BRITAIN SURPRISES HERSELF

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LII, Issue 113, 17 May 1918, Page 5

BRITAIN SURPRISES HERSELF

MARVELLOUS RESOURCES.

LESSONS OF THE WAR

PRECAUTIONS FOR THE FUTURE.

(Australian and N.Z. Cable Association

LONDON, May 15. The House of Commons discussed the Board of Trade vote.

Sir Albert Stanley (President of the Board of Trade) drew attention to the enormous decline of Britain's imports since the war. The imports in 1917 were only two-thirds as much as the imports in 1913. He estimated that this year they would be one-half of those of 1913. They must make allowance for imports direct to France for the armies, but Britain's resources had proved marvellous. Nobody before' would have ventured to prophesy that Britain could have carried on as she had done with so little discomfort. It was a most valuable lesson, which ought' to be borne in mind after the war. Our 1917 imports totalled 1065 millions sterling, and exports 398 millions, including reexports. These figures were misleading as indicating the growth of our trade, for two reasons, namely, the changed charcater of the goods we were manufacturing, and the changed price level since the war. We must reihember that a large part of our lost trade was due to the cessation of trading with enemies and Belgium and Roumania. He estimated that over one-half of Britain's workers to-day were doing Government work. He estimated the aggregate output of industry to-day at little less than before the war. This constituted a

truly remarkable performance. He estimated that now there were one and a half-million more women engaged on what was normally men's work than before the war. The Government's control of railways had been thoroughly satisfactory, but the bargain with the railway companies would show a.loss to the State.

Sir Albert Stanley added that of all the big services the railways alone had not increased their charges for the carriage of goods. The railways after the war would be' faced with higher wage 9, and they wimld not have the same i facility for securing men, because labour I would be much scarcer than before the ] war. On the general .policy of State i control, Sir Albert Stanley thought it ] would be a great pity if the economies j which unified control had effected! should j not be secured permanently' to traders. ! The Government were applying a more drastic coal rationing scheme, aiid also setting up a priority committee to determine "the coal consumption for industrial purposes. They were also rationing gas and electricity.* With a view of preventing Germany's recapture of the dye industry, the importation of foreign dye stuffs would be controlled un- | der license for ten years.'