South Yorkshire Times, January 10, 1948

Former Highgate Director’s Trip
Push-Button Mechanisation
How U.S.A. Gets High Output Average

Lately returned from a 7,000 miles tour of the United States, former Highgate Colliery executive, Mr. S. H. Platt, Romany House, High Street, Thurnscoe, leaves again on Monday by air for Amsterdam, on the first lap of a 6,000 miles flight to Calcutta. There he will take up a three-year contract, representing the interests of the Goodman Manufacturing Company, importers and exporters of mining and chemical equipment.

In America since October (his second visit) Mr. Platt has been working at the coal face, operating certain types of mining equipment peculiar to Indian buyers, and becoming conversant with the completely mechanical ” Duckbills ” (shaker conveyors with self-loading heads). His tour has taken him to Kentucky,Wyoming and Indiana.

THEN — AND NOW

Mr Platt became a directora at Highgate when the new Company,”Highgate Colliery (1943) Ltd.,” was formed. He took charge of the initial unit of American equipment (under tend-lease) at Highgate in the following year, and in 1945 went to the States under an arrangement sponsored by the Ministry of Fuel and Power to enable British pit executives to visit American collieries.

Through the Goodman Manufacturing Co. he spent several weeks at the Hanna Coal Co., St. Clairsville, Ohio. Now, just over two years later, this is what he says of America.

Notably, through British eyes shortages have gone. The American, for his part, believes they remain, because there is even more money now than there was two years ago, and it is being spent “at a terrific rate.” They are buying, but it is obvious that they are also getting down to production,

Politically, it is clear that America is preparing to put a stop to Russian imperialism Certain it is that they are not prepared to allow the Russians to repeat the moves of Hitlerism until a shooting war’ is imminent. The problem as it concerns this country is, where do we stand in the event of America and Russia coming to grips?

The Americans. he says, refer to It as a “cold war” (though by our, standards It is far from that), They can see Russia moving in Europe, not by force, but, by economic disruption. The Marshall plan is designed to resist that tendency

Of rising taxation Mr. Platt says, “This Is one of the prices America is paying for Its share in a Job Britain has done for decades; that of policing the world And In this lies one root cause of opposition to the Marshall plan They have the option of buying peace or fighting for It, and with some It tins become a ease of the old adage: the tooth in not aching now: why bother going to the dentist”?

Of wages: they are high. The cost of living can be—if you allow yourself to make it so. You can pay 17s. 6d for a steak (it you’ve an hour to spare to eat it), you can have soup, turkey, potatoes, vegetables, apple pie, ice cream and coffee for 3s 6d. (If you’ve twenty)

“Push-Button” Mining

Interesting development concerning the new power, push-button operated “Duckbill” came to Williams Coal Co., Mannington, Kentucky (a small mine comparable to Highgate with a high percentage of coloured labour). There, with the new equipment, three men cut, shot and filled 272 tons of coal in one shift in coal 3ft 6ins high.

At Stansbury mine of the Union Pacific Coal Company, Rock Springs, Wyoming (a “captive” mine whose output is used solely by the Union Pacific railway company) output per man shift was 11 tons. Average  throughout the States, including the old anthracdte mines, is 5 ^1/2  tons. British output runs at approximately one ton per man shift, a comparison in which it should be borne in mind that Britain uses the “long ton” (2,240 lbs.) while American figures are based on the “short ton” (2,000 lbs.). The British ton is thus 12 per cent heavier.

At Rock Springs the Company have established a camp for workers. Wages rate as high as £4 a shift, £6 for Saturday working and £8 for Sundays. All-in price for billeting at the private boarding houses in camp is £16 per month. Two men share a room. There is free electricity Home coal is not in the scheme; the charge is 18s a ton

Completely Automatic

While Rock Springs is a drift mine, that at Snowbil , Indiana, is a shaft mine. Coal winding is completely automatic, the four-ton cars tippling while they are still In the cage, For workers who do not possess cars the company run a rail service to Terre Haute, 12 miles away. Average cars owned by American miners are 36 horse-power saloons. Average price — £400; to you-12,000! There is still delay in receiving new cars In America, 12 months being not uncommon, though there ate hosts of “second hand” cars, a year old. They are high priced, though few buy them preferring  a new car to the old

Mr. Platt has brought to England photographs of American mines he visited. and was surprised when taking snaps of old colleagues atH ighgate to hind that It was forbidden by the Coal Board to take photographs on colliery premises without authorisation,”

Of comparisons between BrItain and American coal mines he says primarily the latter are mechanised to a much higher degree. There are many more labour saving devices and surface organisation in this country compares unfavourably with that in America, American mineworkers, principally through their better diet and more favourable climate, are always “rarin’ to go. but, he adds, ‘At Highgate we had the finest labour force I have ever come across In any coal mine anywhere The miners at Highgate will stand comparison with any in America,”