FOLLONSBY COLLIERY. (Hansard, 10 November 1938)

§ Miss Wilkinson
I wish to raise briefly a matter which is of very deep interest to my constituency and to the North Eastern and Durham coalfields generally. Jarrow is an area which has been devastated enough already, but its one bright spot has been the area of the Follonsby Colliery, employing a large number of men, which has been working fairly steadily. During the last month, it has been suddenly closed down, and not only have the men been given their notices, but the machinery is being dismantled and it is understood that this great pit has been closed down for ever. This has taken place at the same time as the instances that were referred to by my hon. Friend the Member for Spennymoor (Mr. Batey) in the Debate on Tuesday last, when it was not possible for 444 the Minister to reply, but the Minister has kindly consented to do so to-night. There is a further element of tragedy with regard to the Follonsby Colliery. For two generations the people there have been agitating and working for better housing. The housing scheme has just been completed. For the first time in the history of this colliery, they are living in decent houses, and just as that scheme has been completed the pit has been closed down for ever.
I want to ask the Secretary for Mines whether in this matter he has any policy, and whether he is consulted in any way. We understand that coal is still there. Are we simply to accept the statement of the colliery company that the pit is uneconomic, and are pits to be closed down without any regard being had to the social consequences? Is the Secretary for Mines consulted in any way, and has he any power to require that before a pit such as this is closed down, notice should be given to the Secretary for Mines? In that case, has he any power to make an inquiry? The Parliamentary Secetrary to the Ministry of Labour has kindly consented to be present to-night, and I would like to ask whether there is any possibility of consultation between the Secretary for Mines and the Minister of Labour with regard to new industries in such conditions?
These are good men. They are strong men, trained to danger. They are first-class workmen, and are admitted to be so. They have been organised, and have a very high degree of self-discipline. Are they to be allowed to rot in idleness? Is nothing to be done for them? This is an historical pit, and one can hardly contemplate its being abandoned and these men being left workless, in these new houses. If this can be done simply on the basis of the statement by the owners of economic necessity, then I say that this system under which we work needs no further condemnation. I would urge the Minister to say whether this pit and the Durham pits are to be left to their fate so that this whole area will sink into the condition of a derelict area, for which the word "distressed" will not be strong enough.

§ The Secretary for Mines (Captain Crookshank)
I am sure we all appreciate the fact that the hon. Lady should raise a question of this kind which con- 445 cerns her own constituency and in fairness to her I should say that she had intended to do so on Tuesday, which would have been the first opportunity, but owing to circumstances, over which neither she nor I had any control, it had to be postponed until to-day. Unfortunately, the Minister of Labour has not been able to be present to-day. In fairness also to myself, I ought to add that, generally, when matters are raised on the Adjournment, it is on points dealing with the administration of the Department that a Minister is questioned. Though the hon. Lady may not approve of the fact, it is still true that, administratively, I have no control whatever over pits being closed or opened. It is, as we all agree, a tragic circumstance when a pit has to be closed, just as when a factory ceases work, or a shop goes bankrupt, and people are thrown out of work. It is common ground between us that occasions like this are exceedingly sad for a great number of people. I appreciate the hon. Lady's reference to the fact that this case is particularly unfortunate, owing to the improved housing conditions in that district.
This particular pit was employing some 1,300 men a few months ago. In the middle of the month it ceased production. The reason, so I am informed by the company, is that it had become definitely uneconomic. They had persisted in their efforts to try to work it but it had resulted in a steady and increasing loss which they could no longer bear. Therefore they had no other alternative but to cease production. That is the sad story in a nutshell. The hon. Lady asked me whether I had any policy in the matter, or whether any consultation had taken place with me or my Department. The answer is that there is no necessity for any one to consult me and, if they did, there is nothing I could impose upon them. I am not responsible for running the coal mines of this country and while, sometimes, one may be in a position to make inquiries and see whether anything can be done and whether if there are any difficulties, one can use some influence, I am afraid that when it comes to a position in which the owners say they cannot carry on, nothing more can be done in that direction. If the hon. Lady asks whether this means that the whole of the North-East area is going to sink into the condition of a derelict area, I think there is no indica- 446 tion of that. As a matter of fact, the present position—though I do not want to enlarge the discussion and merely give it as a fact—is that the current figure of employment in the Durham area is just about what it was at the beginning of last year and that, of course, is considerably higher than it had been for some years before.

§ Mr. Batey
That is over the whole of the Durham County?

§ Captain Crookshank
Over the whole Durham coalfield. Last year there was a gradual rise in employment, which turned at the beginning of this year, and now, as regards the employment position, we are back just about where we were at the beginning of 1937. That is considerably better than it was for some years previous to that. The reason for the drop in employment is the economic reason that there has been a drop in trade during this year, a drop in the inland demand due to the depression in the iron and steel industry. Although the export figures are not distinguished, as between Northumberland and Durham, from the North-East Coast ports, the Tyne, the Wear and the Tees, in the first nine months of this year the exports were 1,000,000 tons down on last year; and there lies some of the explanation of the difficulty with which, no doubt, this company and others in that area have been faced.
Of course, it depresses me, as it does the hon. Lady, when I hear of pits being closed, although this pit is not in my own constituency. I have no pits there, and therefore the matter is not so poignant to me as it is in her case, yet I feel with her and in her desire to see whether anything can be done, but in this case, from information which I have, it would appear that that pit has been closed on the grounds that I have given.
I understand, though, of course, it is not anything which would be of immediate application, that the same company is developing a new pit at Kibblesworth. I do not want the hon. Lady to say that that is no answer. For the moment it is not, but they are developing a new pit there. I do not know whether it is in her constituency, but I understand that, when they get into production, they expect to have an output of something in the nature of a 1,000 tons a day, and it may be that some of these men may find employment there. Then again, although I know the 447 difficulties of distance, there is the possibility through the Employment Exchanges of some of them finding employment at Ashington. I have heard during the recent months at different times that there was a shortage of skilled men, first at one pit and then at another. Whether that particular difficulty, which was serious at one time, would help to solve the troubles of some of these men I do not know, but I most sincerely hope it may. I am afraid the hon. Lady will think this very cold comfort, and perhaps she is right in that, but I must come back to the fact that I have no powers to deal with this matter, and on a Motion for the Adjournment it is out of order to deal with matters involving legislation.