DRASTIC POWER CUTS IN ENGLAND

Rotorua Morning Post, Issue 5324, 10 February 1947, Page 5

DRASTIC POWER CUTS IN ENGLAND

(Press dssn.-

take effect at on'ce > heavy industries will escape

—Rec. 9.30 p.m.)

LONDON, Feb 8. Many parts of Britain will |)c almost completely without electricity for several hours a day in the early part of next week, as the result of drastic cuts announced by the Minister, of Fuel and Power, Mr. E. Shinwell. The areas affected will be London, South-East l England, the Midlands and f north-west districts. No electricity at all will be available io industry. Householders will suffei cuts of three hours in Ihe morning and two hours in thc afternoon. The cuts will begin or Monday.

TIip Bourd of Trade says that four million persons will be thrown out of jvork w'iiea the four main industrial reaions ;we deprived of power. Attackml from both aides of the *. Ilouse. Mr. Shinwell defended himself vigm-ously, and said that eoal consuiiiption had been unpreeedented. Repoi-ts from industries already indioat!' ihe serious effects of next week's rationing. The Nuffield Organisation stated that 25,000 employivs would be laid off work. In the muth-west region some 14,000 ccuei'i-iis iua.v be affected. The secretary of the London Chamber of Commeive said that most industrial umli'i'takiiigs in the London area would iiaw to stand their men off. The Austiii factory has annfiunced that 1 l.i'Od i-mployees have heen (fiven 1 S hours' notice. Unless the eoal pt sition improves the works will mnaiti closed for several weeks. A temporary stoppage in the textile trade already occurred. Of all Biitain's major industries only the heavy industries and shipbuilding of the north-east, Yorkshire's wool, and the tinplate of South Wales will escape the staggering cut, says Reuter's financial editor. "Greatest Crisis in 20 Years" The depiitv-Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Anthony Eden, during the debate or the fuel position, said that Britain \v:t- faeed with the greatest industrial crisis in the past -20 yeai'K. '"htiming that he was not speakinu *!! party spirit, Mr. Eden duuycj Alr. Shinwell and the GovernjiU'ni with misjudging the sitiiatim: hy taking too optimistic a vit*\v of ihe gap to be bridged betwoi'ii the national industrial tlemaiul and the available supplies of ooal. Mr. Eden said the Minister of Ftiel had reeeived many warn- ? in«y n k,ug ngo as July,' but had not takcn ihe itecessary aetionT Ile askeil was tie Minister again going to be to.i Iaie? Lahoitr members joined the Oppositiun !!j criticism of the Governmem. Captain A. R. Blackburn iLai .i demanded a commission of imiuiry to investigato the circumstaneo leadiji"- to the closing down oi the Austin motor factory. Mr. Shinwell's Legacy Roplyiiii;- to the speeches of Mr. Eden and others, Mr. Shinwell said tlie IIoi!>e had heard most grotesque and ex.io«( rated allegations against the fn.ivei'i. iiH'iit. His predecessors had lcit ti ini with a legacv of difficulties. His lii'st plan had been to promote the riii'lj? atmosphere in the mining tii'ltistn. aml in that he had succeeded. The ,.ther part of his plan was toprom.iie ihe right kind of organisabon in ik- j.iining industry. There had iieen uo industrial dislocation «tie to roa! shortage from the time rc* took t.tlii-e antil recently. The seveif weather of the last 10 oays hau completely disturbed the eoal oraaiiisation. That was bad onoug'h. hnt unfortunatelv it had disneated proiiuctiou. There was bound °hea siaijt hani in the next week 01' t\Vo. London electricity undertakings a't weel; used the unpreeedented '°tal of 150, 0C0 tons of coal. As a result soine of them had only one Week s supply. Electric power s|ations vvere now In a grave posl'lon and would be unable to carry °n ovei* the next week or 10 days. >°mc sinalio]. power stations in the jjreas llll'ntio)ie(T might have to close and take supplies from the ^1|' ai order to avoid the possibility ' 0 a cnniplete hreakdown, whicii ® Hisastrous. Yorkshire and ■ "!>k I*' w,i:i'(' n°t be affected. It j'TO 1>(. imssilile to avoid a cut in / bntiea.-hire areas after the first or so. Claiunn, that evervthing' had Een dorie to prevent industrial disotatinn, Mc. Shinwell stated that up ,! ^bruru-y 1 only 188 firms out of ?*' ® foncerns taking- over 100 tons coal a year had lost hours of work 'the result of fuel shortages. jli 0 Miuistry of Fuel told Reuter 1| e;^0lltial services dependent on tctncity would he kept going. Sup-le-s to newspapers would "be mainas far as nossible. The Min- ; abs° stated that the prohibition ('x')or^ woukl remain, but it e een decided the supply of bunlcdoii ° saHing from United Kinga • an embargo on whieh was ^ouneed previously, would be per-