INTERCOM

Series

Series Name

Mining Review 6th Year

Issue

Issue No.

3

Date Released

Nov 1952

Stories in this Issue:

1. 1MILLIONS TO COME
2. 2INTERCOM
3. 3TESTING TIME
4. 4NEW SCHOOL

Story

Story No. within this Issue

2 / 4

Summary

BFI synopsis: Chislet colliery’s public address system for works information.
NCB Commentary - At Chislett Colliery, in Kent, the Consultative Committee had a problem - one that Ned Smith had to solve. He’s the Committee’s secretary.
What worried him was how to pass colliery news around at shift changeover times. Nobody seemed to care about notice boards at the end of the day. Everyone wanted to get home.
Smith realised that only by keeping men properly informed could the pit’s output be boosted. So he wrote a report to his Division, and made some suggestions.
The Division bought the idea - a public address system operating throughout the surface buildings. Musical programmes - the men choose their own records, and there are enthusiasts who bring their own - preface regular news bulletins. Fred Allfree is a first aid worker and spare time announcer. At the pit, they call him Valentine Dyall.
"Attention please. This morning’s output was 870 tons. So far this week we’ve turned out 7,300 tons. Friday morning last week the total was 882 tons, and the whole week’s output was 8,200. If we’re going to reach that output this week, the afternoon shift has got to get out 926 tons."
Ned Smith’s experiment has been so successful that today it’s part of Chislet’s normal life. The men are kept in the picture, and the colliery’s prosperity flourishes.
This is an idea that other Divisions and other collieries may like to copy.

Researcher Comments

BFI sources suggest that this story was filmed from the 20th to the 21st May 1952. It was researched by Somner on the 15th May 1952. The budget was £129 7s 11d. Commentary recorded 3 October 1952.

Keywords

Communications; Science and technology; Mining; Inventions and discoveries

Locations

Kent; England

Written sources

British Film Institute Databases   Used for synopsis
Film User   Vol.8 No.87 January 1954, p32.
The National Archives COAL 32   /3 Scripts for Mining Review, 1949-1956

Credits:

Director

Basil Somner

Support services

Basil Somner

Production Co.

Documentary Technicians Alliance

Camera

John Gunn

Sponsor

National Coal Board

Camera

Ronald Bicker