The Government and the Special Areas The King's visit to
South Wales and the all-night sitting of Parliament have combined to keep the Govern- ment alive to the necessity for immediate action in the depressed areas. It is expected that a Bill containing concrete proposals for their relief will be introduced soon after Christmas. It is difficult not to ask why, if the Government under pressure now admits the possi- bility of and necessity for action, it could not have acted months ago and on its own initiative. It is not, however, too late to repair past mistakes. In pre- paring the Bill, Ministers will not lack expert advice and information. They already have before them for con- sideration the suggestions made by Mr. Malcolm Stewart, by Sir Robert Home's South Wales Trade Recovery and Extension Committee, and by independent enquirers, such as Mr. Powys Greenwood, who in this issue of The Spectator puts forward his constructive proposals for promoting recovery in South Wales. Mr. Greenwood, like many others, believes that the greatest hope for the South Wales valleys is to be found in the development of oil-from-coal enterprises. More than one of such processes can put forward a strong claim for recognition. Their possibilities must be fully explored, less in their own interests than in those of the depressed areas. No attempt at monopoly in thiufield can be countenanced for a moment.
Previous page
