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Monthly Circular.
No. 20.	December.	1916.
TO THE MEMBERS.

Gentlemen,

Control of the Mines.

The past month has been a most momentous one, including, as it did, the fall of a Cabinet and the creation of a new one, pledged to a more vigorous prosecution of the War.

With the question of how far the late Cabinet were steeped in traditions which hampered them in their efforts to bring the War to a speedy and satisfactory conclusion, I am not disposed to deal, except that I welcome any change that is likely to bring about a peace which has the virtue of being lasting.

Certain methods that are proposed as the result of the change will, however, have a most material effect upon the lives and conditions of our people.

The new Prime Minister in his historic speech to the House of Commons foreshadowed control of Shipping and Mines. Both these steps will exercise a paramount influence on the community generally ; and to us the control of the mines is one that so vitally concerns the interests of our members that the details of the scheme will need to be watched with the closest scrutiny possible.

We must not delude ourselves with the belief that control means the form of nationalisation which has been the aim of democratic thought for so many years, though one would like to think it might be a step that would ultimately lead to that desirable consummation ; but I am afraid that whenever we do get back to something like normal conditions, the fight for private monopoly and vested interests will go on just as keenly as ever it did.

However, for the time being I am not so greatly concerned with this aspect of the situation as with how the contemplated control of the mines is going to affect the miners.

The control of the mines, and everything else that relates to the national wellbeing, or the successful pursuit of the War, is a step which ought to have been taken in the earliest stages of the crisis ; and I have no hesitation in saying that, if this had been done, many of the evils we are groaning under, and which are largely attributable to the exploiting of the people, would have been materially softened, if not avoided entirely. It says little for the prescience of those who had charge of our destines that they should find themselves compelled to take this step after almost two and a half years of warfare, and at a period when profiteering has reached a stage which renders it a much more difficult problem to grapple with.

It is immaterial now what steps be taken, the fact will still remain that huge fortunes have been made out of the needs of the Nation ; and the attitude of thousands of people towards the War has been prejudiced as a result.

So far as the control of the mines is concerned, we are not in possession of any definite details as to the basis on which such control will operate, apart from an assurance that it does not mean that the miners are to be put under the Munitions Act, and controlled in the same sense as the more direct munition producing establishments are; and this would seem to indicate that what they desired was to have an effectual control of the commodity, so that it might be put to the best use in the national interests.

Though somewhat belated, this is unquestionably a step in the right direction, always providing that in fixing up conditions with the coal owners of the Country the Government do not overlook the fact that there is a lot of the failings of humanity in coal owners, and they have by no means been immune from the desire to make hay while the sun shone, with the result that the price of coal has been forced up to a point that assures them of profits which would not be obtainable under normal conditions.

If the Government propose to take these profits as a basis of guarantee, for the privilege of controlling the output, it can readily be conceived that the coal owners will eagerly embrace the opportunity thus afforded of retaining their artificial profits, whilst being to sonic extent relieved of the moral responsibility of further trading upon the national crisis for the purpose of personal gain.

It is difficult to realise, however, that the Government will be guilty of so grave an indiscretion, to use a mild term, as this would constitute.

It will also be extremely interesting to know what effect the scheme will have in relation to wages. Presumably a guarantee to the owners will also mean a guarantee to the workmen of wages that are somewhat commensurate with the cost of living; and it ought to lie remembered that in the one instance you are dealing with the question of how much or how little shall wealth be bolstered up, whilst so far as the workmen are concerned, you are dealing with his right to live, which surely calls for infinitely more consideration when the question of the guarantees comes under review; and I, for one, most certainly await details of the scheme with a mind not free from anxiety.

I do not forget that in future the Government will, in all probability, be practically our employers, and I do not desire that the owners should be put in a position of assurance that would enable them to view with some measure of complacency and freedom from public odium, the possibility of friction between the Government and the miners on the question of wages.

To avoid this, it is essential that we should, at the least, be guaranteed a reasonable day's wage, such as would enable us to view the cost of living with a certain amount of freedom from care.

Annual Review.

From a financial point of view, the year just expired has been a satisfactory one, and opportunity has been afforded to recover, to a large extent., from the depletion that our Funds suffered as a result of the 1912 strike.

It is a source of gratification that this welcome addition to our resources is not due in any way to exploiting the needs of a Nation, but is mainly attributable to the fact that, recognising that the times were inopportune for the redress of many grievances, and the National need for constant effort, there was imposed upon us the obligation of working regularly ; and by far the greater bulk of our members have nobly risen to the occasion, and stoppages have been practically nonexistent.

With the dearth of labour occasioned by such large numbers of our members serving their Country, employment has been so abundant that even at places where circumscribed pit room has made it necessary to dispense with the services of men, the demand for their labour at other Collieries is so great that the necessity for coming on to the Funds has almost been avoided, with the result that financially the year has been a good one.

The only flaw in a year of financial prosperity has been the inability of the Sick Fund to pay its way, largely as the result of administrative defects.

After months of careful consideration on by your Executive Committee, a scheme was elaborated that practically obtained the unanimous approval of the County ; and I am confident that with the hearty cooperation of Local Officials and members, without which success is always dubious, we shall see the Sick Fund put on a footing which will be a credit and a boon to the members generally.

During the year we have received advances of wages equal to 32½%, and although the value of such advances has been immeasurably curtailed by the enhanced cost of living, it has, at all events, placed our members in an infinitely better position than many thousands who, from lack of effective combination, are unable to wrest from their employers more than a mere acknowledgement much less than value for their labour.

To these the problem of existence, under the present cost of hiving, must make their life almost a daily martyrdom ; and it. is not difficult to imagine that the lot of the mining community might have been very little better, were it not that the power and influence of organisation has enabled us to obtain wages and conditions that, imperfect as they may be, are vastly superior to what would have obtained if organisation had been lacking. To a society like ours, the accumulation of Funds adds materially to our strength ; and for that reason we can congratulate ourselves that the year 1916 has been a good one from a financial point of view.

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Mr. House reports the decisions of the Arbitration Committee Meeting, held on Jan. 8th, as follows :—

Fatal Cases.

Fatal Cases

Lodge	Name	Age	Occupation
Ouston E	Robert A., Duncan	15	Datal Boy
Ryhope	C., Fishwick	41	Oiler
Hylton	Thomas, Johnson	17	Stone Putter
Pelton	J., Nicholson	35	Hewer
Ryhope	Wilfred, Sutherland	15	Driver
Stargate	Joseph, Taylor	21	Pony Putter

There were 3 cases of Full Liability for allocation, and 5 cases of requests.

Non-fatal Cases.

Non-fatal Cases

Lodge	Name	Age	Occupation
Shotton	Joseph, Crangle	16	Rope Lad
Westwood	R. S., Cummings	17	Driver
Victoria Garesfield	Charles, Gardner	29	Hewer
Cornsay	Thomas, Liddle	18	Putter
Dawdon	Andrew, Steel	53	Stoneman

Durham, December 1916. T. H. Cann.

 

Source:

NEEMARC - Ref: NUMDA/1/6/42, D.M.A. Minutes, Circulars etc. for 1917 (one volume: covers Jan-Jun)