"STRATFORD EVENING POST." WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER. THURSDAY, MAY 6, 1926. AMAZING REORGANISATION

Stratford Evening Post, Volume LVIII, Issue 82, 6 May 1926, Page 4

"STRATFORD EVENING POST." WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER. THURSDAY, MAY 6, 1926. AMAZING REORGANISATION

It is a remarkable tribute to the inherent organising ability of the British. nation that within the space of a lew clays the food and transport services throughout Britain Jiavo been taken over ]>y the Government, rein aimed and scheduled, and are conveying and feeding the country’s vast population with a minimum of delay and inconvenience. An army of volunteer labourers lias been organised and classified., and the work of training them for their new duties has proceeded so rapidly that within three days the main, rail and road transport services have been set in motion, and the underground railways ol the City are providing trains every six minutes. The most serious phase yet to be overcome is the resumption of the huge shipments of vegetables, moat and dairy 'produce from France, Holland, Belgium, Denmark and Sweden. Th e . wharves are. at a. standstill for want of labour but much of this difficulty will probably ho effaced this week by the employment of the naval forces and free labour. It is noted that the officers and clerks of the shipping companies have doffed their coats and are lending a helping hand'. To what extent the relief forces will he permitted to go without interference by the strikers remains to he seen. The newspapers, being regarded as the organ for Government, propaganda, or the expression of public and moderate views, are. still being -suppressed by the Labour Unions and to keep the public appraised of the progress of events the Government are publishing news per media of gazettes and by broadcasting. An analysis of the facts leading to the cause of the strike shows that to assist, the producers t 0 recover from the slump consequent upon the- war a subsidy wn s paid to. the mine owners and cheap coal was thereby made available for manufacturing, for shipping, and even for household use, and advantage was taken of the position by the coal owners to, exploit outside markets. This liberation of cheap coni re-establishocT the coal industry, and was one of the primary reasons for the recovery of Britain’s industries and her export trade. Then came serious competition in the form of oil fuel, and the conversion of hundreds of vessels to oil burners .materially reduced they demand, whilst the output still continued until excess stocks were held at • the pit's and in the depots. The competition from nil reduced the value of coal and the coal stocks produced at ly high cost, inclusive of subsidy, cannot. now be disposed of at a profit. Oil and foreign competition are keeping the- 1 price down; 1 and only -a reorganisation of the business and a lower cost. of. production will make possible a resumption of the industry to' its lull extent. 1 The total mined annually, is 250,000,000 tons, and of this l 80,000,000 tons are consumed for domestic purposes ami 150,000,000 ton s are used to fill the industrial demands of the country. The balance of 70,000,000 tons was exported before the Avar, now only 30,000,000 tons find a foreign market. The result is that in the keen competition for markets many of the mines do not pay, and it is estimated that one-fifth of the pits are on an uneconomic basis.,To close these would mean throwing 250,000 men on the unemployed dole, and it is to avert this that the commission suggested mine amalgamations.

When Mussolini and the Italian Fascist! emerged from a. storm kn Communism raging in Italy, it never was thought possible that & similar body, but minus the Dictator, would arise in England and function in the same manner, namely, to offset anticonstitutional movements and to keep a rational balance in public affairs. And yet to-day the British Fascist! is a force to ,be reckoned with, it Is one of the major powers co-operating with the Government to withstand the crushing effects of the present calamity. It has branches in every town fcvnd village in England, and in addition to co-operating actively in the maintenance of transport and general services, it is of assistance to the police in maintaining order and keeping open all avenues of trade. In the early stages of the strike the Government looked with suspicion at the “Blackshirts,” but now the true motive, of this huge league of “Moderates” is apparent and their cooperation is welcomed everywhere. From almost all parts oi the world messages of sympathy have reached the responsible bodies in England, and confidence is expressed that the nation will, as usual, rise superior to her troubles, but what a. heartburn it must be to every thinking Britisher to realise that, just as England had extricated herself from the worstindustrial depression in her history, she should, have been thrust back many years in the race tor progress. tmoMumaaßaavau^