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Monthly Circular.
No. 12.	April.	1916.
TO THE MEMBERS.

Gentlemen,

Personal.

I must apologise to our members for my April circular being late, but unfortunately, for some time now, I have been in a somewhat indifferent state of health and was compelled to go away for two or three weeks to recuperate.

Though not yet back to normal condition, I am pleased to say that I have experienced some benefit from my short rest, the first obtained for some years.

Under the circumstances, I feel I can confidently hope for your indulgence in regard to the delay in issuing this month's notes.

Aged Mine Workers' Rose Day.

It will be common knowledge by now that, owing to the unhappy prolongation of the War, it has been again deemed advisable to abandon our Annual Gala for this year. This is the second time that this course has been resorted to; and in view of the trying circumstances through which everyone is more or less passing, the wisdom of postponing a function that largely partakes of a joyous reunion is scarcely open to question.

It will be remembered that when the first abandonment took place the happy idea was conceived of setting the day apart for the purpose of augmenting the funds of the Aged Miners' Movement by the sale of roses; and it is pleasing to be able to report that, despite the many calls made upon our members and the public generally, arising from and incidental to the War, some measure of success has attended our efforts. the first year realising the sum of £308, and last year this amount was increased to the sum of £635.

The Committee of the Aged Mineworkers' Homes Association are proposing to renew their efforts on July 15th of this year, and they are encouraged and stimulated by the happy fact that last year's takings more than doubled the previous year. This inspires them with the belief that, given the hearty co-operation of our Lodge Officials and members, the result this year can be made even more gratifying.

It should require few, if any, words of mine to enlist the active participation and help of our members in a cause that ought to appeal to every fibre of our human sympathy.

The Movement itself was generated within our ranks and is an offspring that we can look upon with pride, illustrating as it does a recognition of moral obligation which provides, or at any rate ought to do so, one of the finest examples for National imitation that can be produced.

Like many other institutions that are dependant upon purely voluntary support, its income has suffered materially as a result of the many demands the War imposes upon the people; and the Committee are, therefore, all the more anxious that the forthcoming effort should be a bumping success, and this can only be secured by thoroughly organising all the forces interested; and I am certain that if this is done, then, despite the adverse circumstances under which we are compelled to labour, we shall secure a welcome addition to Funds which have for their object the bringing of sunshine and comfort into the declining years of our work-worn veterans.

It is a project that appeals to and expands all that is best in mankind, and there is none of us but what, as years roll on, will feel that any little sacrifice or personal inconvenience we may have been put to in the furtherance of a cause of this character is more than compensated for by the consciousness of knowing that we have done something towards promoting the kingdom of love and good fellowship on earth.

The Committee will ever remember with gratitude the many, both in and outside our own ranks, who so assiduously laboured for the success of last year's venture ; and not only earnestly hope for the continuance of their well doing, but trust that many additional helpers will be found this year, so that success may be assured.

Alleged Malingering of Miners.

Since the last issue of my monthly circular, I have had supplied to me by Mr. Tate a verbatim copy of his address to the North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers.

It will be remembered that certain exceedingly brief extracts from the report were published in some of the local newspapers, and which I candidly confess escaped my observation at the time, provoked a good deal of criticism which ultimately culminated in a resolution being forwarded to and carried by our Council Meeting, calling upon Mr. Tate to apologise for certain unjustifiable comments contained in his address.

I have carefully read through the report, and with much that is contained therein I can find no fault, apart from the fact that it contains one or two generalities which are false and positively misleading. The rest of the paper, compiled as it is from the purely capitalistic point of view, is quite in accordance with what one could naturally expect.

It is impossible to gainsay the statement that the output per man, so far as our County is concerned, has materially decreased, and to even attempt to do so would simply be blind folly, equal to claiming that Trades Unionism had lamentably failed in one of its most primary objects, viz. :— the shortening of the hours of labour; but to argue that the diminution of output per man is largely due to the passing of mischievous legislation, and particularly the Minimum Wage Act, is so gross a contortion of the truth that it would simply be impossible for it to emanate from any other than a biased source; and I do not think it would have been used, if it had not been felt necessary to gloss over much of the incompetency and mismanagement that fairly generally exist in our mines to-day.

Much of the decrease in the individual output is due to the insatiable greed for large profits ; and the question of the needs of the nation has ever been made subservient to the avarice of shareholders.

The proper development of the mines in the interests of a growing output is governed largely by the exigencies of trade. If prices are inflated, and the possibility of making large fortunes is within the grasp of coal owners, then coal must be got in the most expeditious manner possible; and how invariably does it happen that, to meet this boom in prices, the output of the future is mortgaged up to the hilt; and then when circumstances arise, as they have done, to make a large output a vital necessity, a scapegoat must be found to cover up a condition which has been brought about by the weakness of human nature, and the imperfection of our national system.

