Volume Four - An Era of Change, Uncertainty, Depression & War - The era of God's wonderful railway - the GWR years . . .

Many improvements were proposed and implemented with the cooperation of the unions and workforce in an attempt to improve efficiency and reduce costs at the South Wales Ports. The periodical 'Coal in Europe' [486] by J. R. Bradley outlines some of these changes : -

1926 - Shipping at South Wales Ports. - ' Several important developments took place in 1926 in connection with facilities at South Wales ports, the chief of which was an amendment in the working hours of coal tippers and trimmers so as to include a night shift. (see Vol. 8 Chap. 14 - The Cardiff, Penarth and Barry Coaltrimmers' Union')

Outward freight rates in the period 1924 - 1926 revealed a rise of up to 24% for shipments to the River Plate and Rouen. To other European ports, including Antwerp, Bordeaux and Genoa, similar rates, or a decrease of up to 14% in charges applied.

In addition to the concessions in respect to loading hours, the Monmouthshire and South Wales Coal Owners' Association gave favourable consideration to a recommendation from the exporters that the screens for grading coals should be standardised. The sizes asked for by French importers were specified for steam coal and anthracite.

Introduction of 20-ton coal wagons - Efforts have been made during recent years to introduce wagons of larger capacity for handling general merchandise or coal. At present there are over a thousand 20-ton wagons working between the collieries and the ports of Cardiff, Swansea, Newport, Barry, Port Talbot, and Penarth, or the South Wales ports.

At practically all the South Wales Ports, tips are available for dealing with the larger wagons, and other appliances are either in course of reconstruction or adaption.

In addition to a rebate of 5 per cent on the railway conveyance charge when 20-ton cars are used, a reduction of 3 cents per ton in tipping and weighing charge has also been made.'

All the above improvements had, however, come too late to save Penarth Dock and the decline in exports continued. The above text is taken from the periodical 'Coal in Europe' [486] by J. R. Bradley and published in June 1927 by the US Department of Commerce.