FACTORY PRODUCTION

Evening Star, Issue 23729, 9 November 1940, Page 12

FACTORY PRODUCTION

EFFECT OF NAZI RAIDS DIRECT RESULTS NEGLIGIBLE (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, November 8. (Received November 9, at 1.30 p.m.) Striking figures showing the almost negligible direct effect of the German bombing on British metal factories were given by the Homo Secretary and Minister of Home Security, addressing the first of the national conferences held to enable work people and managements to discuss methods enabling factory work to be carried on to the greatest limits. “ Figures have recently been collected,” Mr Morrison said, “ by the largest known firm which has supplied great quantities of constructional materials for industrial buildings of all kinds. Since the air raids started this firm has received from other firms orders for material to replace that which was damaged. These orders amount to just on one-quarter of one per cent, of the material originally supplied. Here is a very brief and representative sample of tiie extent of the damage to our country’s vast production machine.

“ But damage can be indirect as well as direct. If we allowed Hitler’s bombers to drive us to shelter every time they appeared he could paralyse our war production without dropping a single bomb. On the other hand, our workers are entitled to the highest degree of personal safety that ingenious and careful providing can secure. From the two apparently conflicting claims of production and security there has been invented a system of an alarm within the alert, under which the alert, as such, will not be the true signal for stopping work. Stoppages will bo limited to the period in which the bombing planes are close and danger is imminent.”