The scapegoat generally happens to be the working man, or the hampering restrictions of legislation. Little regard is paid to the fact that much of the legislation complained of is in the interest of preserving human life; and surely the Owners themselves will, or at any rate should, admit that a nation's consideration ought to be infinitely more in the direction of reducing the hazardous nature of a man's occupation than that of bolstering up dividends; and to convey the idea that the Minimum Wage Act has helped to diminish the output per man is so far removed from the truth as to be maliciously misleading.

I am not proposing to speak for other Counties, but so far as our own is concerned, malingering is so infinitesimal a quantity, that it really cannot be put into the most remote fractional part.

Whatever decrease there exists is entirely attributable to other factors than malingering, many of them due to incompetent management, for which the managers themselves are not responsible, but is due to the inordinate demand of owners and shareholders that costs of production must be kept down at the lowest possible minimum. One could enumerate many of these factors,. but it is unnecessary to do so, as those who work in the mines are coming in contact with them day after day.

After all, I do not think the paper given by Mr. Tate can have the baneful effect that many have ascribed to it. To my mind, it serves to convey an excellent object lesson in favour of the Nationalisation of the Mines. Coal is not the product of a man's brain, and ought to be one of the assets of a nation; and, under present conditions, is so vital a factor to the national existence as to drive home in no uncertain manner the lesson that it should not be at the mercy of private individuals as a profit-making commodity, but should be under the control of the State, as a national necessity.

National Housing and Town Planning Council Congress.

I had the pleasure of forming one of the deputation that attended the above Congress on behalf of the Durham Miners' Association, and it is a matter of regret that want of space precludes the giving of a full report of the many interesting papers which were given, and schemes that were propounded, with a view to minimising the many hardships that are bound to ensue at the immediate termination of the War, and also the greatly needed improvement in the housing of the working classes.

I shall have to content myself with briefly referring to some of the impressions that were created, and such part of the discussion as vitally concerned the Northern mining community.

Many of the papers were of a highly instructive character; and the fact that they were brimful of useful statistical information, makes it extremely desirable that they should be in the hands of all who make the question of Housing Reform their primary concern.

It is almost unnecessary to say that in a Congress that was composed of representatives of both the employing and employed element there existed divergent opinions as to the best methods for achieving a solution of the problem for which the Congress was arranged; yet in spite of the many differences of opinion as to the most effective course to pursue, I do not think any but the most jaundiced observer could fail to be impressed with the obviously sincere desire of all parties to arrive at a wise and successful elucidation of a task which bristles with many difficulties, requiring careful and earnest consideration.

Even where these differences of opinion appeared almost irreconcilable, the discussion was free from any spirit of bitterness, nor were motives impugned; and this was evidently due to the apparent sincerity of the conflicting parties to arrive at a common goal, viz. the housing of the working classes under conditions conducive to the benefit of humanity generally.

One of the chief bones of contention was the question of private enterprise as against the building of houses by Local Authorities.

Many of the speakers contended, and I am in perfect agreement with the contention, that private enterprise had had a most extended trial, and failed to meet the needs of the people; and if, under the nominal conditions that prevailed prior to the War, they were unable to meet the ever-growing demands for working class dwellings at a reasonable rent, then in face of the many financial and other drawbacks, from a building point of view, that will inevitably follow the termination of the War, Local Authorities will be compelled to step into the breach. Otherwise, the evil of insanitary dwellings which are unfit for habitation, will become so accentuated as to constitute a grave national peril.

Competent authorities, with reliable data at their command, compute it will take at least 600,000 houses, at an estimated cost of £20,000,000, to meet the immediate pressing demands; and it would further require an additional sum of at least 3.3 million pounds to be set aside annually for the purpose of doing away with the large number of slum areas that are so prolific a source of pestilence and crime; and this phase of the question is one that local authorities must grapple with; and to avoid hardship and suffering, as the result of demobilisation, it ought to be tackled immediately the conclusion of the War gives liberty to the tens of thousands of workers who are now fighting for national freedom.

The tendency on the part of many of the delegates was to approach the question of Housing Reform from a purely economic point of view; and whilst one is bound to admit that this is an element which ought not to be lost sight of and where it is possible to combine satisfactory housing conditions, whilst having due regard to the economic side of the question, a long way will have been travelled in the direction of an ideal solution of the problem ; but to make it obligatory that the economic side should take precedence over the human necessity of the people is nothing short of a crime, paving the way, as it unquestionably would, to National disaster.

It would be a policy so short-sighted in its character that any authority, either national or local, who profess to have the weal of their Country at heart, could not indulge in it without earning the righteous condemnation of all who recognise that material wealth is not the only indication of a nation's greatness.

The richest endowment any nation can possess is a physically healthy and intellectual people, living under conditions that make for human development. Once having established these conditions on a lasting basis, then material prosperity will follow in their train.

Among the several papers given at the Congress was one that directly concerned the Counties of Northumberland and Durham.

