GREY DAYS AHEAD

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25958, 26 September 1945, Page 5

GREY DAYS AHEAD

OUTLOOK IN BRITAIN ECONOMIC DIFFICULTIES ONLY THE BARE NECESSITIES (N.Z.P.A. Special Correspondent) (Rec. 11 p.m ) LONDON, Sept. 25. Talk of power politics and power blocs as the result of the reported disagreement among the big Powers represented at the Council of Foreign Ministers, the progress of the HalifaxKeynes talks on Great Britain’s economic position at Washington, and the interesting “ leakage ” of information with regard to Britain’s higher proportionate contribution to the war than America, and renewed warnings that the atom bomb can mean world suicide—these are the most important subjects being discussed here at present. It might be said that they are inter-related, since the failure of the big Powers to agree and of Britain and America to reach some mutually beneficial agreement could lead eventually to an atomic war. There is at present, however, no tendency to be too glum about the outlook, since in international affairs the last word is certainly not with Foreign Secretaries, important as (hey are,'while it is believed that-Great Britain and America cannot afford to fall out over trade matters. If they did so the result would be mutually harmful. There is discernible here, however, a distinct development of a pro-Bri-tish and pro-Empire spirit., which was expressed unequivocably last week by Mr S. M. -Bruce, the Australian High Commissioner, and which finds answering echoes. Generally speaking, the feeling is that Great Britain may lack dollars and overseas credits, but that does not mean she or the Empire is ruined. The fact that she owes the Empire £3,500,000,000 is not deplored. On the contrary, it is pointed out that this very fact ensures the continuance of Empire trade. Hardships, Ahead There is no denying, however, that these are grey days for Britain. Her people, with the echoes of victory bells still recent memories, find they must carry on still with the bare necessities in the way of food and clothing while the whole of the country’s economic life is overhauled and readjusted. Though everybody is fully acquainted with the necessity of recovering the export trade, production for it is not going to be forthcoming without s,ome domestic heart burnings. One is the question of wages in those industries which provide goods for the rtising of the standard of living at home and are also essential for the restoration of the export trade. Wages in these industries, which urgently require labour, are lower than those paid during the war in munition factories. There is a fear that unless labour controls are continued and unless there is a definite wages policy, the industries catering for home production will attract more labour than those working for overseas markets. The possibility is that higher wages will be paid by the former and passed on to the consumers here, who have little enough on which to spend their money, and will be willing to pay high prices, but not by the latter, who must keep down costs and prices as far as possible in order to compete in overseas markets. This may have an effect on the output

Political Issues With the approaching of the new session of Parliament, which begins on October 10, there will be a quickening of interest in the political scene. There is still a tendency among his Tory opponents to call Mr Attlee, “ dismal Clem,” but most of the criticism of Labour Ministers at present is reserved for Sir Stafford Cripps, whose decision to run cotton, boots shoes, and other industries on his “Working Party plan has caused real annoyance, particularly in the cotton industry. Mr Emanuel Shinwell has declared that the Government is in earnest about the nationalisation of the mines, while an all-out drive will be commenced for 8,000.000 more tons of coal this winter. He appealed to the miners to play their part and to back up the Government, and it is reported that any miner who refuses to accept his obligations and is faced with legal'action as a result of his absence from work will not receive protection or the support of his union. The question of getting coal this winter will, indeed, be more than one of keeping warm. It will also have a political implication. If the Labour Party, after all their criticism of the Conservatives for failing to manage the coal mines properly and all their declarations of what they would do if given power, fail to produce results, t then they can expect some virulent criticism.

Interest is being taken in the Conservative ex-Ministers who, defeated at the general election, are now seeking return at a number of by-elections which are pending. They include Mr Richard Law and Mr Brendan Bracken. Mr Law’s adoption as the candidate for South Kensington was not without opposition. There was much support for the local Mayor, Mr Robert Jenkins. who is backed by Lord Balfour of Burleigh, who, at what was described as a stormy meeting, remarked “ No one voted for an easy life in the last election. They voted against the Tories and the absence of a constructive domestic policy. We must serve notice on the Central Office that we are a party of reform, and want a change in those who organise our party policy." The Conservatives are holding a meeting on October 5 to discuss why they lost the election.

Britain’s Housing Problem The country is still awaiting anything interesting in the way of news about the housing programme, but in the meantime the Bristol, Brighton, and Windsor local authorities are considering the requisitioning of vacant premises advertised for private or auction sale. One of the effects of this action, if taken, would be to bring down the fictitious values of houses. To-day it is still almost impossible to rent a house, owners being willing only to seil at sometimes fantastic prices. For instance, bungalows which were built for £BOO before the war are bringing as much as £3500. A good deal of attention was focussed on the Duke and Duchess of Windsor when their ship stopped at Plymouth en route to France. The popular papers featured photographs of them, and fashion writers declare that the Duchess “ has come back to Europe with two new ideas for fashionable women to copy—a patch at the righthand corner of her mouth., and longer skirts, well below the knee.” A sign of a return of pre-war night life to London is a tendency for evening dress to be worn again. Fifty per cent, of the women are again wearing it at restaurants and hotels in the West End. In one restaurant evening dress only has again become the rule.