British Plan to Avoid a Breakdown

Chronicle (Levin), 28 February 1947, Page 5

British Plan to Avoid a Breakdown

Press Assn

By Telegraph

.-Copyright

LONDON, Feb. 26. Night shifts will be ,a feature of. 3rit;sh inctustry for at least the next :hre"e years in order to spread the de-.na-nd for electricity more evenly and .ivoid a breakdown. This prolonged period will be necessary for the manufacture of new generatlng plant needed to cope with' che full daytime demand, says Reuter. It is proposed that one-third of the workers in the main manufacturing ndustries using electricity shall work at night time each week. , If some additional transport .workers who will ■oe needed are incjuded the numbers joneerned will total over 7,000.000. They will wbrk at night time for one week in every three or four. There - fore, the total working at night at any given time will be anything up to . 2,250,000. Women are included in the fcotal of 7,000,000. Their work is regarded as essential and roughly 2,300,3.00 will be aifected. ;

Figiit representatives of industry .neeling at Derby rejected staggered .lours 011 the ground that power consumption at peak periods would not be reduced. M r. .1. T. Roggott, regional controller } f the Board of Trade, stated that it would take four years to re-equip power stations to meet present de ■inands. The Home Secretary (Mr. Chuter Ede) announced in the House of Commons that single summertime would h.e introdyicecl in Britain from March 16 to November 2 and doub'le summerdme from April 13 to August 10. This would facilitate the staggering of hours in industry, help to save fuel and enable more work to be ' done in out•door industries. Lt will be impossible for the electra, itv generation stations to carrv tlie required load when there is a general resumption of industry with out a staggering of working hours, involviug a iarge proportion of night shifts, said' a statement issued by the joint committee of Ministers and Coal Board representatives. Reuter's Parlianientary correspondent said tlie dccisions «on the , staggering of working hours will have to be made swiftly, liecause it is difficult to sec liow' the date for the restarting of factories in London can be fixed untii a deiinite arrangement on night shifts is reached. In addition to the staggering of working hours, the Daily Telegraph 's political correspondent says that another certain outcome of the fuel crisis will be the rationing ,of coal, coke, gas and electricity for domestic piu'poses. .