ORGANISATION OF THE MINING INDUSTRY GOVERNING BODIES IN THE INDEPENDENT STATE OF CROATIA

Abstract

The authors of the article deal with the organization of governing bodies responsible for the mining industry in the Independent State of Croatia from a historical viewpoint. At first, the Ministry of Forestry and Mining of NDH was responsible for the mining industry, and after it was abolished in October 1942 its work was taken over by the Ministry of National Economy. In October 1943, the Ministry of Forestry and Mining was reestablished and it took over the mining under its jurisdiction. Within the responsible Ministry, the Department for Mining and Metallurgy was in charge of the mining industry, and that was raised to a higher level in October 1942 when the Main Directorate for Mining was established. Special mining institutions, mining leaderships, mining schools, mining boards, the Directorate of State Mining Companies in Sarajevo with regional mines, state salt pans, the company Croatian Mines and Metal Foundry Sarajevo, main social insurance registers with subordinate local social security registers, private mines and quarries were subordinated to those directorates and ministries. On the territory of NDH the mining industry was regulated by the General Mining Law from 1854 for Dalmatia, Croatia and Slavonia, and the Mining Law for Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1881. Although both these laws were based on the liberal principal of free mining, by installing state commissioners into mining and metallurgy companies right from the beginning, NDH put the mining industry under state surveillance and ultimate control. The same thing was done by Germans who needed the ores from Bosnia and Herzegovina in order to produce weapons.

Keywords

• independent state of croatia
• governing bodies
• mining
• 1941-1945