COAL DISTRIBUTION SIR,—You wrote last week: " It is to
be hoped Mr. Shinwell will give as much attention to distribution as production. Consumers want coal in their homes this winter." Well said, Sir! He certainly should, and that right early. In the late Government this department was the least successful and woula have brought them down in normal times. There was no unity of command and a complete lack of understanding or " gumption." It has been a dreadful nightmare trying to conduct a large business of this sort during the war years. It is really remarkable why three Government Departments should have given so little help, but, on the contrary, hampered and impeded this most essential service. Both the Ministry of Transport and Labour and National Service have done the wrong thing at the wrong time. The Detention of Wagons Order 'or demurrage played havoc just after the war started. It was most unjust to distributors, caused them serious financial loss, which they could not possibly avoid. At the pits a most serious loss of output resulted because of the dislocation of empties and also the fact that a number of pits went on strike as a direct result. The miners were paid on results partly, and they had been granted advances in wages and were receiving less because they had no wagons to load. It was sabotage pure and simple, and gave distributors and producers a very unfortunate start. Another danger and frustration for the coming winter is the fact that the Ministry of Labour is now calling up youths for the Services. Mr. Shinwell should insist that not another man is taken away, and as long as he performs this
arduous and dirty work it should be counted as war service. What in the name of common sense is the use of taking away men capable and willing and replacing them by those incapable and unwilling or not at all?
A Ministry of Labour official said over the 'phone: " It is no use worry- ing us ; 5o per cent. of our men cannot do this work, the other so pee cent. won't, perfectly true." Labour is not only scarce, but can de better. If the weather is severe this winter the Government will allow trained soldiers to help. Why not leave well alone and give the dis- tributors a possible chance? During last winter, like so many others in our trade, I had to visit my doctor. He talked about the coal situa. tion and said: " Warmth is more important than food to old and infirm people, and the shortage of coal was causing extreme distress amongst his patients, and that at least one would have been alive today had she been able to get coal." A woman came to our office and asked for her allocation to be sent the following day. I told her we took the orders in rotation and it might be fourteen days before we could deliver them. She burst into tears, and said her husband was laid dead in the house and she had three young children and had been without a fire for a week. Incidentally, we despatched a motor and she got them out of turn. People in our city used to queue up at the Fuel Office and wait for hours, get a permit for one bag, and then find their merchant could not despatch because he had not the lat our. What a triumph of organisa- tion! Surely a member of the Brains Trust will do better than this. Anyhow, he cannot do worse. By faith I am a Liberal and voted as such, but I sincerely wish every possible success to Mr. Shinwell in his difficult and extremely important task.—Yours, &c., MERCHANT.
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