BRITISH INDUSTRY

Evening Star, Issue 22146, 28 September 1935, Page 21

BRITISH INDUSTRY

' SOCIALISATION PLANS GENERAL COUNCIL’S REPORT TRADE UNION HOPES For the first time since 1930 the General Council will be able to report to the Trades Union Congress that there has been an increase in the affiliated membership, says The Times.’ Last year the membership, at 3,294,581, showed a decrease of 73,330. Five unions have been accepted for affiliation since the 1934 congress, but the Musicians’ Union, owing to present difficulties, has resigned. The most substantial feature of the report of the General Council, which has now 1 been circulated among the unions, is a plan prepared by the Research and Economic Committee for the socialisation of the cotton industry. The scheme is a parallel to that adopted by Congress at Weymouth, and it is to be presented also to the Labour Party conference' in October. According to plan, control of the cotton industry would be vested in a cotton control board with fifteen members, all appointed by the President of the Board of Trade. The functions of the board would be to issue licences to approved firms and companies, to formulate and enforce schemes for the reorganisation and reconstruction of the industry, and to safeguard standards of labour laid down in collective, agreements CONTROL OF COAL. Consideration has been given to the resolution passed by the Weymouth Congress which asked the general Council, through the National Council of Labour, to prepare a plan for the complete unification of the coal industry, under public ownership and control, and it has been left to the Economic Committee, to draft a scheme to carry out the operative clauses of the resolution. The resolution contemplated the inclusion in the scheme of the whole network of fuel, power, and by-products in this country. The General Council state, however, that it is deemed desirable t> , attack the problem .in stages, and it will be necessary in the first stage to confine attention to the coal industry itself. Such problems as the conditions of mining labour, the question of royalties, the lack of organisation, methods of production, marketing arrangements, and the general international conditions affecting coal will be surveyed. The scheme itself will provide for the reconstruction of the entire coal industry, including marketing, on the basis of full public ownership. “ Under the scheme,” the council reports, “it is proposed that some kind of public corporation would be established with regional sub-boards, each of which would have a considerable measure of autonomy, subject to the over-riding policy and supervision of the corporation itself. Marketing would be iu- the hands of one subboard for this purpose for the entire country. The marketing' board would work under the close, supervision of the corporation itself, and would be responsible for foreign as well as home sales, although,' of course, there might, bo a special section of the board for this purpose. ... In the operation, both of the corporation and of the various subordinate boards, provision would be made for the mine workers, through their organisations nationally, regionally, and locally, to share in the formulation of the policy of the industry, and to take over an increasing measure of responsibility for the determination of working conditions. The day-to-day management would 'be in the hands of trained persons who would be appointed for their ability and professional knowledge in this field.” STATE ACQUISITION. The Act setting up the scheme, it is added, would have to provide for the

acquisition bv the State of ail mining royalties. The cost of this would not remain a burden on the proceeds of the industry, but would be borne entirely by the State. The determination of wages and prices would be one of the most important and difficult matters to be determined under a schema of socialisation. A proper - level of wages in the industry must be taken as the starting point. The aim, the report notes, will be to produce a thoroughly workable scheme which could be implemented quickly by a Labour Government. The drafting of the actual comprehensive scheme is now in ha-J and will be completed as early as possible. A section of the report devoted to unemployment states that the year has, been a particularly busy one for the' General Council, especially in view of the Government’s new legislation on unemployment insurance and unemployment assistance. The council took a leading part in dealing with the situation which arose out of the Unemployment Assistance Regulations; the policy of the movement was kept continually to the fore, and there can be no doubt (the report states) that - the steps taken protected the unemployed from the worst effects of the Government’s reactionary legislation. Since May, 1934, six meetings have been held of a special committee appointed to consider the services rendered to the unemployed by the General Council • and also by other bodies, and the General Council has prepared a number of recommendations, on this subject for submission to the Congress. It is proposed that there should be no curtailment of effort to form new Unemployed Associations' under the auspices of trades councils and to extend the influence and activity of those already formed. Appropriate unions which have a large number of unemployed members which they detain- within the scope of their organisation should investigate, it is suggested, thepossibility of - providing facilities whereby such' members may retain their employability. No support should be given to training and vocational schemes which,Jiava for their object the supplying of semiskilled labour in competition with skilled workers, or for the training of men and women to take their places in industries in which there is already considerable unemployment. With regard to occupational centres it is proposed that in no circumstances should schemes be recognised where goods are produced for sale either through the centre or by the unemployed themselves. Beyond these limits the General Council does not think it is possible to lay down a definite line of policy. FUTURE OF BROADCASTING. Sir Walter Citrine and Mr Arthur Greenwood, M.P., gave evidence on behalf of the National Council of Labour on July 11 before the committee set up by the Postmaster-General to consider the future of broadcasting. They submitted in their precis that the existing charter and licence require fundamental changes, and they stated that the council recommended that, while the Postmaster-General should retain his duties and powers under the Wireless Telegraphy Act and continue to exercise technical control, Ministerial responsibility f„r general policy should be vested in some member of the Cabinet who is not heavily burdened with departmental duties. , Appointments to the board of the'' 8.8. C., it was suggested, should be, made by the Prime Minister, and the board might be more fully representative of the national life and interests. The whole 'of the resources accruing to the 8.8. C. from licences, apart, from proper payments to the Post Office for the collection of licence fees, should remain with the corporation. Much of the evidence related to the use made of . broadcasting , by the Government, and the view was expressed that it is essential that the corporation should not become the mere instrument of the Government for the time being, to be exploited for political party purposes. In the case of trade disputes, involving a stoppage of work, it ,was submitted, equal broadcasting 1 opportunities should be accorded to both, sides. f The subject of Fascism/ which is certain to be raised fay delegates to the congress, is dealt with in an appendix to the report. In; a comment on the activities of Facists in'Great Britain,; it _is stated that there is definite evidence . that the influence of the' movement has declined considerably, and that its membership is much lower than last year.