Catalogue description Board of Trade and Successors: Mines Department and Successors: 'A' Files

Correspondence and papers from the 'A' file series (POWE 26/1-491) and Statutory Rules and Orders from the A5000 series of the Mines Department of the Board of Trade and its successor departments in the Ministry of Fuel and Power and later the Ministry of Power (POWE 26/492-1718)

The records in this series relate to various subjects including:

emergency arrangements,

mineral transport,

metalliferous mining,

mining royalties,

wartime controls of the mining industry,

post-war retail coal distribution,

various departmental committees and Acts, especially the Coal Mines Act, 1930,

nationalization of power industries.

Until 1920 they are records of various departments of the Board of Trade, then of the Mines Department until 1942, and subsequently of the Ministry of Fuel and Power. The series also includes some records of the International Labour Organization's Coal Mines Committee.

Board of Trade, 1786-1970

Mines Department, 1920-1942

Ministry of Fuel and Power, Coal Division, 1942-1957

Ministry of Power, Coal Division, 1957-1969

Ministry of Technology, Coal Division, 1969-1970