The question whether Smithson, the Bevin Boy miner, should be
released a week or two before the expiration of his three-year term of service, to enable him to sail with the Test team to the West Indies, is not quite as simple as it seems. On the face of it to detain him for a bare fortnight would be pulling red-tape ridiculously tight, and that consideration should, and I fancy will in the end prevail. On the other hand it is not a good thing psychologically to release a single man from the pits in the midst of a fuel crisis fot the not vitally essential purpose of playing cricket. Actually Smithson has been released a good deal this summer to play county cricket, with the result that his absenteeism record in the pit is high. Even taking that into account it would be almost malignantly small- minded to keep Smithson out of the team, and the Minister of Labour is not the man to take a petty view in such matters. But the Coal Board has its rights where work in the pits is concerned, and it needs to be persuaded as well as the Labour Ministry.
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