HC Deb 20 February 1947 vol 433 cc201-2W
82. Mr. Rhys Davies

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power the number of coalmines in operation in this country at the end of the first world war; how many have closed down since; how many new pits have been sunk since that date; the estimated cost at present of sinking a new shaft; and how long it takes from cutting the first sod to the time when coal is raised from that shaft.

Mr. Shinwell

Of the 2,630 coalmines and drifts of all sizes which were at work in 1918, 1,650 are no longer producing coal, but 750 mines and drifts which were not at work in 1918 are at work today. The cost of sinking new shafts, and the time taken between the cutting of the first sod and the raising of the first coal depends so much upon the size and depth of the shaft and upon geological and other technical considerations that no generalisation can usefully be made.