Clive seems to have hit the nail on the head. Down here in Cornwall we had
to endure the bizarre situation where mining heritage is the flavour of the
month (not to mention the current World Heritage bid) whilst South Crofty
went belly up. I recall seeing some spotty youf from the Regional
Development Agency on telly saying that mining was not appropriate for
Camborne........ The trouble with mining is that the people who do it are
dirty, inarticulate (or possibly not?) and scruffy..... not media friendly.
Mining packaged in centuries old documents or frozen in the pages of Mining
Journal is acceptable, mining as a living breathing entity isn't. It's only
safe and nice and sanitsed once you have tamed the beast.
Rick Stewart
(who earns his living from sanitised mine tourism).
----- Original Message -----
From: "Clive Seal" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, May 13, 2003 7:02 PM
Subject: Re: Thin Volume
> I Think you may have the wrong idea Coal Authority is designed to do
Mike.
> It is not to run the mines at a profit or indeed run the mines at all. It
is
> to oversee that they are run by those who licence them in a proper manor.
>
> If the companies whop lease them fail to run at a profit and go out of
> buisness that is not the fault of the coal authority. Neither can they
> attract would be adventurers.
>
> The coal authority have nothing to do with the legislation and litigation
we
> are compelled to run under these days.
>
> Ironey is well and trully alive in the North Pennines as is sarcasm. My
> comment is directed to the constant running down of a body who is at least
> trying to do something possative within i'ts constraints.
>
> Hapton Valley may not have been a super pit but it certainly managed to
turn
> out more of a profit than many bigger ones that the Govt poured money
down,
> and I think even yourself would see a differmce today on visiting
collieries
> like Selby and the like.
>
> Self elevation never achived anything Mike but pulling together did. If
the
> industry had maintained this instead of all the fragmented parties looking
to
> their own interests we may still have one.
>
> One point that may have escaped you, Whilst you are discussing topics from
> hundreds of years ago and basicaly straining at nats (sometimes) living
> history is dissapearing infront of your nose. As self professed experts
and
> academics don't you think you should be recording it rather than
squabbling
> because somebody may be setpping on someones toes.
>
> Even Spock said the needs of the many outway the needs of the few. He
wasn't
> real but mining is for the present, lets do our best to record it.
>
> Far more than just abandonment plans are available at the records office.
Pay
> it a visit, sit in nice surroundings whilst plans are brought to your
table
> then taken away again. Have your dinner in a nice canteen, get anything
> coppied at minimal cost.
>
> Does that sound like the research facilities of any club you know... No
Not
> even the Northern Mines.
>
> Clive
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