CALL TO MARRIED WOMEN

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26226, 9 August 1946, Page 8

CALL TO MARRIED WOMEN

LABOUR SHORTAGE IN BRITAIN (Special) LONDON, July 3. The British public, listening on June 30 to a broadcast talk by Mr Herbert Morrison, Leader of the House of Commons, was surprised to hear him appeal to married women,, to return to industry. During the past twelve months thousand of these women who had taken up factory work during the war years have been returning to their normal household duties. This was generally considered part of the routine switch-over to peace conditions. Mr Morrison's appeal has, therefore, brought home to the nation what is the most urgent problem of the immediate post-war period labour shortage. At first glance, Mr Morrison’s speech does not appear to be supported by statistics. At the end of last April approximately 16,620,000 men and women were working in industry—only 1,300,000 short of the mid-1939 figure. Mr Morrison himself has estimated that by the end of the year 5,375,000 people will be working on manufacture for the home market alone. This compares with 3,685,000 at the end of last year. The labour force in export industries has long since passed the pre-war level. Production Soaring

The progress in the British industrial revival cannot, however, be gauged by comparison with pre-war conditions, since every industry in the country is working to reach targets far higher than were ever set betore and, as a- logical corollary, needs a bigger labour force than before the war.

At the beginning of each month the Central Statistical Office of Britain publishes a comprehensive production survey, by means of which progress in industry can be accurately charted. The June survey showed clearly that the production curve is -continuing its steady rise. To take a random selection from the statistics—Almost three times as many clocks and watches were produced last April as in January. The motor car industry in April built 15,848 private cars (of which nearly 48 per cent, have gone abroad). In 1944 the industry was turning ,out an average of 175 cars monthly. Last March 44,300 prams were made, compared with 36,000, the monthly figure for 1935. Of these, 44,000, or 11 per cent., were sent overseas. This compares with the export rate of under 5 per cent, in '1945. Since the beginning of 1946 manufacturers of heavy electrical plant have been able to accept close on £2,000,000 worth of orders from overseas buyers. That these examples typify the general situation can be confirmed by the fact that last month’s volume of British exports surpassed the monthly average of 1938 by 15 per cent. The value of these overseas shipments was £ 85,000,000 —an increase of no less than 23 per cent, on the April figure. The magnitude of this first year’s production revival can only be fully appreciated when it is remembered that this is an achievement of a people who, for six years, had been working long hours on intensive war production. To-day the industrial workers of Britain, living on rations below eyen the war-time low level, worried with housing problems, and in many cases forced to switch over to different kinds of work, might justly claim the right to relax. Some British industrialists have, in fact, complained that their workers are asserting this right. Last week, however, the industrial correspondent of a well-known English newspaper investigated these complaints. His findings were definitely encouraging. Though there is some ground for these fears, he said, they are often exaggerated. For example, the production in a wide range of chemical works is 10 per cent, less than before the war—but it is improving steadily. • Pre-war Level Reached A large firm making plastics considers the output per worker to be about the same as before the war. Another, producing razor blades, has stated that productivity is actually a good deal higher. In many cases, where a decline in productivity can be proved, it has been caused by the special difficulties of the reconversion period and not by labour’s unwillingness to work. This latter fact is borne out by one modern factory having few reconversion problems where the output is more than 50 per cent, higher than pre-war, with only 40 per cent, more staff and shorter working hours. Again, in another large modern concern the output per man-hour was very low in the early months of reconversion. Now, with production nearing capacity, it is at least what it was before the war.

The fact that industry has attained the present level of output, despite the considerable difficulties of reconversion from all-out war to peace, may indeed be regarded as a most hopeful augury for the months and years ahead. Today, thanks to the energy and farsightedness of the country’s industrial experts and the support of the workers, the British rate of recovery is far more rapid than at the end of the first world war. As Mr Marquand, United Kingdom secretary for overseas trade has said to-day, “ The success of the national effort of reconversion is surely one in which employers, traders, workers, and the Government can rejoice together.”