South Yorkshire Times November 8, 1947

Eviction of Miners
Conisbrough U.D.C. Plea for Maimed and Sick

A call for every sympathy to be shown on the subject of eviction to every miner who has given his blood for the country in the mining industry was made by County Coun. B Roberts, J.P. (picture) at Wednesday’s meeting of Conisbrough Urban Council when Councillor D Sheldon, Housing Committee Chairman had  reported receipt of a letter on the matter from the Ministry of Fuel & Power

Puzzling Paradox

Coun. Sheldon announced that they had that day received full sanction for the contract in respect of their scheme for 54 further houses at Conanby and for the houses to be started forthwith. They had also received sanction to make application for the loan.

This approval, said Coun. Sheldon, was subject to the houses being let to miners and agricultural workers, and the same thing applied to the Airey type houses.

In connection with the Council’s approach on the question of the eviction of tenants from colliery houses, they had received a reply from the Ministry of Fuel and Power, stating that having regard to the urgent need for increasing manpower in the mining industry the Government had decided to give the highest priority for the erection of houses in mining communities, shortage of houses being one of the factors regarding recruitment.

While it was realised that the allocation of houses in mining communities must in the main rest with the local authorities, who, appreciating the need for more miners would doubtless give some special consideration to mining applicants, a similar responsibility must also rest with the National Coal Board in the allocation of houses owned by them

The Board realised that when it became necessary to evict a non-mining family from a colliery house some embarrassment might be caused to the local authority, but as the new tenant of the colliery house would in most cases have qualified for a Council-owned house it was thought that the correct balance was maintained.

Coun. Sheldon asked how that could be when so many people wanted houses. In reply to a letter the Council had sent to the Ministry of Health with regard to pre-fabricated houses the Ministry had said that while Conlsbrough was included as a purely mining district It was not designated as a super priority area and no hope could be entertained of any further pre-fabricated houses.

Where is the logic in those two paragraphs ? ”    Coun. Sheldon asked. ” In one they say the  lackof houses is causing a shortage of miners; in the other they say that while we are a mining area we are not a super priority area.”

The Ministry of Fuel and Power went on to state that so far as Conisbrough Council was directly concerned the National Coal Board had informed them that no applications would go to the Courts for powers of possession until they had been carefully scrutinised and if any case presented special hardship reference was made to the Divisional Labour Director before proceedings were instituted.

Coun. Sheldon said the majority of people evicted in the area were people who had been maimed or were ill. The industry had had the best out of them and when they could not follow their employment  they had to get out.

County Coun. Roberts said that in evicting from colliery company houses he hoped they were not going to tolerate the old policy whereby a man who had given his blood for his country and could not follow his employment had to go on the labour exchange and after being on the employment books a short time was given his notice to quit.

LIGHTING COMPLAINT

Coun. R. H. Shephard drew attention to the need for an improvement in the strength of the gas supply at Denaby. ” When you go round the streets,” he said, you can hardly see where you are going. The light is terrible and we are paying the piper.”

Coun. G. Oldtleld, General Purposes Committee chairman, mentioned the efforts the Council had made to secure an improved bus service between Doncaster and Mexborough on Tuesdays and Saturdays and stated that they were to notify the Yorkshire Traction Company that they were very dissatisfied with the position.

In connection with the result of the public inquiry held in January into the fares of the Mexborough and Swinton Traction Company the Council were to recommend, Coun. Oldfleld disclosed, that concerted action should be taken with the other local authorities concerned. The Council confirmed a General Purposes Committee recommendation that a Joint meeting should be arranged on the matter at an early date, preferably at Mexborough.