APPEAL TO THE NATION

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 277, 19 August 1919, Page 7

APPEAL TO THE NATION

MR. LLOYD GEORGE ON THE NEED

FOR EFFORT

INCREASED PRODUCTION IMPERATIVE (By TelecrapU-Preas Association-CopyriuM (Rec. August 19, 5.5 p.m.) London, August 18. Speaking, in ; the House of Commons, Mr. Lloyd George dealt with the country's industrial position. He complained that some people expected industry and production to be normal as soon as the war was over. These people failed to realise the magnitude of the disturbances of Hie last, five years. The aggregate direct eust of the war to the world was. forty thousand millions. How cou-d the woiid return to normal immediately with that expenditure to overtake'? It would take just us long lo adapt tho machinery and workshops of the country to peaco as it. took to turn them to use for war.

Among the paralysing elements • that affected trade immediately 'before tho war, said the Prime Minister, was tho fact'that contractors were shy of orders, owing lo tho ririiig prices of materials of which there was a shortage, and ai'.so to tho shortage of labour and transport difficulties. However, there were now over three and a half millions of men demobilised, of whom oii'.y 350.000 remained unabsorbed into the industries, so that contractor-, could .safely launch out without the ice crocking under them. Mr. Lloyd George emphasised the fact that adverse balance of trade must lie faced; because we could not prosper without recovering our international trade, indeed, without increasing it. Our adverso balance of trade before the war was one hundred and fifty million sterling. Now it was eight hundred and fifty million. That cliasm must be bridged, bpcause at bottom was ruin. lie reminded tho House that there had been an almost sensational drcrtaso in output, which was now . less than ever. lii;every branch of production except agriculture we were spending more and producing less—Aus.-N.Z. Ca'ble Assn.

GIG ANTIC U N EMPLOYMENT

FEARED. London, August 18. In tho House of Commons Mr. Lloyd George described tho economic outlook as grave. The slackening of production would lead in the long run to gigantic .unemployment and failure to. maintain Labour's recent gains. The Government proposed to empower the Boa-rd of Trade to prevent dumpir-.g and shield the unstable key industries. Ho added that he attached great, importance to the fpstoring of Imperial trade by improved means of communication with the Dominions and India.—United Service.

Dealing with the coal production, lie said that the pre-war output was 2-37,000,000 tons annually. This year, at tho present rate the figure would bo 2011,000,000, in spite of the fact that a greater number of men wero employed to-day. A ton of coal cost 10s. to raise in 1913; to-day it- cost 20s. That was' not only partly responsible for the abnormally high prices and other articles, but it handicapped us in other countries where production was greater and cheaper. No tariff could remedy this. — Aus.-N.Z. Cnble Assn.