ON WAR BASIS

Waikato Times, Volume 125, Issue 20917, 23 September 1939, Page 7

ON WAR BASIS

INDUSTRY IN BRITAIN NEW MINISTRY OF SUPPLY SPLENDID WORK DONE (Official Wireless) (Received Sept. 23, 11.30 a.m.) RUGBY, Sept. 22 In announcing in the House of Commons the names of those who will act under his chairmanship as the new Council of Supply, Dr. Burgin, Minister of Supply, gave in broad outline a description of the activities of his ministry. It revealed the extent to which industry has already been placed on a war basis. Sixty-eight firms are now engaged in shell production beyond those normally engaged in this work. Seven hundred firms are engaged in shell components, 6500 contractors are working for the Ministry, and 9000 firms are either working or ready to turn over to war production. The supply Minister declared that a system of national factories has been,

in effect, brought into being. At the beginning of the defence programme four ordinance factories existed. To the outbreak of the war eighteen more were added, and since then six further have been added. In addition a large number of private factories has been fitted with Government plant for the purpose of war production. Dealt With Speedily As a further step towards the mobilisation of industrial resources to meet war needs, where these resources are at present in reserve the country has been divided into thirteen areas, ensuring that problems such as labour and transport and overlapping are dealt with speedily and with full knowledge of local conditions. Regional directing organisations are now being set >up by the Ministry of Supply. Stress will be laid on the need for machine tools upon which the country’s war production so much depends. By supplying such tools the reserve resources can make a contribution of vital importance. Meanwhile officers are surveying plant floor space and other essentials to ensure that no productive capacity which can be used or adapted for use in the war effort is neglected. The first demands on supply have been met. An example of what has been done is the equipment of the field force. The equipment provided has, in fact, more than satisfied the demands. In addition to what was required for immediate oise great reserves are already available to meet expansions and repair the inevitable wastage. While these and other short-term requirements have been satisfied the larger task of expanding the mobilisation of the nation’s resources for a long-term prosecution of the war are being energetically tackled. The resources of stocks, plant and skill not already serving war needs are being directed to their spheres of greatest usefulness. Criticism by Labour Mr A. Greenwood, for the Labour Party, criticised Dr. Burgin’s speech on the ground that the machinery outlined by him is too bureaucratic. He would prefer to see industrialisfs and manufacturers themselves organising industry for a maxinnum war effort, rather than the civil servants. Denial of Profiteering The Federation of British Industries emphasises the importance to members that prices of common articles should be stabilised to the utmost and any increase in prices not related to increase in costs should be avoided. The president, Mr Peter Bennett sent a letter to Mr Chamberlain informing him of this and adding that the Federation was not exploiting the rearmament situation.