BRITAIN'S POST-WAR CRISIS

New Zealand Listener, Volume 18, Issue 449, 30 January 1948, Page 7

BRITAIN'S POST-WAR CRISIS

ZB Network Will Broadcast U.S. Radio Survey —

O get a word-picture of post-war Britain and how she is facing up to her economic troubles, an American investigator from the Columbia Broadcasting System, William Downs, interviewed, some little time ago, a crosssection of the British people. He talked with miners, housewives, farmers, dockers, shopkeepers, and engineers, and he found that while many of the common people exercised the British prerogativé of "grousing," they showed spirit and determination. From it all one clear fact emerges, he says. It is that Britain is not a beggar nation. The British people regard American aid as an economic life-saver in the middle of an unprecedented financial hurricane. "We will repay our debts," they say. But there is a feeling among some that though America’s help is needed, the U.S. should not tell Britain how to run her affairs. — On Sunday, February 15, the survey of post-war Britain which the American CBS built out of these interviews, together with extracts from speeches by some of the country’s leaders, will be presented by the New Zealand Commercial It will be broadcast by 1ZB and 2ZA at 7.39 p.m.; by 2ZB and 4ZB at 8.0 p.m.; and by 3ZB at 7.0 p.m. The programme was prepared under the supervision of Lee Bland (who visited New Zealand in 1946 with Norman Corwin), assisted by’ Allan Jackson and Arthur Hepner, of the CBS (London). After some criticism of the Government by a village baker who claims that

large multiple shops restrict his business dealings, and by a housewife who complains that the food situation is not much better than it was during the war, comes an extract from a speech by Hugh Dalton, then Chancellor of the Exchequer. Mr. Dalton says: "Agriculture is a great dollaf-saver; the more food we can grow in this island, the less we need to import from overseas." Dov-ns adds his own comments on the coal situation as it was at the time and introcuces a few lines from a speech by Ernest Bevin at Hastings-"Give us two years’ mighty effort. Bring the coal back beyond the 1938 output. I'll go to the textile workers, the railwaymen ‘or any other trade you like, and together let us triumph both for ourselves and for the generations yet to come. Give me the weapons so I can carry on, not only to help in your prosperity, but to try to build a decent peace for the future of the world." Unmoved by Film Tax Referring to the British tax on American films, Downs says that, while it startled the world, the British people rode the shock without comment. But they were numbed when the price of cigarettes went up and beer rose a pentiy a pint. The voice of the Prime Minister, Clement Attlee, is heard declaring that the country must first deal with the immediate problem of reducing overseas expenditure. But even that would be only a partial and temporary expedient. "The essential thing is to increase production of absolutely vital things: We

must increase the production of coal and steel, make our transport fully efficient, and produce more goods for export. I believe nearly all will put their shoulders to the wheel, but there are some who will not. It is for that reason the Government introduced a bill. which, while it gives no greater powers than were given to the present Government in 1945, enables them to be’ applied in the present crisis." Then comes the voice of Winston Churchill: "If I had that power, with a Cabinet of the best ability and experience in the country-which I certainly would gather-I would give you promptly and in good time the decisions which are necessary; and I have no doubt Britain would survive." Bevin on America Downs remarks that round about this time Ernest Bevin made a suggestion that was not very good to the American way of thinking. Bevin said: "I know America will be upset with what’ I am about to say, but I have always got to upset somebody. My own conviction is that she (America) handicaps herself and causes high taxation in her own country by failure to redistribute the Fort Knox gold:" To his British listeners he added, "If you don’t give the production, this country will lose its’ position, and back you'll be forced to the old 1926 position." ‘ Here is a docker’s comment: "I for one would like to see the boys pull together and get this country on a good footing. Let’s hope we have no more strikes." And a suggestion by a Birmingham miner was that everybody able

to should "have a go" at working in the mines. "Finally, let us work two extra Saturdays\each month over the five-day week at overtime rates. Every industry should be nationalised. America won’t like that, but she’s already let us down. As soon as we got the loan, up went prices. 'We "need America’s help, but she shouldn’t tell us how to run our affairs." "There is no doubt that with the factory capacity and. labour in England, she could do more,’ runs an excerpt from a speech by. Sir Stafford Cripps. "Whatever happens, we must send the necessary goods abroad. It’s a struggle to prove to the world the value of our democratic way of life." The broadcast, which reveals a sympathetic attitude to Britain’s special problems, has been titled British Crisis, Yr