Labour's First Year : 1945-46
1946 1946 1940s 27 pages The EXPORT DRIVE is producing results above all expectations, but at the price of continued and acute shortages of essential goods at home. A larger allocation of these goods to the home market is NOW urgently required. Socialists believe that a long-term production plan, wh...
| Institution: | MCR - The Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick |
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| Language: | English English |
| Published: |
London : Common Wealth Publications Committee
1946
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10796/9C2B6194-FC98-4321-A85C-F092B8892E7A http://hdl.handle.net/10796/02DFBBF2-9CCC-4057-ADCB-7A8781E1C13F |
| Summary: | 1946
1946
1940s
27 pages
The EXPORT DRIVE is producing results above all expectations, but at the price of continued and acute shortages of essential goods at home. A larger allocation of these goods to the home market is NOW urgently required. Socialists believe that a long-term production plan, whilst entailing certain sacrifices, from the community, can also exercise an appeal strong enough to harness the people, if taken in the Government's confidence, into a great worthwhile effort. The Labour Government, in remote control and without contact with the workers, fears that more "utility" goods in the shops may lead to inflation; in fact the swollen prices for houses, motor cars, furniture and many luxury articles have a far more detrimental effect on the circulation of money. There is actually a great deal of evidence that inflation is in progress and the ever-decreasing purchasing power of money is a grave deterent to SAVINGS. Although Savings to the tune of £520 million this year are made the cornerstone of the Budget, the strenuous savings campaign seems to be aimed at thin air, not at an objective that the country as a whole can understand. It is almost certain that the expected figure will not be forthcoming and the CHEAP BORROWING POLICY is already showing signs of strain. Further borrowing may have serious repercussions on the Government's credit and the recovery of industry. The next six or nine months should see the re-conversion of industry completed and only then will it be possible to assess the national productive capacity under a Labour Government. Meanwhile, precious time is being lost in not mobilising the producers for a national plan under clear leadership, and ample evidence that there is a Government policy striving towards Socialism. In conclusion the financial programme technically does not contain any Socialist features, but apart from this the most serious aspect no doubt consists in the lack of incentive and appeal to the population. There is no NATIONAL WAGE POLICY and there can, therefore, be no effective NATIONAL PLANNING. The official COST OF LIVING INDEX, going back to conditions as long ago as 1904, is a blind to the difficult conditions of the mass of the population and no wages plan should be accepted before this index is made to reflect real conditions. Frustration and political apathy are becoming rampant, unemployment "pockets" are forming again and individual ardour and enterprise are being choked by an irresponsible and indifferent bureaucracy. Private enterprise is certainly paralysed, but there is little else to take its place. Socialism cannot be achieved without the people's understanding and co-operation, the best financial schemes will fail if they do not account for the human and social needs and aspirations of the people. It is in this field that Labour's policies are most defective. 24
15X/2/98/21 |
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| Physical Description: | TEXT |