ses should
automatically determine. But the State should have power to determine
them on payment of compensation for disturbance.

A NATIONAL MINING BOARD

At the same time a National Mining Board consisting of representatives
of all the interested elements, colliery-owners, managerial and
technical staffs, miners, and other grades of workers, and coal
consumers would be formed (the Mines Department already has a National
Advisory Committee); the mining engineering element must be strongly
represented, and provision must be made for first-class technical advice
being always available. It would then be the business of the National
Mining Board to work out its policy and decide upon the broad principles
which it wishes to weave into the existing structure of the coal-mining
industry by means of its power of granting leases. The following
principles will readily occur to most people, and are supported by
evidence which is, in my humble judgment, convincing, given before the
various commissions and committees which have inquired into this
industry during recent years.

Firstly, More Amalgamation or Unification of Collieries. At present
there are about 3000 pits owned by about 1500 companies or individuals,
and producing an aggregate output of about 250 million tons per annum.
Already there have been many large amalgamations. (i) Many fortunately
situated small pits making a good profit will be found, but on the whole
small collieries are economically unsound. In many cases at present the
units are too small, having regard to the class of work being done, to
the cost of up-to-date machinery and upkeep and to the variableness of
the trade. Broadly I believe it to be true that the larger collieries
are as a general rule more efficient than the smaller ones. (ii) In
respect of co-operation in pumping, larger units would frequently make
for efficiency and reduced cost; Sir Richard Redmayne, speaking of South
Staffordshire before the Sankey Commission, said that we had already
lost a large part of that coalfield through disagreement between
neighbouring owners as to pumping. (iii) The advantages of larger units
in facilitating the advantageous buying of timber, ponies, rails,
machinery and the vast amount of other materials required in a colliery
will be obvious to most business men.

I do not propose to chop up the coalfields into mathematical sections
and compulsorily unify the collieries in those sections. I am merely
l