what is to follow.

Will you picture to yourself a section of the coal-mining industry in
the common form of the pictures one sees of an Atlantic liner cut neatly
in two so as to expose to view what is taking place on each deck. On top
you have the landowner, under the surface of whose land coal, whether
suspected or not, has been discovered. He may decide to mine the coal
himself, but more frequently--indeed, usually--he grants to some persons
or company a lease to mine that coal on payment of what is called a
royalty of so much for every ton extracted. Thereupon he is called the
mineral-owner or royalty-owner, and the persons or company who actually
engage in the business or industry of coal mining and pay him the
royalties we shall call the colliery-owners. Do not be misled by the
confusing term "coal-owners." Very frequently the colliery-owners are
called the "coal-owners," and their associations "coal-owners'
associations." That is quite a misnomer. The real _coal_-owner is the
landowner, the royalty-owner, though it may well happen that the two
functions of owning the minerals and mining them may be combined in the
same person. Below the colliery-owners we find the managerial staff;
below them what may be called the non-commissioned officers of the mine,
such as firemen or deputies, who have most important duties as to
safety, and below them the miners as a whole, that is, both the actual
coal-getters or hewers or colliers and all the other grades of labour
who are essential to this the primary operation.

THE QUESTION OF ROYALTIES

Coming back to the royalty-owner, you will see his functions are not
very onerous. He signs receipts for his royalties and occasionally
negotiates the terms of a lease. But as regards the coal-mining
industry, he "toils not, neither does he spin." I do not say that
reproachfully, for he (and his number has been estimated at 4000) is
doubtless a good husband, a kind father, a busy man, and a good citizen.
But as regards this industry he performs no essential function beyond
allowing the colliery-owners to mine his coal.

What is the total amount annually paid in coal royalties? We can arrive
at an approximate estimate in this way: Average output of coal for five
years before the war, roughly, 270,000,000 tons; average royalty, 51/2d.
per ton, which means, after deducting coal for colliery consumption and
the mineral rights duty paid to the State by the royalty-owner, roughly
L5,50