Industrial Warning Made By Wilson

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30980, 9 February 1966, Page 13

Industrial Warning Made By Wilson

(X.Z. Press Association—Copyright > LONDON. Feb. 8. Mr Wilson has solemnly warned Britain’s workers and trade unions to abandon “restrictive practices” so their country can compete in the modern world.

It was the strongest statement directed publicly so far at British workers by a Minister of the Labour Government in the 16 months it has been in power. Mr Wilson, in a speech last night to a gathering of international bankers at the Guildhall, said feather-bedding, jurisdictional disputes and other union-inspired restrictions “irrelevaint to the conditions of 1966” must stop. The output of each individual worker the nation’s productivity must increase sharply, he said, adding:

“The real answer to our problems lies in the positive and challenging attack that must be made on everything that stands in the way of increasing productivity.” Mr Willson’s statement followed hard on the heels of an announcement tightening credit made by the president of the Board of Trade, Mr Douglas Jay, in the House of Commons. H.P. CURB Mr Jay announced measur-i es to curb hire-purchase cred-i it by raising the minimum de-1 posit on a wide range of I goods from 15 to 25 per cent 1 and cutting the period of repayment by six months. The move was a surprise attempt to solve the nation’s balance-of-payments crisis by the end of 1966. The curbs, on goods such as television sets, cars and other consumer commodities may bring temporary unpopularity to the administration. But Mr Wilson and his advisers are unlikely to change provisional plans to hold a snap general election within two months. ODDS ON London bookmakers last made Labour almost unbackable favourites of five to one on to win. Britain’s hire-purchase debt at the end of December was £1196 million £3 million lower than at the end of November, but up £Bl mil-

■ and senseless disputes about who does what.” “In every area of British industry where production is held back or rendered more costly by a demarcation argument," British workers must realise “that we are facing ruthless competition from a lot of gentlemen not only in Europe or America but in the increasingly industrialised areas of Asia, where they have never been able to afford the luxury of these arguments.” Mr Wilson also had a grim message for the management side of industry. British industry, he said, had to be geared to meet “the challenge of the 1960 s and 19705” and this meant changes in the very structure of industry.

| lion compared with a year ago. "The Times” said the latest tightening on monetary restrictions in Britain was necessary because last year earnings rose by 10 per ceht and prices increased by nearly 5 per cent. Mr Wilson told the bankers:

“We cannot afford any of the practices—engendered by years of depression and totally irrelevant to the conditions of 1966 —which hold back production in a protectionist way, which insist on over-manning, or on needless

He said his government would do all in its power to encourage industry to amalgamate to form larger units, as long as monopolies were not thus established. •FIRM OBJECTIVE’ The Prime Minister said his government had shown the world by the “tough, stringent and unpopular” measures it has taken that its firm objective was to defend the £. modernise Britain's economy and gear it for the future. He claimed that the improvement over the last five months in the nation's economy was beginning to convince critics at home and abroad that Britain was able to carry out this vast programme.