Private Coal Mining in South Wales

Abstract

A LT HOUGH the British coal-mining industry was nationalized in 1947, nationalization did not mean the complete disappearance of private coal mining in Britain. From the beginning the National Coal Board has licensed the private operation of small coal mines employing underground thirty men or fewer. One area where private coal mining has been particularly successful is the western part of the South Wales coalfield. There the small mines not only have survived nationalization but have flourished, expanding in numbers and output, making a profit in an area where the nationalized collieries have continued to lose heavily. Today private mines produce more than 10 percent of the total local coal output. By providing employment and exploiting a resource that would otherwise remain unused, the private industry performs a valuable service. Its success during the past sixteen years in competition with the nationalized industry, and the continued availability of readily accessible good-quality coal reserves, suggest that the private mines will continue to be an integral part of the geography of this part of the South Wales coalfield for many years to come. The purpose of the present study is to examine the factors that have contributed to their success and to comment on the part they play in the geography of the area.