BOLD DECISIONS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 163, 10 June 1940, Page 7

BOLD DECISIONS

BRITAIN’S HOME FRONT. ORGANISATION ANALYSED. (United Press Association—By Electnc Telegraph—Copyright. ) (British Official Wireless.) Received June 10, 11.15 a.m. RUGBY, June 9. The sweeping organisation of the nation’s life. for which the new all-party Administration obtained powers from Parliament with a view to the most vigorous possible prosecution of the war provides the weekly journal Economist with reason for comment on many aspects of the national effort upon which its stall' are acknowledged ‘ experts. Butcfirst comes the reform of Ministeriafceontrol, on which the Lord Privy Seal (/Mr C. R. -Attlee) made a statement earlier this week, when he announced as regards, defence that the Premier, in his capacity as Minister, of Defence, is assisted by a, committee comprising the First Lord of the Ad-miralty,-the Secretary for War, the Air Secretary and the Chiefs of Staff as advisers. Questions of foreign policy continue, as hitherto, to be submitted by the Foreign Secretary direct to the War Cabinet at its daily meetings. Economic and home affairs are dealt with by five Ministerial bodies. The first is the Production Council, which gives general direction to the organisation of production for war and priority questions arising therefrom. The second is the committee concerting and directing general economic policy. These two are presided over by Mr A. Greenwood. •■> These Ministerial committees will have at their disposal the work of Lord Stamp, who will continue to survey the economic and financial plans. Two other committees over which Mr Attlee himself presides deal with problems of food, including its production and questions relating to the home front respectively. Finally, civil defence and home security questions 'fall to the fifth committee under the chairmanship of the Home Secretary. Of this piece of War Cabinet machinery, the Economist says it is a great improvement on what preceded it, though it is not sure whether it goes far enough. PRODUCTION FILLIP. Turning from the machinery, the Economist agrees that the new Government “has not been shy in taking decisions of policy,” most noticeably in the control .of labour and production. Reviewing these latter, the Economist writes: “it is gratifying to learn that the general speed-up and virtual abolition of holidays have already resulted in increased production, but the existing capacity must not only be worked to the limit, it must be expanded and supplemented by every conceivable means. This implies, of course, more and more stringent restrictions on all forms of civil expenditure, and the new regulations announced by Sir Andrew Duncan on Thursday, ‘though they were framed with material rather than plant capacity in mind, are doubly welcome on that account.” . Supply, the Economist points out, has its twin in labour, and it considers that in “the drastic new labour policy” announced on Wednesda3' by the Minister of Labour (Mr E. Bevin), “an excellent beginning has been made with the new policy of distributing labour by orderly planning instead of by competitive chaos.” It goes on to urge the rapid development, training, and diversion of labour resources. GREAT ADVANTAGE. “One of our very greatest advantages over Germany lies in the fact that we supply ourselves with food and the • other necessaries of life with a smaller proportion of our total labour force, “but this surplus labour force is at work on non-essential tasks from which>.it must be weeded out.” The Economist also devotes. an article to the .Government’s new farming policy announced a week ago by the Minister of Agriculture (Mr R. S. Hudson), which it finds refreshingly realistic, though leaving unanswered a number of contingent problems of which the most important is linked to the one of food prices and . wages policy. MORE SECRET SESSIONS. Both Houses of Parliament will meet next week in a secret session, the House of. Commons on Tuesday and the House of Lords on Wednesday. The purpose of the secret session is to enable members to have a frank discussion of the question of home defence, which has assumed a new and vital significance. as Mr Churchill clearly indicated in his statement in the House of Commons last Tuesday. Certain questions were addressed: to the Prime Minister at the time and he intimated the readiness of the Government to accept a secret session. The implied desire of a few members is not confined to one party to debate in secret past responsibilities for deficiencies, of which recent experience is held in these quarters to have demonstrated the serious extent. It. is believed/that this suggestion was frowned upon by both the Premier and Mr Attlee, who stressed that this is a moment for concentrating on present, and future effort rather than alleged past omissions, and Parliamentary circles anticipate that this will be found to be in accordance with the general feeling of Parliament.