Evening star., 1940-01-09
Text of Prime Minister Chombenoins Address
Fighting Air and ond Merely Preliminary British Leader Tells EMPIRE
Allies

W.
view, but all think I am going to
say now about 1t Is this: That whilst
we have already reviewed all our
different precautions, modified them
where we thought we could do 50
without disregarding the important
factor of safety, I do not consider
that the risk of air raids is over. or
even that 1t is diminished, and as
long as that is so I am certain that
We should make a capital mistake If
we were to reverse the policy that
we have hitherto followed, a policy
which I might sum up in this way,
by saying that it is evacuation while
evacuation can be carried on free
from interruption of bombs or ma
chine guns of all who can be evacu-
ated, without the loss. the serious
loss, of efficiency.
And I must say I do regret that
some of the evacuated children have
returned to the towns, not only be-
cause they add to the problems
which would arise II air raids be-
gan, but also because thanks to
the kindly spirit and the unseltish
devotion of the dwellers in the
country who have taken them in,
they have very considerably bene-
flied in health as is conclusively
proved by their increase in height
and weight.
And so l hope that, in general,
parents will consider that it is in
the interest of the children them
selves that they should be left in
the evacuation areas and that they
will look upon the temporary sep
aration of the family as one of
those sacrifices which is necessary
to win the war.
Ready for Sacrifices.
I don't believe that there is any
people in the world who are more
patriotic, more ready to sacrifice
themselves for their country or for
their principles than our own.
am certain that they are united in
their determination to win this
war and to put an end to the spirit
which dominates German policy.
What I am not quite so sure OF is
that they understand what they
are up against. or that we shall
have to face phase of this war
much grimmer than anything we
have yet seen.
If that be so, am not blaming
them Perhaps it is because they
have not been told enough about it.;
perhaps it is the fault of the gov
eminent in general and myself in
particular. I might plead in miti-
cation that have had a good many
other things to occupy me which
have made it difficult to resort to
the platform. But at any rate /
have got an opportunity this after
noon and I want to take it.
Well. briefly, then, my theme is
this: We mustn't think because this
war has not taken the form hitherto
that it did in 1914 that we can carry
on our lives as if we we're still at
peace, We have got to do without a
lot of things that we shall miss very
much, and l am going to try to
show you what. Although we are
not yet actually fighting on land
we are making preparations to en-
able us to do so with the greatest
effect whenever the right moment
comes, and for that purpose we are
devoting more and more of our man
power to the production of arma
ments. That must mean that there
is less and less of our man power
available to produce civilian goods
And you may say to me, But
haven't we got great army of un-
employed? And why can't they be
used to produce these goods?'
Figures Misleading.
Well. my answer to that is, first
of all, that the figures of unemploy-
ment are, to some extent at any
rate, misleading. They include quite
large number of people, perhaps
half million, of those who are
merely passing from one job to an
other.
And as to the rest. well, the situa
ton Is only temporary. because the
great bulk of those who can be
usefully so employed will gradually
be absorbed as we 60 on extending
the number of firms who are engaged
upon armament work, while in the
engineering industry alone. includ-
ing in 1t aircraft or air engine
factories, we shall want hundreds
of thousands more.
1t is already clear to us that the
demand is going to be so great for
labor that there will have to be an
extensive change-over from one oc-
cupation to another. 1 am not con-
cerned this afternoon with how that
change-over is to take place. That
is matter which is being ham,
mered out between employers and
employed And 1t Is only to end
in progress.
My point is that this demand for
labor, for the purposes of armaments,
is going to make it impossible for
them at the same time to be produce
ing civilian goods in the quantities
which we have enjoyed hitherto.
Even supposing we had ample sup
plies of labor. we should still have
to curtail our imports of goods which
are not necessary for the prosecution
of the war in order to leave available
our resources of foreign exchange
and of shipping, to purchase and to
bring home in ships the imports of
those things that we cannot do with
out.
Burden on Shipping.
And it must be remembered that
since our raw materials, like our
food stuffs, are only partly produced
at home and have largely to be i'm
ported from overseas, and while we
are making munitions on the present
scale, we are adding enormously to
the amount of imports which become
necessary to us, and therefore add
ing more loads upon our shipping,
and that shipping is bound to work
more slowly in war than in peace
because we have to employ the con-