Stop similar pit tragedies - official Yorks miners want Lofthouse inquiry

inquiry into the Lofthouse colliery disaster in which seven men were killed. Speaking yesterday from the National Union of Mineworkers' headquarters in Barnsley, Yorkshire secretary Arthur Scargill said they wanted "binding recommendations' to stop a similar disaster happening elsewhere in Britain. MINERS' leaders have demanded a public importance that all the events leading up to and surrounding the inrush of water should be fully investigated. To this end our national officials are sending in Mr Keith Saunders, the national mining investigate and report back to the national incident that there should be no possibility of an that a practical man with some knowledge of it to the inspector to report the incident in his Yorkshire area executive for a public inquiry into disaster. • A statement said: 'We feel that it is of vital engineer, to consult with our own engineer and to executive committee.

It is essential that arising from this tragic accident of a similar nature in the near future.' In London miners' president Joe Gormley said mines should head the inquiry rather than a judge.

The Minister for Trade and Industry, Peter Walker, can ask for a public inquiry, a special report from the Chief Inspector of Mines, or leave annual report.

A government announcement expected shortly. Tories plan more spying on jobless SPYING on people's private lives by government agencies is to be intensified. The Tory government has rejected a recommendation from its own committee of inquiry into Social Security benefits that the practice should be restricted.

The Fisher Committee's report says that questioning neighbours in order to discover "concealed cohabitation' should only be used as 'a last resort'. 'Positive official encouragement' to members of the public to spy on their neighbours should not be given, although anonymous letters informing of 'abuses' should still be acted upon, says the committee.

It also recommends that government investigators should not be known in the district and observation should be employed in such a manner that the investigation would not be known to neighbours.

All these recommendations have been rejected. Tory Ministers say that such limitations would obstruct inquiries. Instead, the Department of Health and Social Security announced yesterday that 'intensive drives are to be conducted in selected localities as soon as more staff can be employed in investigation work'.

'Undisclosed habitation' or 'concealed habitation' is one of the main obsessions of Social Security oficers. Already considerable checks are made on women living alone and drawing benehts. Social Security code AX (fraud) states:

'To ascertain whether an alleged desertion is genuine usually requires discreet inquiries in the neighbourhood and if these are inconclusive, keeping observation on the woman's home. This is generally a matter for special investigation.' Special Investigators (SIs) spy three successive days, morning and evening, to see who enters and leaves. If a man is seen to enter or leave, the woman is questioned about it. The instructions for SIs say that if suspicion remains after questioning, then:

'On the morning of the third day follow the man to his place of employment. There tactfully fight has unanimously the circumstances LEADERS of the Deeside Women's Steel Campaign feel large redundancy payments are creating apathy towards the fight to save the 6,500 jobs at the Shotton steelworks.

In an appeal for greater support, the women said in a statement: 'Redundancy pay is not a pay packet—it is the end of the pay packet-and for some the end of their working lives.' The statement was issued after the inaugurual meeting of 100 local housewives who want to join with their menfolk in fighting the closure. check his name and his employer.' After this, the SI may approach the employer for permission to interview the man and get him to sign any statement made. SI instructions ' state: 'Make every effort to get the man to sign a written statement Toughness before fairness in Criminal A WARNING that people's legal rights were being destroyed was issued yesterday by the They Release lawyers' group.

criticize the Criminal Law Revision Committee as an 'upper class' and ageing body of men who are attempting to make the criminal law even more biased against the defendant in court.

CLRC members have proposed sweeping changes in the criminal law to get more people conATUA Central London branch Censorship, the media and the Tory government.

Chairman : Royston Bull Speakers: Stuart Hood, David Maude and other speakers from Fleet Street and ITV to be announced.

London Film School, Langley Covent Garden.

Sunday April 1, 7 p.m.

MITIN Trades Unions Alliance Por la victoria de los obreros de los hospitales. defensa de los derecho básicos. la derrota del gobierno conservador.

MARTES, 3 DE ABRIL LAS 7.30 DE LA TARDE En el Small Hall, Conway Hall, led Lion Square, W.C.2. ¡erca de la estación de metro de Holborn.

Entrada 10p TODOS AL MITIN Women which, if it incriminates the woman, may be used when she is interviewed.' The SIs are also empowered to approach not only neighbours but landlords. No one willing to inform on a neighbour need be Code says Release victed. They want the right of silence and the right of caution by a policeman abolished.

Release says the CLRC assumption that too many guilty people are getting off is wrong and that the changes proposed SLL LECTURE SERIES The revolutionary party and the history of the British working class reference to the Commission Steelworksfi NO HITAL Campaigning against the Shotton closure.

In their Press release they asked: 'What must we do to make ourselves heard?

What must we do to overcome the apathy which is so apparent?

'Does the end of steelmaking at Shotton mean so little that we can sit back would destroy what the defendant had.

Release says that the odds in criminal trials are not loaded heavily in favour of the accused and that there is no evidence whatsoever that juries were being deceived by clever professional criminals.

Release says: 'In their decision to put toughness before fairness, the CLRC have, in our view, usurped the responsibilty that was vested in them? worried since the SIs instructions. specifically says: •The claimant should not be told the source of information which gave rise nim: *° the suspicion against Action against a claimant can be taken before inquiries commence. The AX code states:

little rights SLL LECTURE SERIES The Socialist Revolution Socialist Revoluti Middleton Mancheste Langley Community Centr 'There will be cases where, before evidence establish fraud can be obtained, it is clear from information available that the claimant is either not entitled to benefit or is entitled to lesser benefit. The benefit adjustment should be made without And the Supplementary Benefits Commission has invented its own standards of 'proof". Section 2041 of the AX code states: 'It must be understood that there is a distinction between (a) information about which a decision about entitlement to supplementary benefit can be made and (b) evidence to prove a criminal offence in court.' These codes, which the Tories intend to make even more oppressive, existed throughout the period of the Labour governments of 1964-1970. The head of the Supplementary Benefits Commission is a Labour peer, Lord Collison, formerly head of the Agricultural Workers' Union.

North London Council of Action Don't Let Hospital Workers, achers, Railwaymen, Gasmı Fight Alone!

Force the TUC to call a General Strikel Make the Tory Government Resign!

DEMONSTRATE!

SATURDAY MARCH 31 Assemble: 2pm Civic Centre Wood Green March through Wood NEWS DESK 01-720 2000 CIRCULATION 01-622 7029 Registered as a newspaper at the Post Office. Published by Workers Press, 186a Clapham High Street.

7UG. Printed Plough 01-20 1 2000 Seal too: 01-622 7029.