Page 190
212
(1)
1937 Expenditure
£000
£000
Details
Totals
£000 Details
(2).
1953 Provisional Estimate
£000
Totals
Ministry of Works-
Westminster Abbey
75
220
Abbey Annex
23
50*
Stands
117
332
Decorations
Processional route
18
100
Elsewhere
23
10
Floodlighting
8
19
Lavatories
18
45
Communications
2
9
Protective Work
Earl Marshal's Office
Caernarvon Castle Ceremony
Hyde Park Review of Ex-Servicemen Contingencies
Fireworks
3
16
1
2
4
10
1
4
25
7
15
300
300
857
857
65
130
:
:
51+
51.
Royal Household
Various Departments
War Office
Uniforms
Quartering and Movements Supplies and Transport
Works
...
Miscellaneous
Territorial Army
Air Ministry
Coronation
Admiralty
Coronation
Naval Review
Police Fund
Assistance Board.
:
:
103
24
Regular
17
275+
Army
18
11
67
240
240
95‡
:
:
$85
10
85
201
:
:
95
95 65§
77 ||
77||
109
Total Gross Expenditure 925 Less Receipts 95
Total Gross Estimate 1,505 Less Receipts 360
Total Net Expenditure 830
Total Net Estimate 1,145
* The possibility of reducing
this figure is under examination.
† Of this figure £20,000 represented the cost of entertaining Royal and official guests at Reviews of the
Fighting Services, which is not covered by the corresponding figure in column (2).
These figures exclude the cost of uniforms.
Financed partly from rates.
50 per cent. of the estimated total expenditure on Police (£155,000) would be financed by local
authorities from rates.
Page 190
Page 190
213
CABINET OFFICE
RECORD COPY
(THIS DOCPMENT118f25 PROPERTY OF HER BRITANNIC MAST'S AQYERNMENT)
CONFIDENTIAL
C. (52) 198
JUNE 17, 1952
CABINET
COPY NO. 71
OPENCAST COAL MINING: EAST LOTHIAN
Memorandum by the Secretary of State for Scotland
I must oppose the proposal made by the Secretary of State
for Co-ordination of Transport, Fuel and Power and the Minister of Fuel and Power (C. (52) 194) that sites in East Lothian comprising 275 acres of first-class arable land should be requisitioned for opencast coal working.
2.
The extent of first-class land in Scotland is a very small proportion of the total area; and of this much of East Lothian probably takes pride of place.
3.
This is the first proposal to requisition land in East Lothian. Authority has, however, been given to prospect no less than twelve sites (about 4,000 acres) in that county, some of them superior in quality to those at present under consideration. If the present proposal is approved, it may well be the first of many others.
A.
On a simple comparison between the immediate value of the coal and the money loss in agricultural production the conclusion must obviously go in favour of coal. This would be so however high the productivity of the land involved. But I suggest that this should not be the test. Opencast mining is a temporary expedient, whereas our first-class land is a permanent asset to the country. Once destroyed by opencast mining it can doubtless be restored after a fashion to agricultural production. At the best estimate available at present, a moderate production might be achieved after 10 years from the commencement of mining operations. It is, however, doubtful whether maximum production would ever be possible again as it is unlikely that deep soil conditions such as presently exist in East Lothian could ever be restored.
5.
Following the recent Price Review, the Government have asked the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries and myself to conduct an intensive campaign to impress on the agricultural industry the urgent need to help the nation's economy by increased food production. The success of this campaign depends very largely on the voluntary response of farmers throughout the country. To obtain this voluntary response we must secure and retain the support and goodwill of the leaders of the industry, th: National Farmers' Unions, the Landowners' organisations and the Agricultural Executive Committees. The proposal to begin opencast mining in East Lothian has already led to strong representations from the Scottish National Farmers' Union and from the Agricultural Executive Committee concerned. I feel sure that the psychological effect of starting operations in this area would be disastrous and would in a large measure stultify the efforts being made to secure increased production, not only in East Lothian but throughout Scotland. On the other hand nothing would do more