 Fifteen coke ovens were added shortly afterwards to cope with the extra fuel requirements.The Hoskins were highly active in the development of the ironworking industry and staunchly opposed the growth of unionism.The Hoskins were clear-sighted about the technological problems of the steel and ironworks, and the labour issues, and had considerable business acumen, but Charles Hoskins was impatient and imperious and provoked industrial unrest as soon as he set foot in Lithgow in 1908.