Home Coal – Denaby and Cadeby Committee’s Loss – Disaster Fund Appeal

February 1936

Mexborough and Swinton Times February 21 1936

Home Coal
Denaby and Cadeby Committee’s Loss
Disaster Fund Appeal

“The Denaby and Cadeby Home Coal Carting Committee will contribute £100 to the Cadeby Disaster Fund on condition that the Denaby and Cadeby Main Colliery Company and royalty owners will contribute a similar donation.” said Mr T Hill, presiding at the annual meeting of the Denaby and Cadeby Home Coal Carting Committee, on Sunday.

Three years ago the Committee agreed to contribute £100 subject to the royalty owners and Colliery Company agreeing to contribute a similar amount, but the royalty owner, Lord Cromwell, did not fall into line. That was three years ago and yet they have not made a move.

A few days ago the Committee received a letter from the secretary of the fund asking them for that hundred pounds but the Committee witheld it until the annual meeting. The meeting decided to wait until the Colliery Company and royalty owner made a move before paying their contribution. It was pointed out that the fund was nearly exhausted and that it paid out £4 16s 0d per week to about 16 persons.

The balance sheet of the Coal Carting Committee, which was read by Mr J Thurgood, of Doncaster, showed a loss of £242 1s 4 ½d against that of £57 12s 0d for 1934.

The general cash account showed an income of £5086 1s 9 ½d which was derived as follows:

Cash in hand first of January 1936 £1575 17s 0 ½d, collection from workmen £3282 9s 3d, rents of property £204 1s 6d, sundry items £9 16 9d, bank interest £13 17s 3d.

The expenditure was:

Wages £1,817 9s 6d, motor expenses £1,046 7s 2d, horse keep £35 14s 6d, repairs to property etc £56 9s 1d, printing and stationery £16 17s 3 ½d, rates and taxes £58 15s 8d, insurance £30 18s 8d, heating £9 6s 0d, hospital and doctors contribution £18 14s 8d, donations and subscriptions £36 10s 9d, new houses erected during the year £1,170 0s 8d, cash in hand etc £1075 16s overdraft number 1 account £311 16s 6d.

The assets of the Coal Carting Committee are: land and buildings £4077 2s 8½d, plant and machinery £162 14s 1d, Ferryboat £59 1s 0d, horse, cart and harness £23 0s 10d, motor lorries £705 15s 0d, sundry debtors, stock and and and payments in advance £376 1s 8d.

It was stated that during 1935 they had delivered 28,561 as against 30,907 loads in 1934.

Loss Explained

Explaining the loss of £242, Mr Hill said that of the 734 miners who received loads of coal at 1s 6s during 1935, 140 had been dismissed from Cadeby Colliery, and of the 842 who received loads at three shilling per load, 315 had been dismissed. The Committee had an average a loss of £64 per month since September, the month during which the Parkgate seam at Cadeby Main Colliery closed down. The rate of leading in 1934 averaged 2s 5 ½d.

A contributor to the scheme Mr H Smith, asked if the employees of the Coal Carting Scheme had received the one shilling per day increase that the miners had done, as they were members of the Yorkshire Mine Workers Association.

Mr Hill said that they had not, but they were getting better wages than any other transport worker. They were being paid the same rate of wages as in 1918. Although the miners had suffered several reductions in wages since 1918 the Coal Carting Committee continued to pay the same rate of wages. If the Coal Carting Committee were to increase their employees wages they would have to call upon the miners to pay extra for their leading. They were willing to meet either representatives of their employees are of the union to discuss the matter.

Asked whether anything had been done to get cheaper coal for unemployed miners, Mr Hill said nothing had been done so far but if both the Denaby and Cadeby branches of the Yorkshire Mineworkers Association got together and formulated a scheme, the Coal Carting Committee would be only too pleased to do their share.