Economic Problems - What was the state of the coalfield 1919-39?

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Amir Khan

Economic Problems

What was the state of the coalfield 1919-39?

Between 1920 and 1926, the miner’s pay was cut down. This was because the coal industry went crashing down. There was a lack of demand as well as investment. There were also very hard conditions for coal mining in south Wales.

The miner’s pay became so low that the workers decided to go on a general strike. The miners refused to work until they were paid what they felt they deserved. When the workers went on strike, they aimed it at the government. The government had control over how much money the workers should be paid. The workers felt that the government should look after their workers. A general strike is when everyone in the workers union goes on a strike. If you were part of the union, you would have to go on strike in protest against the low rate of pay you received. The workers wanted to control the work place, but the owners of the coal mines would lock the inside of the work place that the workers could not control the work place. This then led to unemployment. At the end of 1925 unemployment was 14.4%. This kept rising over a few years.

In 1926, there was a slump in output and exports of coal in south Wales. This is when the workers went on strike. In 1925, there was 44,630 tons of coal in output and a year later, in 1926, there were only 20,273. The output of coal went down 23,357 in just a year. A year later in 1927, the output of coal went up to 46,236.

Usefulness and reliability of source A1

A1 is the most reliable because it gives detail and dates of what had happened in the 1920’s and 1930’s. The source tells you when coal was in less demand and what the reasons for the crash were. Source A1 says the reasons for the coal industry collapsing was due to overseas competition, general lack of demand over the whole industrial world, lack of investment and the difficult conditions for mining coal in south Wales. All of these resulted in the slump of the coal industry. Unlike the other sources, A1 gives reasons for the crash of the industry. The source also gives statistics. The second paragraph of the source highlights that between 1920 and 1921, coal exports slumped by two thirds. This then lead to collieries to close down in big numbers. The source tells you that south Wales produced 30% of the world’s coal exports. By 1929 it produced 3%. Coal had been taken over by oil. This source gives you statistics and the reasons. The statistics show the percentages of coal exports. In 1904 south Wales produces over 30% of the coal export but by 1929, it had fallen to 3%. The reason for this was due to the demand of oil and not coal. Oil was now being used in ships and coal wasn’t.

Due to the demand shifting from coal to oil, this then led to unemployment. At the end of 1925, unemployment went up to 13.4%. Two years after (1927) it was almost 23.2%. In 1937, ten years later, unemployment had risen to almost 50%.  Source A1 is the most reliable because it gives more detail than any other source. The other sources give statistics but no reasons, or no statistics and only explain what had happened to the workers once they became unemployed.

Why was there so much industrial unrest and what were the results for the miners and their families?

In 1926, the coal owners decided to cut the wages of the coal miners. Those workers who did not accept the wage cuts were locked out of the work place. This was because the miners could stop the coal being dug out of the ground. Miners all over the U.K stopped work. They felt that they should be paid what they deserved.

From May the 4th 1926, there was a general strike. This is when all the workers refused to work. They were all part of the trades union. This union in south Wales was very strong. The workers refused to work and just after 9 days the TUC fell apart. The miners still didn’t go back to work. So for another six months the miners fought on to get the salary they felt they deserved. Even though the spirit of the trades union was strong, it was hard to keep the spirits up. It was also very difficult to raise funds to pay the workers who were on strike. This strike did not end until November in 1926. The strike was from May to November, lasting 7 months. The end of the strike was due to starvation. The workers survived so long mainly because of the soup kitchens. When the workers first used the soup kitchens, the food had a large variety but by the end of august there were shortages. Bread and bully beef kept most of the people going.

Whilst the workers were on strike, they would become cobblers. They would repair their family shoes and other things. Families would not send their children to school without shoes but there were reports of children suffering from blood-poisoned feet.

The strike came to a point where it was miner vs. miner. When one miner would go on a strike because of the low pay, there would be an unemployed miner who would then take his place. The miners who were on strike did not like this and there were angry demonstrators when the working miners would come to work. The Police would have to escort the miners to work. The workers would be called ‘scabs’ or ‘blacklegs.’

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During the strike, there were many different ways to control the work place. In September 1935, miners at Nine Mile Point colliery in the village of Cwmfelinfach tried to stop the blacklegs from working. They would go to work but at the end of the shift they would not move. This was then called a ‘stay-down strike.’ Workers from Parc and Dare colliery heard about what the workers in Nine Mile Point and then decided to join in with the strike. So did the men at Fernhill Colliery. The Stay-Down lasted 200 hours (8 and half days.). But the men ...

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