In earlier issues we
have published articles on the Australian Agricultural Company's
records in a general way and included mention of them in the general
survey of records relating to the pastoral industry.
This article is intended
as a brief survey of what are known within the Archives of Business
& Labour as the 'coal papers'.
In 1888, the 'New Winning'
or 'Sea Pit' was sunk on the ridge above Newcastle (using the D
Pit shaft for ventilation). Much of the coal from this pit was mined
under the South Pacific Ocean. By the turn of the nineteenth century,
it was clear that the company's Newcastle coalfield was almost worked
out (the Sea Pit was stopped in 1916). In 1901 the company purchased
the Hebblewhite Estate near Cessnock in the Lower Hunter. The Hebburn
Mine started working in 1903 under AA Co. management. In 1914 Hebburn
Ltd was formed and purchased the colliery and the AA Co.'s share
in the Aberdare Railway. The AA Co. retained a shareholding in Hebburn
Ltd until 1949.
The 'coal papers' comprise
the items in Deposit 1: Australian Agricultural Company Office,
Australian office, at location 1/52 to 1/112, and 1/456 (16 shelf
metres). The term 'coal papers' is misleading since most of the
records were created and kept as part of the general administration
of the company's Australian business in its Newcastle office and
were only grouped together later.
While we would like to recreate the original order destroyed by our predecessors this is no longer possible and, over the years, many researchers have used the records in their present arrangement. Consequently, users must remain alert to the necessity of recreating context when using the 'coal papers'. In addition, the intending researcher should always bear in mind that the 'coal papers' do not contain the whole story and that the despatches to and from the Court of Directors in London in particular (e.g. Series 78/1) contain additional information.
The 'coal papers' may be categorised
as follows:
Colliery Managers' monthly
reports (copies) to the General Superintendent, 1862-1915 (1/86,
15 press copy volumes). These
reports, or summaries of them, were generally enclosed in the despatches
to the Directors in London.
Extracts from despatches
and copies of letters 1853-1861. This group was probably put together
to assist the attempts of the company, from 1853, to reorganise
and modernise the administration and working of the mines (1/52-1/55).
These consist of 94
bundles of letters, mainly from 1856-1930, with some from 1830-1844.
These bundles are listed to document level to 1870 (1/57, 4 shelf
metres). It is important to notice, as mentioned
above, that most of these letters were part of the series of general
correspondence located at 1/49.
- Robert Whytte (Colliery Manager) to Arthur Hodgson (General Superintendent)
1856-1860 (1/58);
- J.B. Winship (Colliery Manager) to Edward Merewether and Jesse
Gregson (General Superintendents) 1861-1876 (1/59);
- William Turnbull (Colliery Manager) to Jesse Gregson (General
Superintendent), 1876-1884 (1/60);
- A.D. Moore (Agent, San Francisco) to Jesse Gregson re coal business,
1877-1881 (1/66) ;
- Henry Moore (Agent, Sydney) to the General Superintendent and
other officers 1861-1888 (1/67, 3 files);
- Coal customers letters re coal business and copies of replies,
1903-1915 (1/68, 23 files); and
- Miscellaneous letters and drafts of letters relating to the coal
trade, written by J. Ridley (Sydney Agent), M.F. Brownrigg and Arthur
Hodgson (General Superintendents) 1853-1860 (1/56).
- Details of coals raised
and sold 1853-1916 (1/84, 1/103, 1/109-111); and
- Colliery memoranda, agreements and other papers relating to the
coal business 1842-1915 (1/61, 16 files).
- Letters, invoices,
crew lists etc, 1891-1914 (1/69, 11 files);
- Ledgers, cash books and invoice books , 1878-1915 with gaps (1/70-1/73,
1/75-77);
- Shipping diaries 1880-1912 (1/79, 18 volumes);
- News clippings relating mainly to the coal trade 1875-1880 (1/83);
- Records relating to colliery working costs 1873-1917 (1/96-98,
1/104);
- Records relating to colliery stores 1875-1922 (1/87-89);
- Technical coal papers, 1868-1904 (1/65, 8 files); and
- Printed material relating to mining, collected by the AA Co. 1860-1902.
- Colliery pay sheets
1870-1913 (1/456). These fortnightly pay sheets list all the colliers
and other employees at each pit, showing (in the case of colliers)
the amount of coal raised, wages due, deductions etc;
- Wages and working costs 1892-1920 (1/96-1/99); and
- Colliery labour papers, 1858-1917 (1/62, 18 files).
- Coal estate papers
(ie the purchase of coal bearing land for mining) 1864, 1888-1901
(1/81, 4 files).
Deposit 1 also includes extensive records concerning the subdivision
and sale of the land 'surface' at Newcastle.
The 'Vend' was an association
of companies, including the AA Co., whose object was to control
the quantity of coal raised and marketed, and therefore its price.
The AA Co. had a managerial role in the Vend and these records are
virtually the only remnant of its operations.
- Colliery Vend Papers
1872-1913 (1/63, 8 files). The papers consist mainly of minutes
of the Northern Coal Sales Association, Associated Northern Collieries,
the Northern Coal Owners Mutual Protective Society, and quarterly
returns of trade;
- Associated Northern
Collieries Vend sales book 1879-1880 (1/85); and
- Coal company reports
(received by the AA Co. from other coal companies) 1876-1909 (1/80,
6 files, see also 27/1).
In summary, the records
of the Australian Agricultural Company relating to coal are a resource
which no one interested in the coal industry, the development of
Newcastle, overseas trade, industrial relations, or industrial combination
can afford to ignore.
