BRITAIN WARNED

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 67, Issue 235, 17 July 1947, Page 5

BRITAIN WARNED

COUNTRY MUST DO BETTER TRANSPORT BOTTLENECK FEARED (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright.) ' (Rec. 11.30 a.m.) LONDON, July 16. Mr Herbert Morrison, at a press conference to-day, said he must warn the country that “we may well be faced with a serious transport bottleneck during the coming winter as a result of our devotion to national needs in wartime. The problem is goods and wagons.” *

Mr Morrison said the Government had ordered 50,000 wagons to meet the shortage, and was doing its lit most to speed up repairs. He added that it Britain was spar ed an abnormally severe winter, and the turn around was speeded up, the railways would be able to move coal supplies, hut there would be a short age of wagons for carrying cement, bricks, iron ore and steel. There had been a satisfactory fall in unemployment figures, especially in areas designed for new industrial developments. The total figures had dropped by 60,000 to 272,000. The total unemployed in the development areas was now 117,000. Mr Morrison said there was an ur gent need foi’ an immediate all-round increase of production of exports. There was also a need, if crippling import cuts were to be avoided, of establishing sound international currency and credit arrangements.. “It depends on the international decision whether recovery will be along a lengthy and very rough road or along only a fairly rough road. We have got to get down to it either way. The Government, industry and the people must all do better than hitherto.” Mr Morrison announced that the Value of exports in June was the year’s highest at £93,000,000 compared with a £76,000,000 average during 1946, and £39,000,000 monthly average in 1938. » The value of imports in June increased to £153,800,000 from £153,200,000 in May.