News on Screen

Series

Series Name

Mining Review 16th Year

Issue

Issue No.

4

Date Released

Dec 1962

Stories in this Issue:

• 1. FESTIVAL OF LABOUR
• 2. MESSIAH
• 3. REPORT ON 1962
• 4. The Chairman

Story

Story No. within this Issue

3 / 4

Summary

BFI synopsis: a year of record productivity and a financial profit by the NCB. Lord Robens outlines the progress made and to be made.
NCB Commentary - 1962 - the hoop of the hill. About this time last year we took a little glory for ourselves, putting miners up in the company of other heroes. "1961 was their year" we said ... "in 1962 you can put your shirt on the miner."
Well, Scobie Breasley is still making the running. And Stanley Matthews is right on the ball. While Stirling Moss of course, is ... Stirling Moss. Which leaves us dark horses to account for your money in 1962.
Well, we have had another year of record productivity; and financially, we have broken even - or rather better, which is a fancy way of saying that we’ve made a considerable profit.
Do you know the great difference between coal and other industries? If Imperial-who-d’ye-call-it make only one per cent, it’s still a profit, but we have to make much more than this before we can say we’ve broken even.
Since nationalisation we’ve paid three hundred and forty-five million pounds to the Government, in interest on the capital used in coal-mining, (that’s the same thing as paying a dividend to you the shareholders), but because the target was over four hundred million up to the end of 1961, we’re supposed to have made a loss of ninety-three millions.
Three hundred and forty-five million pounds, and we still haven’t "broken even".
But we’ve broken even - and better - on this year’s working, and we’ll do it again, and again, and keep on doing it given half a crack of the whip from the GENERAL ECONOMIC SITUATION.
1962 - the year of the miner. All honour to him. We’re over the hoop of the hill.

Researcher Comments

Commentary recorded at Kays West End Studios on 5th November 1962.

Keywords

Business and commerce; Mining

Written sources

British Film Institute Databases   Used for synopsis
Film User   Vol.17 No.199 May 1063, p249.
The National Archives COAL 32   /13 Scripts for Mining Review, 1960-1963

Credits:

Production Co.

Documentary Technicians Alliance

Sponsor

National Coal Board