Extra Food Supplies Anomaly – Drastic Action By Miners?

March 1947

South Yorkshire Times March 22, 1947

Drastic Action By Miners?
If Conisbrough And Mexborough Don’t Get Extra Food Grant

Unless Conisbrough Mexborough are including in the list of mining areas to which increases allocations of flour, confectionery and manufactured meat rations are to be allowed, Denaby main branch of the National Union of Mineworkers declare that drastic action will be taken by the mineworkers.

Letter of Protest

This was revealed at a meeting of Conisbrough Food Control Company on Wednesday in a letter of protest submitted to the food committed by Coun. J. T. E. Collins (branch secretary) on behalf of the branch.

The food executive officer (Mr R. Dunn) reported that an immediate protest had been made on Conisbrough’s behalf about their non-inclusion in the list had been forwarded by the Divisional Food officer to headquarters. He had also received a letter from Coun. Collins, who had expressed his branch’s view that special racing cars should be issued so that Mineworkers should receive the extra rations.

Coun. R. H. Shepherd, president of Denaby N. U. M. Branch, said the branch felt the rations should go into miners homes.

“If there is any area in this country that has a right, a prior right, it is Conisbrough,” said Coun. D. Sheldon, J. P. “I do not think there is any place that can be called a mining area more than this.”

The committee decided to register a vigorous protest against the exclusion of the district from the list of recipient mining areas and if a satisfactory answer was not forthcoming to approach the ministers of food and fuel and power, and Mr Tom Williams, the local MP it was further agreed that the ministry should be pressed to ensure that the extra food went into the miner’s homes and that a request should be lodged for more manufactured meat traders’ licences to be granted the urban district.