MINISTRY OF SUPPLY

Evening Star, Issue 23379, 23 September 1939, Page 14

MINISTRY OF SUPPLY

SYSTEM DF NATIONAL FACTORIES OR HURON'S OUTLINE (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, September 22. (Received September 23, at 11 a.m.) In announcing in the House of Commons the names of those who will act under his chairmanship as the now Council of Supply, Dr Burgin, Minister of Supply, gave in broad outline a description of the activities of his Ministry. . It revealed the extent to which industry has already been placed on a war basis. Sixty-eight firms are now engaged in shell production. Beyond those normally engaged in this work 700 firms are engaged in shell components,- 6,500 contractors are now working for the Ministry, and 9,000 firms are either working or are ready to turn over to war production. The Supply Minister declared that a system of national factories had been, in effect, brought into being. At the beginning of the defence programme four ordnance factories had existed. To the outbreak of war 18 more were added, and since then six further factories had been added. In addition, a large number of private factories had been fitted with Government plant for ,the purpose of. war production. Mr Greenwood, for Labour, criticised Dr Burgin’s speech on the ground that the machinery outlined by him was too bureaucratic. He would prefer to see industrialists and manufacturers themselves organising industry for a maximum war effort rather than Civil servants. PRICES IN BRITAIN STABILISATION OF COMMON ARTICLES URGED LONDON. September 22. (Received September 23, at 11.5 a.m.) The Federation of British Industries emphasises the importance to members that prices of common/ articles should be stabilised to the utmost and any increase in prices not related to the increase in costs should be avoided. The president, Mr Peter Bennett, sent a letter to Mr Chamberlain informing him of this and adding that the federation was not exploiting the rearmament situation.