GREATER MANPOWER

Chronicle (Levin), 19 November 1946, Page 5

GREATER MANPOWER

: Press Assn.

(Speeial eorrespondent.)

y . I British Production Needs : EFFORTS TO ATTAIN GOAL

By TelegrapTi

-Copyrioht

Received Mondav, 7.5 p.m. J.OXDOX, Nov. 18. _ Assui'tinces to mauuf aeturers and a , deeision to retain wartime exehangt i eontrol measures as a pernianeiv j feature of British linanee, are amon... j the latest steps of the British Govern jmeut in support of its production drivi I and safeguarding its finaneial position. ! Reliable informationy from otiieur ! sources emphasises that. on the snoi 1 term view, Britain is not greatlv con I cerned over the possibitities of a trad recession but no attempt is made deny that if a slump occurred ir America, its efl'eets were bound to b ! felt in Britain. At the same time, how ever, it is felt tliat Britain 's genera economy is in a mueh better positio. than before the war to withstaiul sueii a trade recession and it is deelareu that no government ever had num information about the eountry's in dustry, due iu large measure to in | forniation gained liy working partie.Other f'aets are that, despite American pressure, .Britain has no- intention oi overthrowing imperial pret'ereuees aui believes tliat any reduetion of tarilL should be proportionate. In this field sorne hard bargaining or "horse trad ing ' ' seems likely to oeeur. Latest figures show that Britain industry as a whole is now nearly bae.k to prewar maupower standards and that I uiore women are returning to industry. I This latlor point is one whieli is being j watched closely and present indieations ' are that there may in futnre rouglil.v | be one woman for every two men on j gaged in industry. j Assurauees to manufacturers wen ! given by .Mr. Attlee hiniself. Beelarinp i it the Government 's intention to heln i them as mueh as possibte, he ad(b?d that ( it was not iu favoiir of controls t'o{their own snke. The outstaiuling I reason for their eontinuaru-e was tlu | existeuce of sliortages, some of whiel I wero as bad as during the war or even i worse. | "Our present situation at home," Iu j said, "is due to ihe eoincidenee of a i abnormally liigh demnnd with. eurtaile'1 1 ?u]iplies ea used by production difiicul ! ties- and a very serious fnll short in j imports. As sliortages disappear s controls ean be relaxed." i Mr. Attlee emphasised that tlu 1 Government was not working towards a J totalitarian state and controls were ! not due to the cussedness of the | Government. Mr. Dalton 's Exchange Control Bi I ; ; it was stated, was needed beeause the i Government caunot allow uncoiit rolleii feapital transfers, partieularly at present. To keop a good stoek of gobl land dollars and other hard currencies. j the Government \vas,,firmly resolved to 'eontrol eapitat moyement and foreign exchange. This, it is pointed out, i.tlie general world trend and eontinuitv 1 of warlime experienee. ' With the object of improving in dustry, the Goveruuieut pnqioses fur Itlicr legislation to give efl'ect to report.- | of the working parties. These partie. \ wore formed by representati vos of tlu i employers, trade union offieials an* i inidependeiit ohservers. Five partie-; have already roportod while the reports of ten more are to come. | Typicul is Ihe latest report of th" ' furnituro working partv whieh ad voeates, among other things, tlie ap I [lointment by the Board of Trade of n rXTational Furniture Council with au independent chairman, with , equal i representation of the pulilic, employers and workers. It reeommends tlie main tenanee of ntility furniture aiul price controls until the supplv eatehes u with demands. Tt eritieises sharply some baseinent factories, many of whieh, it declares, are produeing shoddy furniture .urnler shocking conditions. The Government "believes that thc re sults of the .working party inqturie®, apd. jadpptipiLioj' th6|f fec^iiniflexidatioaS! wili go fai- itqwaras' ^imprQVihg the general tone of Britisli industry and the information secured will aid the Government and industry to meet an\ trade setbacks as they occttr. On tlie question of Britain 's man power, whieh is being watched anxious ly, latest figures show the total working population last Septembor was 20, 402, 000, compared with 19,750,000 in the middle of 1939. The ' totn

actively employed in indutsry, liowever j is slightly lower — 17,008,000, compared i with 17,920,000 in 1989. It is esti j mated that Britain is still more than A .000,000 short of its needs for industK' ; and it is stated that unless mori .workers go into basic industries befoFi' J tlie spring, the Government may have j to cut its oxjiaiision scliemes or con Isider some form of labour direction j Some satisfuction is derived, liowever. {from the fact that women are return . iing. There was an inerease of 500!) j women more employed in industry in I September compared with August and the total employed was 5, 595, 000. A' jone time it was feared women mighi i desert industry in large numbers whieh. c otipi ed with the need for eonse ription was regarded seriously. The sligli* inerease indieating a tuni of the tide is, therefore, regarded with satisfac tion. Other figures indieate that though there were 770,000 more work ers than before the war in British factories en gaged in the metal an.L chemical groups produeing ships, cars, engines and tnachine tools, there wero 546,000 fewer in factories produeing things t-o "eat, wear and use". There wore also 30,000 fewer in export f'ac tories dealing with food, textiles. tobaeco, clothing, footwear, leather potterv, glass and building materials and there must be an inerease if the Government is to reacli the target of increasing exports by 75 per cent. aliove pre-war. It is this iigure of 75 poi cent. whieh is the d.ominating tliought of British industry today and there is great determination and endeavour to achieve it.