Polish Labour
The recent increase in .the tempo of the negotiations leading to the full use of Polish labour in this country may possibly have owed something to the deterioration of the industrial outlook. But,
whatever the reason, the opposition 46 this eminently sensible move is rapidly being confined to the Communist fringe, who in this case have never even pretended to be concerned with the immediate industrial needs of their own country, and to a few coal-mining areas, where there is at least the excuse that any settlement of Poles in large numbers would constitute a very real social problem. But it is a problem which must and can be overcome. In any case the number of Poles who are to be trained in coal-mining, according to the Minister of Labour, will only provide an intake of 300 each week and it is not feasible that the absorption of such a number will present an insuperable difficulty. The global figures of Polish nationals of which the Government had knowledge have now been given by the Home Secretary. They amount in all to 213,000, of whom not more than 13o,000 can be regarded as potential settlers in this country. The number who have so far opted for the Re- settlement Corps is 65,400 and these are now being placed in work at a rate of over spoo per week. This is good progress, but it costs money, and the purpose of the Polish Resettlement Bill, which re- ceived its second reading on Wednesday, was to provide L4,550,000 for that purpose in the coming financial year. It will be money well spent and the fact that a few officers of dangerous political ante- cedents have still to be weeded out is no argument against spending it.
Previous page
