12 JANUARY 1940, Page 3

The Problem of Torches

The Central Price Regulation Committee has given satis- factory evidence of its existence by announcing on Thursday the prices at which torch-batteries may reasonably be sold. The Prime Minister in his Mansion House speech on Tues- day laid stress on the necessity for curbing all unreasonable profits, and on the part which should be played in that process by the Prices of Goods Bill which came into force on January 1st. The Central Price Regulation Committee, which administers that measure, can by vigour and alertness do much to avert public discontent which could easily become serious. Torch-batteries, trifling objects though they may seem, are today a virtual necessity to every citizen, and the Committee has done well to concern itself with them at once. But the difficulty today is not to get batteries at proper prices but to get them at all. This is a serious matter, for it is definitely unsafe for any pedestrian to be abroad in a town or city after dark without a torch. Official action to stimulate supply is as much needed in this case as official action to limit prices.