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Fire, Flooding, Explosion.

One behind the other they walked to the front of the mine. No one was at all happy this seam of coal was treacherous one fall after the other. To most of the experienced Miners there was too much Gas trapped here below.   At one time one would have struck up a song. Nowadays no one felt like singing, which was a shame these men could really sing if they put their minds to it, but falls of coal no matter how many pit props they used. Some even blamed the pit props, poor third-rate materials all right for lighting a fire but, Pit Props, No, No way pit props.

The manager went to the Labour Exchange. The man in charge invited the Manager to come and speak to the young school leavers.  The labour exchange would send him enough men to get the coal out of the ground, if the Manager could talk the young School Leavers to work in the mine. The manager of the mine went to the labour exchange. Some fifteen young men were sitting waiting. The manager started by telling the young men how much money one could earn in a coalmine especially at the Coal Face.

The manager did not understand why the young men were laughing. One stood up and asked the manager if he knew of Robert Edwards. 69 and still working down the pits. He must have a fortune stashed away if that is true what you have just said. Good Money is to be earned down the Coal Mines. We came along here to night to listen to the tales that we expected you to tell us. Well Mr. Manager our Fathers, Grandfathers and even most of our Great Grandfathers all worked for years down the mines. And just to keep the books straight Mr. Manager not one of them owns more than the state Pension that just about keeps body and soul together.

No Sir we have no intention of going down a mine especially a mine as dangerous as the one that you are managing. I myself Mr manager go to Cardiff tomorrow, I am starting as a baker. I know that I will not earn a great deal of money but at least I will be able to bake bread and cakes and pastries. Later by saving and being careful with the money that I will and can save I might with luck own my own Baker’s Shop. No sir we all think the way I do and no one will ever go down below ground ever again. It is dangerous and dirty work and you mention nothing about the gas that explodes, No Sir you may keep the Coal Mines.

The Manager tried to save his evening and get a few of the young men down in the Pits. You have spoken long about the old mines. Nowadays one would not recognise the new mines. Why before one goes home one can have a bath or a shower, one can change into clean clothes. Wages have been generally raised the money situation is much better than it was years ago. This statement caused much laughter with heavy stamping of feet. One of the young men stood up and raised his hand. Mr Manager Sir may I ask you a question please. Yes please do. Mr manager Sir you did not say where your boy was going to work, he was in my class. I have never seen him going to the mine. This was a question that the manager could not answer. Mumbling something about ungrateful young fools he stamped out of the room. We gave him a real good send off and did not stop clapping or cheering until he was way outside of the Labour exchange.

Later on I was with my Mother doing some shopping. We happened to bump into the Manager. He asked me how I would have conducted the meeting. The Labour Exchange is not the place to offer young men dirty filthy jobs down a dangerous coal mine. I would have invited the young men for a drink at a pub. I certainly would not have told them that we now have the means of a bath or a shower. All of the jobs were actually working under ground. We are young we want to enjoy the fresh air.

My mum asked me why things seemed to have gone wrong when he held his meeting at the labour exchange. Mum the Labour Exchange is the not the place to give young men a lecture asking them to go to work in a dirty dangerous coal mine. Labour Exchanges are the threat for all on the working force. Not many have good experiences at a Labour Exchange. I myself, right through my working life have always looked for work by walking into a building and asking to see who is in charge. Believe me Mum someone that looks for work shows just by the fact that he wants to work and is willing to walk from one place to the next is showing that he is not only willing to work but wants to work.

All of the young men that were at that labour exchange had decent well paid jobs not one of them ever had to go down a pit to work. All met up three or four times a year. Long discussions were held and the Colliery was closed through lack of workers. Too many injuries