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Monthly Circular.
No. 226.	October.	1914.
To The Members.

Gentlemen,

War Emergency.

Under this heading I have received a communication from the "Standing Counsel of the Labour Party," Mr. Henry H. Slesser. It is headed — How the New Courts (Emergency Powers) Act protects you from Distress caused by the War." Accompanying the document is a notice to the following effect :— "Please give enclosed the widest possibly publicity through the local press where available, by insertion in Trade Union Journals, &c., or by announcement and Local Party Meetings." Our Monthly Circular will be as good a medium as we can employ, and we will, therefore, insert it here in full :—

"How the New Courts (Emergency Powers) Act protects you from Distress caused by the War."

What the New Act does.

If by reason of the war you are in arrears with your rent, or in debt, or cannot pay your insurance policies, the Courts (Emergency Powers) Act, 1914. may protect you.

You are protected.

(A)	If you are in debt for any sum (including rent) which you made an agreement to pay before August 4th, 1914.
(B)	If you owe rent for less than £50, whether you made an agreement to pay before August 4th or not.
(C)	If you have agreed to pay any life or endowment premiums on a policy not worth more than £25, payable at monthly intervals or less, and which has been paid since August 4th, 1912.
(D)	If a bankruptcy petition has been presented against you.

What you are protected from.

Your creditor or landlord cannot levy distress, enter possession, foreclose, or execute any judgment; nor can he forfeit your deposit or enforce the lapse of your policy of insurance or proceed with the petition in bankruptcy without first applying to the Court.

The Court may be the High Court, or, in cases when the amount is less than £100. the County or Magistrates' Court. If it is a case of executing a judgment, it will be the Court where judgment was delivered.

How you are protected.

If on the application the Court is of opinion that time should be given you to make the payment on the ground that you are unable to make the payment by reasons, directly or indirectly, attributable to the war, or in the case of bankruptcy, if the Court thinks you are unable to pay your debts because of the present war, it can, after considering all the circumstances of the case, stop the execution or bankruptcy petition or refuse your creditor any remedies on such terms as it thinks fit.

The Recruiting of our Members.

We received a circular from the Miners’ Federation, containing a number of questions. Among them was one making inquiries as to the number of our members who had enlisted. With the view to ascertaining correctly the exact number of men who entered the services up to October 3rd I sent out a return, with a request that Lodges would send in their replies as soon as they could. I am sorry that the request has not been attended to as it should. Up to to-day (October 20th) there are at least 43 Lodges who have not sent the return. So far as I have got the numbers, there are 157 Lodges which have replied, and the number returned is 12,970. On the supposition that the Lodges not making a return, have been affected proportionately, we may conclude that we have lost near 20,000 of our members. It will be remembered that at all the collieries there have been men of other classes of labour who have gone, for it is well-known that the recruiting in Durham has been very large and cheering. All praise to the young and middle aged who have left their home, and all the comforts thereof, and volunteered to brave all consequent dangers for the defence of our country and freedom.

Damaged One Pound and Ten Shilling Notes.

The reason why I insert this subject here is to suggest caution in the handling and use of the Treasury notes which have been introduced to meet the financial situation caused by the war. A workman at one of out collieries was paid with the paper money, and unfortunately he tore one of the pound notes, and by so doing he effaced the name and number, which are at the bottom, and unconsciously dropped the portions torn off. When he went to get it changed he was refused. Believing I might help him, he came to see me. I tried various means, and finally wrote to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pointing out the circumstances, and adding that it was a serious loss to a workman. In reply I received a letter, regretting the Chancellor’s inability to assist in the matter, and enclosing the printed regulations, which I think it may be useful to insert here :—

Compensation Committees.

We occupied all our circular last month in an attempt to outline the origin and present situation of the war. One of the consequences of that was, we were compelled to omit the usual monthly account of the proceedings of the Compensation Committee. With the view to remedying that omission, and keeping a consecutive record of that business, we will insert here the proceedings for two meetings, placing them in their natural order :—

Compensation Committee.

Our usual monthly meeting was held on Monday, Sept. 7th. There were 21 cases apart from Requests and total dependencies. These were divided as follows :— Seven Fatal and fourteen Non-fatal.

Five of the fatals were cases adjourned from our last meeting. The particulars you will find by reference to the last monthly circular, and we need not repeat them here. We will place on record the Committee’s decision in each case.

Fatal Cases

Lodge	Name	Age	Occupation
Murton	Charles, Bradwell	57	Wasteman
Hedley Pit	T., Clifford	54	Hewer
Harraton	Ralph, Curry	28	Staple Braker
Burnhope	W. J., Hobbs	54	Deputy
Lintz	Joseph, Hutchinson	67	Shifter
Morrison Pit	F., Tarr
South Moor (Morrison)	James, Wanless	20	Pony Putter

Non-fatal Cases.

Non-fatal Cases

Lodge	Name	Age	Occupation
Byers Green	Thomas, Anderson	49	Shifter
Boldon	William, Belshaw	21	Stone Putter
Chilton	William, Henderson	42	Coal Hewer
Victoria Garesfield	Joseph, Hodgson	18	Driver
Adventure	Hudson, Irving	41	Hewer
Old Sherburn	Thomas, Kelly	28	Hewer
New Herrington	David, Laidlaw	18	Greaser
Medomsley	Hugh, McQuillan	38	Coal Hewer
New Herrington	Samuel, Mole	41	Hewer
Horden	Nicholas, Reed	21	Hewing Putter
Felling	John William, Scott	34	Hewer
Littleburn	Thomas, Simpson
Lumley	Thomas, Swinney	43	Chock Drawer
Horden	R., Usher	21	Pony Putter
Byers Green	Timothy, Wilkinson	60	Coal Hewer

The Compensation Meeting was held on Oct. 5th. The Agenda contained 17 cases. Five of them being Fatal, and twelve Non-fatal.

Fatal Cases.

Fatal Cases

Lodge	Name	Age	Occupation
Witton	James K., Jacobs	34	Hewer
Chilton	Robert, Liddle	52	Hewer
Shotton	John, Marr	49	Hewer
Thornley	George, McMann	18	Pony Putter
Hetton	George, Naylor	47	Deputy
Morrison Pit	Frederick, Tarr	58

Non-fatal Cases.

Non-fatal Cases

Lodge	Name	Age	Occupation
Page Bank	Robert, Alders	14	Bank Lad
Langley Park	A., Burns	47	Stoneman
Sacriston	A., Drashier	24	Hewer
Mainsforth	George, Dring	18	Driver
Shildon Lodge	William, Ferguson	20	Putter
Shildon Lodge	Amos, Hartley	20	Putter
Shildon Lodge	William, Hedley	37	Filler
Beamish, Air Pit	George, Hunter	16	Driver
Burnhope	William, Kell	20	Hand Putter
Hetton	J. W., Kennedy	30	Coal Hewer
Beamish, Air Pit	John, Kilgallon	45	Hewer
Sherburn Hill	C. E., McGreggor	21	Hewer

Durham, 1914. John Wilson.

 

Source:

NEEMARC - Ref: NUMDA/1/6/39, D.M.A. Minutes, Circulars etc. for 1914 (two volumes: covers Jan-Jun, Jul-Dec)