National - THE PLAN

Series

Series Name

Mining Review 19th Year

Issue

Issue No.

3

Date Released

Nov 1965

Stories in this Issue:

1. 1London - TOP SECRETARY
2. 2National - THE PLAN
3. 3Yorkshire - PEOPLE WHO MATTER: 1) The Apprentice

Story

Story No. within this Issue

2 / 3

Summary

BFI synopsis: the government’s economic plan for Britain and the coal industry.
NCB Commentary - Mr. George Brown has published the National Economic Plan for Britain.
Health, Education, Administration, Building, Manufacturing are, the Plan says, going to need another million workers by 1970.
Coal, it is suggested, can provide some of them. The contribution of coal to a steaduly rising need for energy can be allowed to shrink to between 170 and 180 million tons a year, and miners be released.
But that is 20 to 30 million tons less than the 200 million tons a year which Lord Robens believes the Coal Industry can produce most efficiently.
Not surprisingly, he thinks he will be able to bend the Plan - that the planners have under estimated the Coal Industry’s spectacular new developments, and that the Nation’s pits will be able to raise and sell a great deal more coal than the plan predicts.
Even as the plan was announced, a new contract to supply Italy with another 2 million tons of coal was being signed.
Yet even if the plan is an accurate forecast, it does not mean that in the next five years any more pits will be closed than have been closed since 1960.
Closures will be planned - as they are always planned - in consultation with the Unions, the Government, and the new Regional Councils. There will be time to create new jobs in other industries for former miners.
Many will be able to transfer to other coalfields. They will get better transfer allowances. Most miners will be able to stay where they are - in jobs for life, in an industry already leading the nation in increased productivity.
The Plan is not telling Coal - or anyone else - what they must do. It is what the Government think will happen. If Britain can raise and sell more coal than the plan predicts, keep more miners in the industry than is expected, there will be no complaints. This will only mean that there’ll be less need to import fuel, so our balance of payments position will be helped. And, after all, this is what the National Plan is about.
The next five years will show whose plan was right.

Keywords

Economics; Mining

Written sources

British Film Institute Databases   Used for synopsis
Viewing Copy - bfi screenonline
The National Archives COAL 32   /13 Scripts for Mining Review, 1960-1963
BFI Screenonline synopsis   ID No.1223936

Credits:

Sponsor

National Coal Board

Production Co.

National Coal Board Film Unit