COAL FOR BRITISH INDUSTRY

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25159, 15 April 1947, Page 7

COAL FOR BRITISH INDUSTRY

WEEKLY ALLOCATION INCREASED (Special Correspondent N.Z.P.A.) (Rec. 8 p.m.) LONDON, April 14. The allocation of coal to industry will be increased by 100,000 tons a week from to-day. Since the freezeup, the allocation has been only onethird of requirements. The new allocation increases it to half. This allocation will be tested for six weeks, and the President of the Board of Trade (Sir Stafford Cripps) then hopes to increase the allocation to twothirds. This depends, however, upon the output from the mines not falling below the agreed figure when the fiyeday week is introduced at the beginning of May. The actual figure decided upon has not been announced, but it is understood to have been agreed upon by the National Union of Mineworkers and the National Coal Board. It is hoped that by the autumn the miners will be able to show that they can produce a greater output in five days than they at present are producing in six. . .. The “Daily Herald” claims that if the present encouraging increase in output continues and the five-day week further stimulates production, the coal target of 225,000,000 tons recommended by the Trades Union Congress will be reached.