South Yorkshire Times, December 15, 1951
Coal and Unemployment
Jobs of Thirty Men Depend On Every Miner
Forecast that 1952 will be the worst twelve months for coal in the last few years was made on Saturday by Mr J Halford, agent for Denaby and Cadeby collieries. He said that if more coal were not obtained next year there would be large scale unemployment throughout the country.
Mr. Halford was speaking at Bawtry, at the annual dinner of the Cadeby Main Colliery surface officials.
In Due Need
“The country is in dire need of coal,” he said., “Although we have had crisis after crisis in the last few years, I think 1952 will be the worst year ever for coal. If we I don’t get more coal in this next year there will be more big unemployment in this country.
There is no doubt about that, or we should not be importing from other countries into a country that has been a big exporter for years. That is one of the reasons why we have got to knuckle to and eat a lot of humble pie to get the coal.”
Mr Halford gave as an added incentive the “cold war” that was being waged at present. No-one could keep on living, he said, as we were living, frightened every day that “somebody was going to hit us.”
“We want coal, coal every time, to help fight that cold war. Every miner in this country has to carry the weight of making the means to provide labour for 30 others. Coal is the real raw material that starts everything working.”
Inventive Outlook
“Just as the coal is scarce, so is your labour. Your establishment in the shops cannot be increased in the proper sense, because we want all the labour underground. We have to keep a very inventive mind and be always looking round to see if we can get any machinery to do our work and at the same time keep the same men.”
“Just as the coal is scarce, so is your labour. Your establishment in the shops cannot be increased in the proper sense, because we want all the labour underground. We have to keep a very inventive mind and be always looking round to see if we can get any machinery to do our work and at the same time keep the same men.”
Mr Halford had earlier praised the surface officials for their work, and said that the keynote of the industry to-day was team spirit.
He mentioned the extra output during the last month in all the pits in the country and said it was partly due to the oncoming of Christmas. Managements were not so bothered about “bull weeks” however, as in the effort put into them and the possibility of maintaining that effort. If only 80 per cent. of it could be kept up, the coal position in England would be much easier.
He concluded by saying that the officials at the colliery had proved themselves “as loyal a band of people as I could wish to work and live with.,” who had always done their best.
Back Room Boys
Mr J. Ford, manager of the pit, said that there was a well-known saying that actors got all the lime light while the scene-shifters were forgotten. The same could be said in the mining industry.
Often one could read that colliers at some pit had achieved a record output, but nothing was said of the surface men. “The collier could no more fill coal without the surface men than a seaman could go to sea without a ship,” he said.
Mr Ford said he would like to stress how important the top men were. Backed by their able assistance his work had been easier. “It is due to the way you have handled the staff at Cadeby that I have had no trouble at the surface. It is very encouraging to me as a manager.”