INDUSTRIAL OUTLOOK.

Taranaki Daily News, 20 August 1919, Page 5

INDUSTRIAL OUTLOOK.

MR. LLOYD GEORGE'S REVIEW. TIME NECESSARY TO ADJUST CONDITIONS. GREAT INCREASE IN COAL. HANDICAP TO INDUSTRY, By T»te»raph.—Press Assn.—Copyright London, Aug. 81. Mr. Lloyd George, in the House of commons, dealt with the country's industrial position. He complained that some people expected indastry and pvoduotion to become normal as soon as the war w.as over. These failed to realise the magnitude of the last five years' disturbance. The aggregate direct cost of the war to the world was 40,001) millions. How could the world return to normal conditions immediately" that *Jtpeiulittrre : was over?' It would take Just as long to adapt the machinery and.workshops of the country to peace tasks as it took to turn them to war purposes. 'Mr. Ltoyd' George said the Government accepted the policy of State purvhWfi. of the mineral rights in coal, but wrs unable to accept Sir John Sankov's scheme- for State rim-chape of the mine*.

He mentioned "that among the paralysing elements of trade immediately before the' war was the f act that contractors Were'ghv of orders owing to the rising ptJ(* of materials, of which there was ft'ehortaie, al«o a shortage of labor and tripikpori difficulties. However, there were itnw 3J millions of men demobilised, of whom only 350.000 had not been abnorbwl industrially, so contractors could Mtfrty launch out without the ice cracking under them.

Received Aug. 19, 3 p.m. Mr. Word George, dealing with the coat question, said nrortnction before the War wa* 287,000,000 tons annually. This year at the. pre-ertt rate of production, tKe-flffur© would be 200,000,000 tons, and ,thia despite the fact that a greater number of men were employed to-day. A ton co.itiOs to raise in 1913; to-day it eo»t : 3 h j«. That was not only partly regpohtible for the abnormally high prices of other articles, tort it handicapped ns in other, countries where production was cheaper and greater. No tariff could jrefce'dy this.

Received Aug 19, 5.5 p.m. London, Aug. IS. Mr, JJoyd George emphasised the fact that the adverse balance of trade must he fared, because we could not prosper Without recovering our international trade, or indeed, without increasing it. Our adverse balance of trade before the war Arm £190.000.000, and now it was jfiafyOOO.OOO. That chasm must be bridged, because at the bottom was Win. 'He reminded the House that there bud been almost a sensational decrease iti the output, which was now less than aver in everv branch nf production ex<*t>t asrrirtilture. We were spending more and producing less.—Aus. N.Z. ■Cafilft. Assoc..,. .._.-, , . ECONOMIC OUTLOOK GRAVE. OWING TO SLACKENING GP PRODUCTION. Received Aug. 19, 11.10 p.m.

London, Aug. 18. fil thVHouae of Common*, Mr. Lloyd George described tbe economic outlook as grave. The slackening of production w6md lead in the long nm to gigantic unemployment and failure to maintain teWrTTfiiwnt gains. The Government proposed to empower the Board to Trade to pWent dumping. Mir. Lloyd George said he attached predt .importance to fostering Imperial trade by improved means of communication with the Dominions and India. REDUCING OUR FORCES. Received Aug 20, 1.30 a.m. London, Aug. 18. Mr. Lloyd George stated he expected peace to. he ratified early in September. »t tras impossible to reduce the army or aavv to the normal sine until all the 9*lUg«rentß had signed.—United Service.