The Case of Cumberland In this connexion the recent admirable
speech of Mr. St. Claire Grondona, the District Commissioner for the " special " area of West Cumberland, is worthy of note. " We have the resources at our collective disposal," he said, " and the brain and muscle to exploit them . . . what is lacking is . . . . the capital which will weld these resources and forces into a system of sound economy." Capital is not sufficiently available there, yet it is lying idle in the Banks. It is the familiar story : idle Men and idle money must be brought together in productive activity. Mr. Grondona envisages not only an increase in the productivity of factories engaged in processing agricultural produce, but a sub- stantial increase in the products themselves—particularly pigs and vegetables. He stresses the astonishing fact that less than 5' per cent. of the requirements of a Carlisle bacon faCtory which had contracted to buy 54,000 'home- grown pigs this year were provided from within Cumber- land. The attention given to these and kindred subjects by the Development Councils set up in all the special areas will give a volume of informed opinion which will be invaluable to the Government in their handling of the problems. For though much can be done locally, the solution must be, in the long run, a national one.
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