1 MARCH 1946, Page 2

Coal at Danger-Point

The defensive battle against coal shortage has now reached a stage at which industrial casualties may be reported at any moment. Reserve stocks in London are down to one week's supply and it is reported that some works are only being saved from complete stop- page by hand-to-mouth action by the authorities. Nevertheless, London is expected to get through the next few difficult weeks without breakdown. In other districts where industrial consumption is heavy the danger is greater. The engineering industries of the north-west are down to two and a-half weeks' supply, which leaves an insufficient safety margin. The figure is an average, and there are some works which have only a few hours' supply in hand. Pro- duction has already been reduced in some cotton mills in an attempt to avoid a complete stoppage. In the Midlands many firms have received appeals from the Board of Trade and the Supply Depart- ments to exercise every economy. Sooner or later some factories will close down—and that will be the sign that the danger-line has been crossed. The need for goods for home consumption and export is such that stoppages are not merely inconvenient—they represent an economic disaster. Yet there is no short term action that can be taken, beyond further exhortation to the miners to put up produc- tion. Hope that this will produce results is slight, when every new concession is followed by new demands and absenteeism in some fields amounts to more than 20 per cent. The medium term remedies are economy, the full use of Polish labour and imports from abroad. In the long run nationalisation may yet achieve something. Cer- tainly if Mr Shinwell's determination to get coal is as strong as his resistance to all amendments to his sill there must be some good result. But success in the long run has the same basis as the avoid- ance of industrial failure in the next few weeks—the willingness of the miners to do their job.