Demobilisation and Reconstruction.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 16425, 20 January 1919, Page 6

Demobilisation and Reconstruction.

There have been some indications in lecent cables that the process of transition from war conditions to those of peace is creating in tho industrial world of Great Britain at least some of tho difficulties that were anticipated. The Government have to meet, on tho one hand, the natural desire of a great army to return to civilian life as soon as possible, and on the 1 other the danger—quite apart from the necessity of retaining a powerful force in fighting trim until after peace is signed—of releasing more men than can be readily absorbed in industrial occupations. The difficulty with re~gard to the army is apparently less than that wKich may arise, and in some directions has already arisen, with regard to civilian workers. In the former case "pivotal" men are being released rapidly, while those who have positions waiting for them—who amount to some 60 per cent, of the whole army—will return to the Old Country before those who have no definite prospects. The time for taking measures to ensure that the 40 per cent, have a chance of securing worn when thoy leave the has not yet arrived. With regard to civilian workers, Dr. Addison, then Minister of Reconstruction, stated in November that in round figures there would be above a million people who would require to change thoir occupation on the cessation of war manufactures. These include, it was estimated, some halfmillion women munition-workers. But apart from these there must be a very large number of other women who are in danger of becoming unemployed as the troops return to civil life. Of tho four and a half millions of women wage-earners, fully a million and a "half undertook industrial work during the war, and in most cases work that, had previously been dono by the men who had been drafted into tho army. Many of these women, with the return of their husbands, will be glad to go back to their pre-war domestic lifo, but a great many will certainly wish to continue as wage-earners, in such occupations as they prefer. Evidently/ if one may judge by a recent cable message, domestic service, as at present constituted, is • not one of these. To meet, in some degree, tho inconvenience and possible hardships created by the changc oyer from war to peace, the Government placed before ' contractors engaged on work for the Ministry of Munitions a scheme for the gradual reduction of the hours of labour, the abolition of overtime, the grant of free railway passages for, those desiring their release so that i they might go to their homes or to j new places of employment. These passes were also available for persons

for whom no work could be found and who had consequently been discharged, though it was urged that aa far as possible there should be no general discharge of workers. The Government guaranteed to make up the deficiency in case the earnings of workers fell, owing to the adoption of the shorttime system, below certain amounts for different classes, and they also adopted as a temporary measure a scheme of unemployment grants for civilian war workers covering a period of six months from an appointed date, during which period the grant could be made for thirteen weeks to persons unable to secure work, while to exsoldiers it would be available for c total period of twenty-six weeks out of twelve months. These grants were 24s a week for men and 20s for women, with extra allowances for child-

Tho best preventive of unemployment on a large scale at Homo is, of course, an increase of industrial activity, and in the opinion of many, as soon as the first inevitable dislocation of business is past, this will take place. The reconstruction work rendered necessary either directly by tho war or by the diversion of industry from peaceful purposes, is regarded as likely to create something like a " boom." An enormous amount of building has to be done. The Government and local governing bodies will have in hand tho construction of 300,000 cottages for workers, and several hundred thousand other houses are said to be required. The railway companies have to replace the rolling-stock worn out during the war, and make the additions thereto that they have been unablo to make during the past four and a half years. A great deal of shipbuilding has to be done, and the shortage, practically world-wide, of many lines of manufactured goods is expected to create a period of great activity in the factories of Great Britain. Much, of course, depends upon the attitude of Labour, and that at present is unknown to a very largo extent. But it can only share in the hoped-for prosperity if its demands are reasonable, and if it refrains from practising tho .profiteering which it condemns so strongly, and sometimes so unjustly in tithors.