A FORGOTTEN TOWN

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 143, 13 March 1937, Page 7

A FORGOTTEN TOWN

Ten Mines—But Not One Working A DERELICT AREA Far up on the Northumberland moors, near the headwaters of the Tvne the Labour Party Commission on the Distressed Areas came across a really forgotten town, stated lan Mackay, "in the “News Chronicle’’ recently.

Miles away from the humming centres of civilisation, a few fields away from Hadrian’s Wall, the little township of Haltwhistle has been suffering more or less for years. Most of the adult men are out ot work and many of the young people have left to try and build up a new life in other parts of the country. Halt whistle is a pleasant town, well built, clean and splendidly situated in the high altitudes. Not so very long ago it was busy. There were ten coal mines and a brick field working within a radius of five miles. To-day there is only a paint works and a small varnish fac: tory employing about 100 women. A few miners still eke out a meagre living by working the coal drifts, but most of the mines are derelict and there seems little prospect of any of them reopening for a very long time. Many of the young people, tired and disillusioned, have drifted away, ami you will find Haltwhistle boys and girls scattered all over the Midlands

and the London industrial ring. Mr. Jack Lawson, M.P., one of the Commissioners, who has studied this problem very closely, tells me that, apart from ordinary movements, since 1921 over 600,000 young people have left the distressed areas. The human aspect of this problem is even worse than the economic consideration. Who can measure the heartbreak in these broken homes? The Commission visited Newburn, where they inspected a great derelict belt of land on which once stood Spencer’s steelworks —one of the greatest production units in the world. Only a few years ago nearly 3000 men were employed here, but to-day all that is left Is a power house, a few sheds and three smokeless chimneys. Everything else has gone, but it was on this bit of ground that the steel was made for the Mauretania. At Gateshead the Commission saw something a little bit more hopeful—the great, trading estate scheme whie!:. before it is finished, will cost £2.000,000. On this site, which covers 700 acre--.

it is hoped to erect about 400 factories and workshops which will give employment to 40,000 men. It will probably be five years at least, however, before this great scheme is completed. The Commission also visited Blaydon, one of the most depressing towns I have ever seen. Here they met the Labour Group, who told them that one of the greatest difficulties in the way of reviving the distressed areas was the waste of time and roundabout methods by which authorities had t.> approach the Government.