I agree James, though I dont know Craigy very well I do know John and a 
better pitman you couodn't wish to meet. I was going to sing Blenkys saftey 
record as that appears to be ther theam of the day. In the New Scean (Budg's 
Coal News) Blenky was always top of safety league and it was a pit tjhat had 
never been nationalised. Alsoo amongst the Budge group it was the pit with 
the most 'hands on aproach' with miners actualy using shovels Alas no picks! 
or I weould have had a few off you. I know there was the apalling incedent 
with John Hall, but that was sadly one of those tragadies.

I shall take issue with the safety point for a while. Yes you are all right 
the NCB did go to town on saftey, I remember when I started at the pit and 
did my weeks induction at Old Boston. The films they showed us were real 
vidio nasties and at times I really wondered if they wanted us to jack. Two 
in particular have always stuck in my mind. One about a face man riding the 
face scraper and he got his well stuck between 2 flight bars.. He came to the 
face end and let out a terrible scream. Next shot was a welly and leg stump 
going up the stage loader.  A few year ago I did the very same thing on a 
very small air driven scraper and my heat was in my mouth. Fortunatly my 
wellys were to big and I just yanked my foot out.

The next vid was a loc driver and the  film was 'always drive from within the 
cab'. He got to some air doors and had a set of about 20 million. To save 
time instead of walking around the set on the walking side, he squeezed past 
on the low side and hadn't applied the hand brake properly. My memory is of 
his squeezing past the loco and the air doors and the loco slipping forwards. 
His head gets jamed and his hwlmeet cracks then his head bursts open like a 
bad egg!! after 22 years  every time I get a tub off at 15's mouthing and I 
am tempted to move the loco on from outside the cab and not putb the breake 
on properly I always remember this poor man and do the job right.

However!!!  I take issue with what the memberv said about saftey now the 
mines have been privatised. A lot of this wa propoganda put about at the 
time, the NUM and Mr S being prime criminals. I know I haven't worked in 
every licenced mine in the country, and my inspector has told me a few tale 
about some pits. I have spent 20 years in the private sector working the most 
archaic meathods. All that stuff in the 1840 report.. Well Ive done it, apaty 
from being a trapper boy and we had compressed air p[icks not hand ones. No 
hard ship... It was very hard work but I wouldn't let it beat me. Head to the 
tubs, hands on the rails and shove like clapperts with your feet on the 
sleepers. 400 yards there and  back and then fill 4 tubs out of six for the 
colliers. Sometimes in 18" of water. The roof at it's heighest was 36".  Many 
NCB Men came and went,very quickly as they couldn't manage the job. The last 
parting words to me was ' your **** mad you lot'. Maybe, but at the time of 
the strike we were taking home over £200 a week whilst PLA gave the NCB about 
94. My mate was shearer driving at Wearmouth at the time and he could barly 
manage to take home over 95 quid. Werdid it on a 30 hour week.  

In all my 20 years in the private mines I have broke 2 fingers (got a few 
blueies though). Saw a cracked ankle and one mashed up hand... Oh and one 
cracked virtibra, but he was a wazzock and didn't put any timber up. A 74 
year old got him out.

Most mine owners, and I am classed as one, would hate to see any injury, it 
is your worst nightmare. You are constantly on the district, know the men 
personaly and how they work. I have seen no saftey measure compromised in 
thepit's I have worked in. On the contrary, becase the men are so hands on 
within their task and deal with open roof every day, I feel they are more 
skilled at the task. They know how to support and pack to get the weight on 
the face to burst the coal, and at the same time how to keep the barrioways 
up when there is real pressure on them.

I think if most pitmen are really honest 'come on lads' Most of the accidents 
are caused by the men themselves. I have a quote from an old deputy once 
interviewed for history ' many a man goes to his own death in the pit' and 
that's true. Who hasn't cut a few corners? ERven the good ole NCB you had 
some Deputy or Ovberman who wanted to make a namer for himself breathing down 
your neck alomost forcing you to cut corners.. Deputies and shotfirers (of 
which I am also One) You know the proceeduer for firing a shot as laid down 
when we did our examination..... Disd you always carrie it out to the letter? 
I know the answer to that one!  Boxes of powder thrown over the low side of 
the belt, stemming with coal dust ect.

My mates dad was saftey officer for the Burnley area through nationalisation 
up to the late 1960's. He confessed that many of the accidents weer due to 
the men themselves and if you reallyb consult those records it will confirm 
this fact.  

I had the good fortune to visit some collieries belonging to the Tennasssee 
Consolidated Coal Co a few years back. Their saftey was impecable and I 
thought there techneques would have been ideal for yourselves at Blenky. 15 
men and 900 tonnes an day from a 4'6" seam.

You can talk about your clean air act and textiles ect. The only rteason 
textiles went abroad (and my family were involver in them ) was because it 
was cheeper to emply blacks in africa and India to do the job that is why 
China and India are the worlds up and comming producers of coal. I know noone 
can compete with Oz due to the size of the seams.

As to the social implications of piit closures I shall again contribute. I 
maintain though the NCB were good on saftey, the records of all other 
esatablisherd countries has proved that this would jhave evolved any road. 
And today you cant even have a crap with out the HSE having legislation on 
the matter