CONSCIENCE OF WORKER CAN SAVE BRITAIN

Chronicle (Levin), 1 July 1947, Page 7

CONSCIENCE OF WORKER CAN SAVE BRITAIN

■ Press Assn.-

By Telegraph

■Copyright , •

Received Monday, 8.0 p.m/ ■ v LONDON; June 30. Ncarly all reeent news of British industrial production and overseas trade, has been worse tlian ever contemplated in the 1 Government's economic snrvey, says the Times in a leading article. , . " Britisli produetivity has*. been. sapped at the'irbots by the aeiite shortages of coal aiid-steel. Coal production at. the present rate will soon be running below 1946. Even the inadeciuate target oi 200,000,000 tons for 1947 will .not be achieved. ' ' *" ■ : "The adverse visible trade balance during the lapt two months has been at the alarming rate of £700,000,000 yearly,. "Tlie eonscicnce of the individual worker at all levels ean be the only ultiniate- solution to tlie domestic problem., Further reductions in working, hours should be res'isted, liot.'T'east because the ( ffect of the five-day week in the engineering and' other industrie.s has been nmeh niore adverse than expeeted. . "There is a case in the vital coal industry for an* examining of the scope of a new wages agre.emeiit which will reward efficiency and penalise-irregularity of attendance to even a "greater extent tlian r.ow." "The British Government aecepted the principle of staggering working .hours in industry and it is almost certain industry wrili be asked to aceept some scheme for next winter," says the Daily . Tehgraph's political correspondent. "This prospect, as seen by Ministers, is that eoal production will be short by about one-fifth of the amouiit required to operate the power supplies 011 the basis of 1946. It may be necessary to avoid serious holdups, to apply staggering to about one-third of industry which principally uses electricity." The Alinister of Labonr, Mr. Isaacs,'has returned from Geneva. to coni'er with the leaders of the engineering and ; shipbuiJdiug industries which are certain to be involved in any national plan. The shortage of steel and timber is preventing. several large ear manufacturers working at full capacity because the motor trade is not on the Government's priority list for these esseiftial materials, 1 says the Daily Telegraph. Employees in one big Coventry faetory are working only two or three days a week. Another decided to stop its production belts for a week instead of making frequent interruptions.