INDUSTRY IN BRITAIN

Press, Volume LXXXII, Issue 24814, 2 March 1946, Page 7

INDUSTRY IN BRITAIN

GOVERNMENT POLICY OUTLINED _

RISING OUTPUT OF GOODS

LONDON, February 28. The Government wanted to cooperate with industry but would hot hesitate to intervene with controls to check sectional attempts to gain an advantage at the expense of the community, sajd Mr Herbert Morrison, speaking in the House of Common’s economic debate. He gave figures of the rising output of civilian goods from British industry. “The Government is an advocate of the policy of more production on the basis of social justice—that is to get not only more production byt through increased consumption,” said Mr Morrison. “If we got increased consumption without increased production 11 would mean a financial smash in which the work people would suffer. We say that the work people are entitled to a fair share of the national products.” nni I HftA^ orrison th at every week 200,000 men and women were starting a new job from scratch after years of interruption. A number of men were working in 1946 on goods which could not reach the consumer until 1947. The Government aimed at making 1946 a year in which a number of tiresome shortages would be brought to an end. It would be a year of laying the foundations for the future. Mr Morrison went on: “In war, jt was said, ‘Britain can take it.’ Now it should be ‘Britain can make it.’ Before the end of the year we will have people making more than at any previous moment in our history. We don’t want Jeremiahs preaching that Britain is down and out. We could make Operation ‘Civvy Street’ as successful as D-Day. ’"Hie point now is hbw much the nation can produce and how quickly we have to turn our back upon scarcity economics and turn to expansion economics. There is opportunity for full employment for many years to come and probably for all time.” Mr Morrison quoted production fig? ures to illustrate the increased output of goods. The car industry last December made 6700 ears, compared with 200 monthly in the middle of 1945. The output of electrical appliances had multiplied ninefold in 1945. The out? put of carpets and linoleum had doubled in a year.