To Dr. Hill, the Medical Officer of Health for the County of Durham, we are indebted for the exceedingly able and effective way in which he handled the subject of housing accommodation in the two Counties.

I should like to have given the paper in its entirety, but lack of space prevents me.

I, however, give three tables that have been extracted from the same ; and I think it will be readily admitted that they reveal a vast amount of food for grave concern and thoughtful consideration :—

Comparison with other mining centres that do not possess the free house system is greatly to our disadvantage; and the condition of overcrowding in some of our largest districts constitutes so serious a problem that it would be a lasting blot on the name of the Durham Miners if some attempt is not made to grapple with it.

How far the free house system ms a contributory cause to the alarmingly high rate of infantile mortality which prevails in this and the adjoining County I am not in a position to determine; but the fact remains that comparison with other counties, where the free house system is not in vogue, provides anything but a pleasing outlook; and if we are wrong in assuming that our system is the primary cause, then it is an unchallengeable duty to probe into all possible causes, with a view to bringing the scope of their evil influence into as narrow bounds as we possibly can.

I am not unmindful of the fact that, from an area point of view, the County of Durham is only small, and the mining industry is extensively developed, and this fact will probably tend to foster overcrowding; but lack of space, as a cause for the evil, is unworthy of consideration; and I am inclined to the belief that it is mainly attributable to the earlier type of colliery house, many of which compare unfavourably, from a sanitary and even accommodation point, with the stables of many of the well-to-do classes.

In the unavoidable absence of Mr. Straker, through illness, our friend, Mr. Hogg, who spoke on behalf of the Northumberland Miners, pointed out that the free house system had invested the miners of Northumberland and Durham with certain rights of a monetary value that could not be yielded up without, as he termed it, a "quid pro quo" ; and I am in entire agreement with him on this point, and would be one of the last to advocate relinquishing the free house right, without receiving a commensurate return in wages ; but, whilst not overlooking certain advantages that a free house affords, one cannot be blind to the fact that in hundreds of cases it practically compels our people to exist in houses which make it almost impossible to adequately observe the ordinary decencies of life, and overcrowding is unavoidable.

One readily realises the almost insuperable difficulties confronting us in attempting to deal within a question of this kind, as, after all, there appears to be an element of conservatism in all of us, which makes us look upon any departure from an old established condition of affairs as an innovation and experiment of a most doubtful character. But there is no evading the gravity of the situation revealed by the statistics contained in these tables ; and notwithstanding the advantages that may accrue from the free house system, if it can be clearly and unmistakably established that it is largely contributing to excessive infant mortality, that makes our County stand out as one of the blighting spots in the Country, then the time has arrived for our members to give the problem their most serious consideration.

The future destiny of Democracy is entirely in the hands of our children, and any evil which may be jeopardising their lives ought to be summarily dealt with, even though the removal calls for some little sacrifice on the part of the present generation; though I have not the least apprehension but that a satisfactory "quid pro quo" could be obtained, taking all things into consideration.

I have refrained from dealing exhaustively with this subject, but feel it a duty that was absolutely incumbent upon me to draw your attention to the situation, the gravity of which cannot be overestimated, so that you can give to every aspect of it that consideration and careful thought it unquestionably calls for.

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After these notes had gone into the hands of the Printer, a circular issued by the "Forward Movement" has been handed to me. Unless prevented by general objection from our Lodges, I shall deal with the same in next month's notes.

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Mr. House reports the decisions of the Arbitration Committee Meeting held on May 1st, as follows :—

Fatal Cases.

Fatal Cases

Lodge	Name	Age	Occupation
Hebburn	Thomas, Bushby	16	Datal Lad
Easington	Owen, Owens	30	Hewer
Hebburn	Albert, Scott	14	Driver

There were 7 cases of Full Liability and requests that were dealt with.

Non-fatal Cases.

Non-fatal Cases

Lodge	Name	Age	Occupation
Horden	Harold, Cooper	14	Token Lad
Chilton	Bartholomew, Dodds	36	Hewer
Chilton	Frederick, Gamsby	14	Screen Lad
South Moor, No. 2 (William Pit)	John, Gray	20
Shildon Lodge	William, Hughes	17	Putter
Ushaw Moor	Henry, Kipling	16	Driver
Chopwell	J., Morris	65	Shifter
Black Prince	M., Murphy	39	Hewer
Harton	C., Normandale	21	Putter
Seaham	Thomas, Robinson	37	Hewer
Seaham	David, Ross	21
West Stanley	Thomas, Smith	24
Wheatley Hill	Thomas E., Turner	23	Engineman
Chopwell	Robert, Waters	21	Hand Putter

Durham, April 1916. T. H. Cann.

 

Source:

NEEMARC - Ref: NUMDA/1/6/41, D.M.A. Minutes, Circulars etc. for 1916 (one volume: covers Jan-Jun)