Coal Supplies.

Part of Orders of the Day — Consolidated Fund (Appropriation) Bill. – in the House of Commons at on 5 August 1941.

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Photo of Colonel Ralph Glyn Colonel Ralph Glyn , Abingdon

The Debate proves one thing, that there has been a gross under-production of coal. I feel that it is the interests of the consumer which should be mentioned in this Debate, which has been chiefly confined to the protagonists of both sides in the mining industry. In 1918, when I first entered this House, I sat for a Scottish constituency, which contained a great many pitmen, and I got to like them very much. I was then always up against that apparently impassable gulf between the owners and the men. From what we have heard to-day from the hon. Member for South Ayrshire (Mr. Sloan), it seems to me that that situation still continues. But there is a still more difficult position, which was mentioned by the hon. and gallant Member for Wycombe (Sir A. Knox). That is the position in the rural districts near the Thames, where coal is very scarce and the population is anything but dense. The Regional Commissioners and the officers of the Ministry of Mines in the regions have done yeoman service in trying to get delivery in those scattered areas, but the problem of the small man in the small cottage is most difficult. These cottages have no cellars, and more and more the coal factors have been called up. There is less transport along the roads. I know of villages in my constituency which are— or were, until a few weeks ago—literally without any coal at all. That sort of thing cannot be tolerated. It will lead not only to discomfort, but to something worse. I trust that the Minister of Mines, in consultation with the Commissioners in the Southern regions far removed from the coalfields, will consider the position of the domestic consumer.

But there is a much more important matter. That is the obvious lack in the Government machinery of a sort of general staff for industry. At this stage it is absurd to look upon coal as being in a separate category. It is the basis of everything. If there is closer co-operation between the miners, who are all out to help in the national effort, and the owners —and there are a great many reasonable owners, in spite of what hon. Members opposite may say—if something is done to bring the two together, in a more reasonable frame of mind, they may jointly help the Minister of Mines and the President of the Board of Trade to find a solution. We all like the Minister of Mines, but I agree with the hon. Member for Gorbals (Mr. Buchanan) that as long as this House exists it is our duty to rise on behalf of our constituents and criticise the Government. We must be constructive in that criticism, and we must put forward ideas that are helpful and not merely points of view to gain even a party advantage. The situation is far too serious for that, but how many hon. Members realise that today the danger is not so much at the coal face but is that if you do get more men into the pits, you will run into the blackout period, with perhaps enemy action on the ascendancy, and you will have the utmost difficulty in distributing coal to different parts of the country.

I do not know whether it is realised that not long ago the railways were down to their last three weeks' supply of coal. If your locomotives are to go without coal, they cannot help the basic industries, because they will be unable to convey the essential raw material—coal—to the factories. That situation has become better, but it is one which is still causing the gravest anxiety. I hope hon. Members will appreciate the difficulties under which railwaymen have to work during the black-out. There will be inevitable congestion on the railways in trying to rush coal to essential works and industries. Railwaymen have done marvels as it is; it is grossly unfair to put the whole weight of effort on them at a most difficult time. Over and over again since this war began we have seen things go wrong through the lack of a proper sense of timing. Nearly everything depends upon timing your actions correctly, and it is obvious that coal should have been distributed and stocks made up all through the past summer.

Far from saying that nobody is to blame, I feel that somebody is very much to blame, and it is the business of this House to say so, because we shall be held to account by our constituents and those who come after us when the history of this war comes to be written. We are either too craven, stupid or thoughtless to say fearlessly that this is so and to tell the Government without hesitation that the country is sick to death of this coal muddle. People are not worrying whether it is the fault of the owners or the miners; they know the Government have the power, and they only hope they will use it. Unless this is done, we shall be confronted with an extremely perilous situation—far more perilous at this time because our war potential is itself in danger.

With the suggestion made that miners in the Services who have reached a certain age, and are willing to go back to the pits, should be given these facilities I am strongly in agreement. The Prime Minister and the War Cabinet alone can say what the division of man-power should be. But if man-power must be kept in the Army— and we are short of man-power—everybody will have to contribute what they can, either by economising in the use of coal, electricity or gas, by not using coal on the railways for purposes other than those which are essential, or by trying to establish throughout the country, through the regions, something in the nature of an industrial general staff.

Let these things be knit and balanced together one with the other. Until that is done, I am afraid we shall have this increasing anxiety both as regards the morale of the people through the possible shortage of fuel in their houses and the serious risk of the production of munitions being delayed in some cases through its being impossible to get coal for the works. I do not think the increased user of coal owing to the wonderful increase of production of munitions of all kinds is often understood. It should also be remembered that for obvious reasons some of these places are in isolated positions difficult to work and to reach. All these matters should be considered as one joint problem. If that is done, I believe that we shall overcome our difficulties. I feel that the Minister of Mines deserves more sympathy than condemnation in some respects, because we have been a little backward in not having insisted on this Debate at an earlier stage.