“Britain Sampling Socialism”

Greymouth Evening Star, 12 February 1947, Page 7

“Britain Sampling Socialism”

Speaking in the House of Commons Mr. Churchill said that if the population’s anger at its ordeal resulted in. the expulsion from power of Britain s present rulers it would be a merciful i deliverance. “There is little doubt' that things are going to get worse,” < he added. “A week’s loss of produc- I tion will dislocate industry for at least. a month—and that at a time when the Chancellor of the Exchequer is telling the world that Britain is ‘liv- . ing on tick.’ ” . | Mr. Churchill said that what Britain was sampling now was half-baked Socialism in action. Socialism meant mismanagement, bad housekeeping, incompetence in high places, and progressive degeneration. _ I “Downward Staircase.” i “We shall do our best to comply■ with the Government’s instructions to meet the crisis, but let us hope that from this flagrant example the nation will realise it is on the downward ; staircase on which it hfis only descended the first few steps, concluded Mr. Churchill. The Chancellor of the Exchequer (Dr Hugh Dalton) said the fuel situation’ did not call for panicmongering or silly exaggeration. He emphasised that coal stocks in December, 1946, had fallen to 1,600,000 tons, which was only two and a half weeks’ supply Britain had no previous experience of full employment in peace time, and therefore, it was not surprising that the fuel calculations had not been wholly accurate. When Dr. Dalton said he hoped the Government would have co-operation from the Opposition Mr. Churchill interposed: “Not a coalition.” Dr. Dalton: That remark will perhaps save me from having to deny rumours. , „ ■ Dr. Dalton added that the Government was anxious to draw proper lessons from the crisis. It realised that Britain must not again enter a winter with such grossly inadequate stocks of fuel. Services Cut. The London Passenger Transport Board has announced drastic reduc-

tions of tram and trolley-bus services. The board will cancel underground . trains according to the decline in traffic. i The Trades Union Congress gen1 eral council has issued a statement i saying that before the effectiveness I of the plan to reduce the consumption 'of coal for industrial use could be assessed the present Arctic spell began and considerably reduced the outI put and distribution of coal. Difficult [though the position was the council was confident that organised workers i would meet the crisis with steadiness.

' The Scottish area of the National . Union of Mine Workers decided to '.send to the Minister of Fuel and i Power (Mr. E. Shinwell), a resolution I pledging full support against reactionary forces out to destroy national- . isation and stating that Scottish miners will carry on full steam ahead.

! Buying from America. I British officials in Washington disi closed that they were discussing with I the United States Government the possibility of Britain shortly beginning buying United States coal for bunkering purposes, thus relieving to some extent the strain on domestic resources. • The British officials’conceded that such a step, involving heavy i new expenditure of dollars, would I have been unthinkable only a few months ago, and it could be taken as a measure of the present crisis. i The main difficulty, in fact, is that ! the United States is already exporting more than 1,500,000 tons of coal a month, and to increase that would rci quire stupendous efforts. An atI tempt will be made to lessen the drain . on dollars by arranging, where possible, that British ships load coal while in American ports in the normal course of commerce. British officials said that the Ameri- ■ can Government and officials were ■ being “extremely co-operative,” but 1 | the Under-Secretary of State (Mr. . Dean Acheson) said the request had , caught him somewhat unawares. He ' did not realise how had the position was;