AS DOCK STRIKE ENTERS 3rd WEEK MINERS LEADER WARNS OF JOBS CRISIS

MINERS' LEADER Lawrence Daly warned yesterday that—like the dockers—his members are in no mood to accept a weakening of their strength through unemployment. The National Union of Mineworkers' secretary returned from holiday at the weekend in the midst of growing fears that the Tories are pressing for a new, nationwide round of pit closures.

He told Workers Press from his home in Hemel Hempstead:

•We have suspected for some time that further plosed, but were assured closures were being this was not the case.

It was made very clear at our conference in July that we would be opposed to any closures which reduced the level of coalproduction beyond its present level and which were not due to exhaustion.

'We are not going to accept the old argument of "uneconomic" pits. It's possible some people in government think they can weaken our bargaining strength through more unemployment, but I would warn them that the miners have never been so confident of their own power.' The source of the job fears in the pits is which is secret report under preparation by the National Coal Board on the future of mining in 13 areas.

Nearly 210,000 miners are employed in the areas in question. This is more than 70 per cent of the Board's labour force.

The first draft of the report, on which the NCB has been working for the past six months, went to the Department of Trade and Industry for approval and was to have been announced in parliament last week before the recess.

But the proposed cutsit was rumoured that at least 50 pits were earmarked for closure-were apparently not enough for Heath.

The Tory premier believed to have asked for something more drastic. And NCB chairman Derek Ezra and his team are now working on a re-draft. Vietnam jail tortures POLITICAL prisoners are being tortured in South Vietnamese jails, the 'New York Times' said yesterday. Saigon correspondent Sidney Schanberg said interviews with former prisoners have corroborated accounts already smuggled out the jails.

Thousands of students, Above: NUM general secretary Lawrence Daly who fears for the jobs of his members following a secret report compiled for the pottage like this. National Coal Board. Men loaving the pithead could become a rare sight in Britain If the Tories get tot way.

abandoning the fight. workers, peasants, women and children arrested in the past four and a half months since the north Vietnamese army began its offensive had been tortured, he added.

Former prisoners said a favourite police comment was: 'If they are innocent, beat them until they become guilty? which they will employ dockers.

London, Liverpool and Hull movement in their support. • See p. Il. Hull reactions.