Volume Six - Pre-Victorian to the Present Day - Select Aspects - Reconstruction of Three Tips - 1912 - 17 . . .

The response from J. Cameron of the TVR was somewhat forthright:

"Dear Sirs, I duly received your letter of the 18th instant which I have submitted to my Directors. You will be aware that the Contract as regards the time of completion of the work does not contain any Strike clause or any reservation of the like kind. Nor in your letter of March 8th 1912 acknowledging the acceptance of your tender do you make any such reservation. The Directors are fully alive to the difficulties of the present situation . . . . the object of this letter however is to remind you that there is nothing in the Contract or in your acceptance of it which in any way affects your undertaking to complete the work within the specified time. Yours faithfully, J. Cameron."

The following day Mr Tuckett wrote back to Mr Cameron:

" . . . I sincerely trust that this Coal Strike will not prevent us from completing the first Hoist in the time specified. For your guidance, I enclose you the front sheet of our tender form, which, I think, you will agree, covers ant such contingency as has now arisen. At the present time, I would say that it is absolutely impossible to obtain any delivery of material, for not only are the Mills closed down, but the Railway Companies also decline to take delivery. Yours . . . F. S. Tuckett."