CONDITIONS IN BRITAIN

Greymouth Evening Star, 25 October 1944, Page 5

CONDITIONS IN BRITAIN

POUTICAL DISSENSIONS

COALITION MENACED (N.Z.P.A. Special Correspondent)

(Rec. 11.15 a.m.) LONDON, Oct 24. Mr Churchill has returned from Moscow to find a certain amount of restiveness in the Commons. It centres particularly around compensation for blitzed properties as proposed in the Town and Country Planning Bill. Mr Churchill before he left for Moscow intervened in the debate and suggested a separate compensation bilk Cabinet subsequently made an effort to produce a compromise that would be embodied in the present Bill, but this still seems unacceptable to the Conservatives, and some see in the sharp differences that have arisen the possibility of a political crisis and, perhaps, the break-up of.the Coalition. The seriousness of the coal situation and the future of the export trade are other subjects requiring the Prime Minister’s attention. .Plans for Britain’s switch-over from war-time to peace-time production are progressing, and Sir Charles Bruce-Gardner, who is Chairman of the Production and Efficiency Board of the Ministry of Aircraft Production, has been appointed chief executive for industrial reconversion at the Board of Trade. He will decide priorities for all major industries of raw materials and manpower to satisfy, firstly, the demands of overseas customers _J.or gooc(s Britain intends to export Secondly, the demands in Britain for goods which have been denied during the war. Recently there has been some criticism that while America is securing orders for post-war reconstruction from Russia, Britain is being left behind. Mr Kuznetzov, who is leader of eight Russian trade union delegates, however, is stated to have revealed during a recent visit to Merseyside that the Soviet Government has already given a Liverpool factory a one million sterling order. He added: :“It is only a small order compared with much bigger orders I think will come after the war. We hope Britain and America will send to Russia plenty of machinery to reestablish industry in such places as Stalingraa.”

Over cm million men and women have been discharged from Britain’s Forces and the Merchant Marine since 1939. Most have left for health reasons and disabilities incurred in service. Many discharges have also ben granted key men in order that they.might return to essential industries. There is to be a progressive scaling down of staffs of British regional commissioners. The commissioners were appointed in 1940 when Britain was divided into 12 defence areas. They were given supreme authority in cases of emergency, including traffic control, declaring curfews, detaining suspects , ordering people from their homes, and issuing any orders for defence. If Britain had been invaded the commissioners would have taken dictatorial powers. The civil defence services are also being cut by half in London, Eastern, Southern and South-eastern England. Similar cuts have been made in the rest of the country. It is stated that the progress of the wav makes it no longer necessary to maintain the same scale of preparation as hitherto. Fireguards in London and “likely target areas,” however, must still be on duty at night. Homeland duties are also being eased. MISCELLANEOUS. It is reported that the P.A.Y.E. (pay as you earn) system is in some banger of breaking down. This is stated to be because of the continuous flood of current work which is holding up the start on 11,000,000 complicated calculations needed to clear up the switchover for the year 1943/44. Officials believe, however, that the system can be maintained by making adjustments. London’s theatres have recovered from the slump caused by the flying .bomb. Thirty-two theatres are now open and competition to rent theatres is reported to be fierce. Headlights of the season are the Old Vic Repertory, and John Gielgud’s Company which between, them are presenting Shakespeare, Shaw, Isben, Congreve and Somerset Maugham. London’s hotels are also full again. Before June it was almost impossible to secure a room without booking ahead, but the position improved during the flying bomb period. Now thousands of guests are reported being turned away daily. They are .chiefly members of the Services on leave or businessmen visiting London. It was hoped that a hotel could be acquired as an accommodation club for New Zealanders staying in London, but the prospective premises are required by the Ministry of Works, who are using it for workmen repairing bomb-damaged buildings.