Norwich bulletin., 1919-07-14
COAL TAKES BIG
 JUMP IN ENGLAND

London, Saturday, July 12.-Seldom has any people received such swift i and vivid lesson in practical economies | as the British government has given l this nation by the notice in the house | of commons on Wednesday that 1t was 1 raising the price of coal six shillings 1 pc rton from next Wednesday,
 The response has been immediate and specific and comes from almost | every branch of industry in the king l dom, from steel manufacturers, sn'p- builders, ship owners, railwa.y man agerS. gas works and almost all sorts of manufa cturers and industries down to laundrieS and bakeries. They eX- plain just what the government order will cost their concerns and serve mo- tice also, that they must pass the ocst on to the buyers and consumers. Great export industries declare that the increase in the price Of coal will handicap them in their competition with other countries and may mean. in some instances, a stoppage of their plants and nincerase in unemploy- ment The general public is told how much the higher price of coal will in fate living expenses The government apparently meant this to be an ob- feet lesson as to what would result
 from the prevalent agitation for higher
 wages and shorter working hours. It also seems to be trying to throw cold
 water on the campaign for the nation aIfzatiOn of industries by trying to
 show that government management
 does not mean that wages can be in-
 creased and prices decreased indehn-
 itely. Labor has taken up the gaunt-
 let immedia telY, charging the govern
 ment with wishing to kill the plan of nationalizatione and lso~declaring that the government is favoring capitalists
 and mis representing conditions by
 bungling bookkeeping.
 The government holds that the in crease of six shillings was necessi-
 tated by increased wages granted as a result of the report of the commits
 sion headed by Sir John Sankey, and the falling off of production. The pres
 ent position of railways and mines Is that there is government control with
 private ownership.
 The question agitating the country, particularly politicians. is whether the government proposes to adopt the de
 mand of labor unions for natiOnaliza- tion. Colonel Winston Spencer Churchill. secretary for war. told his constituents in Dundee during an ad- dress in the last election campaign that the government had decided to nationalize the railways. Conservative members of the Lloyd George coalition cabinet opposed this bitterly and ap pear to have carried the day. Andrew Bonar Law, government leader in the house of commons, said in the house on Wednesday: Tt is utterly impossi- ble that an industry like coal should be subsidized out of the taxpayers
 
 Sir Eric Geddes. speaking on the transport bill, said: "The surest way to nationa1ize bankruptcy is to go sub sidizing services. Each service must stand on it's own legs"
 Among the statements and esti- mates as to what a six shilling rise in the price of coal means, the Federation of British Industries, representing B. 00O, ,000 900 pounds sterling in capital, l says that engineering products must be inCraa Sed in price from to Q per cent; textiles from to 4: chemicals, 1 gas and electricity 10: building thares steel S6 ton; bricks 5 per cent, and glass from 5 to 10 per cent. Steel | manufacturers estimate their increas- ed costs at two pounds sterling a ton.
 American competition is feared. It is said that Americans are now sell | ing at less than English cost prices in | London. Gas companies say that their l product will cost the people of Lon l don 6,00o,0O0 pounds sterling more a | year.