This is a transcription of the Hubert Tunney biography in the November 1933 newspaper article, followed by my notes and commentary. The photograph at right was taken sometime before August 1930 and features Hubert Tunney at left, DMA Financial Secretary W P Richardson, who died suddenly on 8/8/30, at right and an unidentified colleague at centre. Obviously the three are on their way to or from a union conference. But where and when? .
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Mr Hubert Tunney
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Mr Hubert Tunney is a miner at Thornley Colliery. On leaving school he started work at East Hetton (Kelloe) Colliery and has continued to work as a miner ever since. He has been an official of the Thornley Miners' Lodge for the past 15 years. During that period he has had considerable experience in colliery office arbitration work in the fixing of prices and conditions at the colliery. Further valuable experience in negotiations between owners and workmen has come his way since he was first elected as a member of the Durham Miners' Executive Commitee in 1926. In 1927 he became a member of the Federation Board.
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He has represented the Durham miners at conferences of the Miners' Federation, the Miners' International, the Trades Union Congress and the Labour Party.
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Since first elected in 1919 he has taken a prominent part in the work of Easington Rural Council. The big step in sanitation which was made when the conversion scheme was adopted was due to his initiative. This work gave employment for close upon two years for 200 men.
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Though his efforts the Greenwood Housing Act was made to apply to the provision of the aged miners' cottages, which were thus given a subsidy. A number of these cottages have been built in the Easington Rural District. As Chairman of the Easington Assessment Committee Mr Tunney attended the House of Lords when the appeal of the LNER Co was contested.
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He is well known as a speaker on Labour Party platforms. He was next candidate for selection when Mr Will Coxon was chosen to oppose Mr Ramsay MacDonald at the last election.
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Acting upon the policy that the views of the miners on the industrial situation should be put before businessmen, he has addressed several North Country Rotary Clubs. He is strictly teetotal, a non-smoker, and is a member of the Catholic Church of the English Matyrs, Thornley.
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Notes:
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The Thornley Greenwood Cottages were built in 1931. For more on them, see this page.
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‘The big step in sanitation .....conversion scheme.’ refers to the work by the Council to convert the old of ash closet midden sewage collection in the colliery villages to a piped sewage system which discharged waste to the sea.
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The reference to the LNER is probabyl a reference to the Government’s re-rating of land values which took place in the late 1920s
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Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald formed the coalition National Government in August 1931, and in the process, almost destroyed the Labour Party. He was then the MP for the Seaham Division. His former agent William Coxon stood against him as official Labour candidate. Hubert Tunney, as noted in the article above, was ‘the next candidate for selection.’ In September 1932, after Coxon’s defeat.,outsider E Shinwell was the surprise choice of the local party as their new candidate.
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An undated newspaper report on one of Hubert Tunney’s speeches to a local Rotary Club is copied at right and a further, longer, report accompanies the final page of this section.
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NEXT PAGE: Sidney Webb comes to Thornley
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