and more effec­ firm opinion that the skilled workman of the tively than ever. Convention Humour. The Ultra-Modern. As representing all that is most up-to-date in scien­ Captain Walton-Brown may not know It, but he is tific engineering and in politics surely the little ceremony a member of the “ tight-boot brigade,” as are all col­ of July 5th last would be hard to beat. On that date liery managers, whose only joy in life is when they take the youngest Woman M.P., Miss Jennie Lee, journeyed off their shoes.—Col. IV. C. Blackett at the A.M.E.E. by Aeroplane to set in operation the newest and largest Low Temperature Carbonisation Plant completed in Great Dinner. Britain. She had flown over from Croydon in a six-seater aeroplane which was driven on Coal Petrol, one of the Referring to the impending visit to the Seghill Col­ products of this carbonisation process. The breaking of lieries of the Women’s Electrical Association, one of the an electrical contact by Miss Jennie Lee, which meant pitmen was heard to remark that he knew something overturning a 10-tons wagon of coal slack into the car­ bonisation plant, inaugurated the process. Then began about the peculiarities of the “ iron-man,” but what on the conversion of this slack into coalite smokeless fuel, earth was an “ electrical woman ”?—Capt. Walton-Brown rich gas coal oils (suitable for naval and general pur­ at the A.M.E.E. Dinner. poses) and coal petrol. The plant has been erected for Doncaster Coalite, Ltd., by Low Temperature Carbonisation, Ltd., and is In the old days when neither the electrical engineer situated at the pithead of the Askern Colliery owned by nor the colliery engineer knew anything about electricity, the Askern Coal and Iron Coy., with whom arrange­ the electrical man beguiled the coal man into a wonder­ ments have been made for a supply of coal direct from ful maze of experiments: to-day the electrical man did the pithead over a period of years.