MANPOWER IN BRITAIN

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25329, 31 October 1947, Page 7

MANPOWER IN BRITAIN

SHORTAGE THREATENS PROGRAMME FIGURES GIVEN BY SIR STAFFORD CRIPPS LONDON, October 29. Of the total increase of 43,000 persons in civil employment in August, less than 50 per cent, were in trades which it was hoped to expand, said the Minister of Economic Affairs (Sir Stafford Cripps) at a press conference on Britain’s economic position. The increase in the building and civil engineering trades was 15,000 and in distributive trades 4000. Neither figure could be viewed with satisfaction. This was in August, which was before the operation of the. Control of Engagement Order, but it made the necessity of the order apparent

The most disturbing feature of the manpower situation was the position of undermanned industries, such as agriculture, coalmining, cotton spinning pottery and others in which there had been “only very small increases,” between December. 1946, and August, 1947. Employment in the ironfounding. tinplate and steel sheet industries nad been stationary since December. 1946. The numbers of men on the colliery, books had been declining since the post-war peak of 719,000 in July last, and there were now under 715,000. Sir Stafford Cripps added that this recent fall in colliery manpower had masked the very high level of recruitment, which had averaged over 1700 weekly, but recruitment had not quite kept pace with wastage, which was mainly of “Bevin boys” who were ending their service. Effectively employed faceworkers had increased in the last month by 4500. The output from deep mines in the last four weeks was short of the target of 4,000,000 tons weekly. “We have not, therefore, reached the production levels necessary for winter supplies, and so our whole production programme is in jeopardy,” he said.

The strikes in Scotland and South Wales were unfortunate in the losses caused, but the output a man shift had been increasing in recent weeks. The Minister said that steel production had recently been rising, and it was in better shape for labour than many other basic and export industries , T* 1 ® danger lay in the forward availability of raw materials. He emphasised the need for good salvage arrangements to secure an adequate supply of steel scrap.