The Coal Question
MR. WILSON writes about this intricate subject with ease and just a touch of cynicism. His charts and figures denote meticulous care in their compilation and are helpful in clarifying points for the reader ; nevertheless, as a layman without predilections follows his narrative, the feeling steadily grows that here is a quotation out of its true context, a limited angle and not the complete picture— in fact, as you turn the last pages, it is intuitively with the thought that this is but a part of the truth and not the whole story. It is unfortunate that so much careful work fails to carry conviction because it leaves any discriminating reader wondering, " What is the other fellow's point of view? " Mr. Wilson's scheme for a National Coal Board sounds wonderful in theory, .but, here again, he reckons without that all-important and most elusive factor, the human element. One cannot help feeling that the marvellously well- thought-out plans of totalitarians did not in the long run succeed, because none can calculate that one incalculable factor. And I am inclined to think that the same applies to Mr. Wilson's Plan for Coal.
Mr. Dickie's approach is blunt and inspires confidence. He gives the reader 613 succinctly pertinent Questions and Answers as a " Layman's Guide to the Coal Mining Industry." For instance, " Q. 19: Had we any experience prior to 1942 of the results of State Control of the coal mines? A.: Yes, during and after the last war, from 1916-21. Q.: What was the result of the control? A.: The output fell from 256 million tons in 1916 to 23o million tons in 192o, although there were 246,000 more workers in 19zo than in 1916. The output per man per annum fell by 78 tons, from 265 tons to 187 tons. The wages costs rose to 27s. 9d. per ton, or four times the pre-war figure, and export prices rose to an average of £4 per ton. When the industry was decontrolled, it was losing over £5 million per month (chargeable against the taxpayer). It was bankrupt when handed back to Private Enterprise, and this
was the main cause of the troubles in the industry between 1921 and 1926." Nevertheless, by 1937, Private Enterprise had pulled the industry together to the extent that the national figures for the output per wage-earner per annum were as follows :-1937, 310.0 tons ; 1938, 290.4 tons ; 1939, 301.9 tons. In 1942 State Control again commenced, and by 1944 this output had dropped to 259.2 tons per wage-earner per annum ; in other words, with 710,20o workers in the industry in 1944, this drop means a loss of over 23 million tons of coal.
In regard to strikes, Mr. Dickie asks, " Q. 363: Why are there so many strikes in the coal-mining industry? A.: Because the men refuse to abide by agreements freely arrived at by their leaders, and because the latter have completely lost control of the members of their unions. Q.: 364: How many strikes were there in the industry in 1944? A.: 1,253. Q. 365: How many workers were involved? A.: 568,000. Q.: 366. What was the loss of tonnage caused by these strikes? A.: Over 3,000,000 tons in 1944. Q. 372: What has been the main factor leading to these regrettable strikes? A.: The most potent has probably been the unrest due to political agitation. Their commencement on a large scale synchronised with the launching of the political campaign for nationalisation, in the spring of 1942. In this connection it should be noted that between 1926 and 1939, when there was less political activity in the industry, there was no strike of any great magnitude in any of the coal-fields." Thus, by means of blunt Questions and Answers, Mr. Dickie records the plain facts of coal history, whilst his comprehensive indexing enables anyone to turn them up with- out difficulty.
I like the honest approach of the Colliery Manager to " Why there is a Coal Shortage." Here is a man placed midway between the miner and the executive, in close touch with both, a skilled craftsman carrying responsibility, and one who knows the game from A to Z. He has lived in and thought about the mining world all his life, and, in his attempt to give a true picture of this great British industry, he gains the confidence of his reader by giving an insight into the point of view of the men as well as that of the executive.
The account is more technical than that of the other two books, but it is written in an intensely interesting manner and is easily understood. We have heard so much recently of the mechani- sation needed in our mines that one is relieved to learn the " shout- ing " needs very careful analysis before being accepted in its entirety. For instance, mechanisation was begun prior to 1913. The principle of a minimum wage was established by that date. The Colliery Manager contends that it is not true that British engineers and managements have been caught asleep as regards mechanical developments. On page 27, he quotes an extract from " Mechannual," a well-known American technical publication: "Natural conditions of mining in Great Britain are more difficult than those in the U.S.A. Coal beds are thinner and lie at greater depths below the surface. Methods of mining are different, but these factors have not deterred British mine owners from a greatly increased use of mechanical devices." And he goes on to give a description of a too per cent. British invention whose performances, confessed members of the American mission recently in this country, exceed anything known in America.
Clearly, present-day coal problems are almost a monument to the difficulties and troubles inseparable from and brought about by the two world wars. Had it not been for these catastrophes, the development of welfare work amongst miners, mechanisation and the general improvement of working and living conditions, might well have gone far to reduce greatly, if not eliminate entirely, much of the political agitation which is the cause of today's unrest. Obviously, a great deal still remains to be done for our miners, though none of these books convince me that the solution is nationalisation. It is sincerely to be hoped, therefore, that the experiment which is to be tried at such a crucial time in our history will not result in disastrous set-backs in the living and working conditions of the men in our mines.
ALFRED C. Bossom.
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