ABSTRACT
The year 1920 proved to be a very difficult one for the industry. The chaos and confusion due to the war made a reversion to normal conditions an extremely difficult task. Under State control production had fallen heavily and in this year was not keeping pace with the demand. Output per person employed had decreased substantially, whilst wages costs had increased enormously. With a return to peace-time conditions, the demand for coal had increased, not only at home, but abroad. Export was permitted only under licence and so great was the demand that the average price obtained abroad was £4 per ton. Twenty-five million tons were sold abroad, bringing in £100,000,000, and out of this the home trade was being subsidized and surplus profits diverted to the National Exchequer.
