APPENDIX I
REPORT ON MEETINGS IN SCOTTISH MINING DISTRICTS
SECRET
JULY - AUGUST, 1941
As an appendix to Home Intelligence Weekly Report No. 35 (21st May, 1941) we quoted from a report sent to us by our Regional Officer in Edinburgh on “Scottish Miners and the Present Emergency”. In this report it was stated that: “The great majority of miners are apparently unaware of the dangerous situation the country is in”. We have now had from the same source a report on meetings organised by the Ministry of Information which were held in the Scottish mining districts during July and August. This report, of which a summary follows, indicates the success of these meetings in stimulating the miners' efforts, and bringing home to them the seriousness of our present position; it also gives an outline of the plans for the future development of meetings on similar lines.
Meetings have been held mostly on Sundays, from the beginning of July onwards, and have covered fourteen different districts in Fife, Lanarkshire, West Lothian and Stirlingshire. Attendances have varied from 200 to 1,200, and have improved during the period. Most of the meetings were preceded by open-air gatherings with a loud-speaker van in the place itself and in the villages round about. In addition, open-air meetings were held throughout West Lothian for a fortnight. The speaker on these occasions was Mr. J.J. Robertson, a staff speaker, and the meetings were effective both in arousing interest and discussion, and in advertising the Sunday meetings.
At Bannockburn on July 4th an important meeting under the auspices of the District Coal Production Committees was addressed by the Secretary of State for Scotland, the Right Hon. Thomas Johnson, M.P., who took the opportunity to disclose certain crucial facts and figures about the coal situation, and thus inaugurated the campaign.
At each meeting the principal speaker was a Ministry of Information war commentator, or a special speaker, and on occasion a Service man or Merchant Navy man. Most of the meetings were supported on the platform by representatives of miners and employers from the District Coal Production Committees.
The principal speaker gave an outline of some aspects of the war, or of his own job, or personal experience (e.g. a naval cadet who had been a prisoner on board a Nazi raider). In most cases the speaker included an outline of the coal situation in his speech. But the main point was to emphasise the varied nature of the war effort and the inter-dependence of soldier, sailor, airman, munition worker, housewife and miner. Where the speaker did not specifically deal with the coal situation, this was dealt with by members of the District Coal Production Committee. At some meetings local grievances and national controversial issues were introduced, usually in discussion-time; but, on the whole, the emphasis was well maintained on the need for increased coal output and for domestic economy in the use of coal. Speakers almost invariably paid tribute to the high quality of the audience.
General Conclusions and Future Plans
In preliminary discussion with representatives of District Coal Production Committees it was pointed out that meetings and other forms of publicity could have only a limited effect, and that a major improvement in output was dependent on various material improvements, principally the provision of an adequate food supply for underground workers and the ssecuring of a mutually satisfactory wages agreement. The question of food supply is being tackled by the setting up of pit-head canteens supplying meat sandwiches. The question of a satisfactory wages agreement is still under discussion. The manpower difficulty is another obstacle.
But in spite of these difficulties the period under review has been one of improvement in output; and this is due in part to the greater realisation by all those concerned with coal production of the facts of the situation and of the key position they hold in the national war effort. This realisation has been brought about by statements published by national and district miners' leaders; statements by national figures (notably the facts revealed by the Secretary of State at Bannockburn) and statements made at these meetings, backed by press reports and articles. It may be said, therefore, that these meetings have effectively served their purpose.
We propose from now on to continue in two ways. Since the miners now know the general outlines of the situation, they may want to go into particular aspects either of the coal situation or of the general war effort.
(a) As far as meetings on the coal situation are concerned, we propose we run such meetings only where special requests are made for them. (Four requests have already been made in Lanarkshire, three in Fife and one in Stirlingshire).
We are also prepared to give what assistance we can in cases where Pit Production Committees or mining communities wish to organise meetings on their own behalf. For example, we are glad to provide assistance for a mass meeting of 2,000 miners on 24th August at Cowdenbeath, organised by Cowdenbeath Town Council and addressed by Mr. James Cock, Dr. Reid, Mr. William Gallacher, M.P., and Mr. W.N. Watson, M.P.
(b) As far as meetings on the general war effort are concerned, we intend to establish regular war commentaries in some of the mining centres mentioned above, beginning with Blantyre and Bellshill. This is a natural development out of the meetings on the coal situation, which were successful for the same reason as are our general war commentaries in Scotland; namely, that the speakers at these meetings have not only been men skilled in their subjects, but also men of independent minds speaking out of their special knowledge and experience.
MINISTRY OF INFORMATION
Scottish Regional Office, & Public Relations Branch, St. Andrew's House, Edinburgh, 1.
