Clive ,
I thoroughly endorse what you say our team are not learned academics, we
are ex miners ex coppers housewives, but we are watching living history
disappear around us just stand on the hills at parkhall overlooking Stoke
and you will see what I mean. if the Coal Authority can preserve what is
left great,
I contacted the PRO at kew re mining they have 43000 boxes and bags of mining
records unsorted and un indexed at least these will not get scattered all
over the ground by vandals as when Chatterley museum folded
Bob Burden

>-- Original Message --
>Date:         Tue, 13 May 2003 14:02:15 EDT
>Reply-To:     "The mining-history list." <[log in to unmask]>
>From:         Clive Seal <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Re: Thin Volume
>To:           [log in to unmask]
>
>
>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