Archived Extracts

the nottinghamshire FREE PRESS

a weeks news dated - November 4th 1932

HUTHWAITE JUMBLE SALE.

Preparations for Christmas treats to school children are already being made, and on Friday a jumble sale was held in Blackwell Road Schools. There was a large and varied supply of goods for sale and the sum of £3 5s. was realised, which will go a long way towards the object stated. The organising was carried out by Mr. C.A. Bonsall, headmaster, Mrs. Gascoigne and the other members of the staff.

SUTTON HOSIERY WORKERS.
INCREASED BENEFITS.

A meeting of the local Branch of the Ilkeston and District Hosiery Workers' Union was held in the Baptist Lecture Hall, Sutton, on Thursday.
Mr. Brewin (Secretary Ilkeston District) gave a detailed report of the Union's recent activities. He also reported that the delegate council meeting recently held in Nottingham had agreed to the Sutton recommendation regarding the Sick and Accident Section that benefits be increased to six shillings for four weeks. Convalescent grants and hospital recommends are to continue, but they deleted the recommendation that payment be made for first day illness. Thus waiting days will continue as per rule.
He mentioned that the next delegate meeting would have to consider the name of the society, as it had long outgrown the Ilkeston nomenclature. He instanced how the Union had extended and increased. A thriving branch existed at Baldock, there were connections in the north, and the union extended from Shepshed to Matlock.

Sutton's Reputation.

A member mentioned a lecturer at the Huthwaite Factory had recently stated that the C.W.S. directors were attracted to the Sutton district because Sutton held the reputation of producing the world's finest hose, and that the C.W.S. directors had in 1906 stated Sutton was the heart of the hosiery industry.
Mr. Brewin said that the district was too great to bear the name of any one place.
Mr. H. Gascoigne proposed that the meeting recommend the delegate council to adopt as the name "The Midland Hosiery Workers' Union." This received the unanimous support of the meeting.
Owing to the great amount of local business the agenda was curtailed. The local business included unemployment benefits and organisation of females.
Cost of living figures were 43 per cent. above level of July, 1914, as compared with 41 per cent. The Ministry of Labour figures showed an increase in membership of the Hosiery Unions of 9.9 per cent. over last year.

CONVALESCENT HOME FOR MINERS AND DEPENDENTS.

MINERS WELFARE COMMITTEE'S PROPOSED SCHEME.

A meeting of secretaries of various Miners' Welfare Committees in the district was held at Berry Hill Hall, Mansfield, on Saturday, when Mr. Carter, colliery manager, presided over a large gathering of delegates, Mr. Geo. Shaw the Sutton Miners' Welfare Committee's secretary was amongst those present.
The Chairman, afer welcoming the delegates, outlined a scheme whereby Berry Hill Hall, which is at present a convalescent home for Mansfield miners and their wives and children only, could become a convalescent home for all miners and their dependents in the district. This scheme would mean all miners paying a halfpenny per week. Although miners' can at present go to any miners' convalescent home in the country, the proceeds being paid out of the Welfare fund, there is no place for the miners' wives and children, and the Berry Hill Hall scheme would therefore supply a long-felt want in this direction.
The scheme was further expounded by Mr. P. Muschamp, director of New Hucknall Colliery Company. He pointed out the necessity for miners' wives and children coming out of hospitals going to a place like Berry Hill Hall, where they would receive just that treatment and care necessary to put them on the road to health. Berry Hill Hall was admirably situated, observed Mr. Muschamp, being 550 feet above sea level. The whole scheme could be built up out of the halfpenny per week which the miners would be asked to pay.
Mr. Val Coleman, financial secretary of the Notts. Miners' Association, also spoke on the scheme. He mentioned that Derbyshire, and practically all other counties had got their homes for miners' wives and children, but Nottinghamshire was sadly lacking in this respect, and had not got one yet. He hoped the Berry Hill Hall scheme would materialise.
The delegates were then taken on a tour of inspection of the Berry Hill Hall. They afterwards unanimously pledged themselves to support the scheme entirely. Leaflets will be issued shortly, and a ballot taken of all Notts. miners as to whether or not the scheme is favourable to them.

IMPROVEMENT IN COAL INDUSTRY.

Big Rise in Profits Per Ton.
NOTTS. FIGURES.

THERE has been an almost startling improvement in the Notts. coal trade. In August the profits per ton were 0.33d. In September they were 1s. 3.39d. There will be no alteration in miners' wages for November.
These were among the figures given at Monday's meeting of the Notts. Miners' Wages Board at the Victoria Hotel, Nottingham, under the chairmanship of Mr. Eustace Mitton.
Mr. G.A. Spencer, of the Notts. Miners' Industrial Union, was congratulated on his restoration to health, it being his first appearance at a Wages Board meeting since his recent operation.
The report of the joint independent auditors concerning the months of July, August and September last, on which the wages of November are based, showed that for the three months under review the tonnage raised was 2,767,308. The output for everyone employed in and about the pits was 25.76 cwts.
The average wage per man shift worked was 10s. 5.56d. The proceeds at the pithead were 12s. 3d. per ton. Wage costs worked out at 8s. 1.50d., and other costs at 3s. 8.95d. per ton. There was a profit for the three months of 4.55d. per ton.
Taking the month of September alone there was a very marked improvement in the situation. The pithead price of coal increased from 12s. 1.46d. per ton to 12s. 9.26d., the wage costs fell from 8s. 2.23d. to 8s. 0.36d., and other costs from 3s. 10.90d. to 3s. 5.51d., while the profits rose from 0.33d. to 1s. 3.39d. per ton.
The percentage addition to the basis wage rose from 17.44 in August to 36.01 in September, or to within 1.99 per cent, of the 38 per cent. minimum. Never, since 1925, has there been such a marked difference between two months.
The percentage figure for the three months of July, August and September was 22.58 per cent., but as, under the Spencer Agreement there is a minimum of 38 per cent. this will be paid for November, and there will be no alteration in miners' wages. The accumulated deficiency now amounts to £750,204.

COAL TRADE DIFFICULTIES.

MINERS' SECRETARY CALLS FOR UNITED EFFORT.

Mr. Ebby Edwards, secretary of the Miners' Federation, speaking at Ashington, Northumberland, on Saturday, said that what was needed in the coal industry was a form of regulation of production and distribution which would lead to an economic price.
"In this country," he said, "we are disposing of coal at 5s. a ton less than in the March quarter, 1925, which was a free economic period. That has only resulted in 13,200 more men walking the streets of Northumberland that during any other period. Nor are employers making more profit, in fact they were losing sevenpence a ton.
The solution is not along these lines. What is needed is the united effort of all engaged in the industry to increase the demand and secure an economic price. That would give a return on capital and a living wage for the men."

New Hucknall v. Ollerton "B" - Played at New Hucknall Colliery Institute.
Billiards.

New Hucknall.- G. Brunt, 135l J. Maltby, 150; J. Williamson, 126; G. Fullwood, 156; W. Parkin, 150; total 711. Ollerton total 552.

Snooker.

New Hucknall.- J. Maltby, 57.
Ollerton "B."- C. Pope, 42.

Whist.

New Hucknall.- J.G. Hill and E. Keeling, 2; J. Hill and W. Bonser, 4; J.W. Hill and J. Williamson, 15; total 27. Ollerton total 34.

Cribbage.

New Hucknall.- A. Brunt, 3; G. Hill, 4; G. Brunt, 1; J.W. Hill, 2; total 10. Ollerton total 10.