Evening star., 1947-02-12
Direct u. S. Interest
Seen in British Crisis


DANGERS and Risks Shown in Put.
ting Reform Ahead of Recovery
By David Laurence
What's happening in Great Britain
is of direct interest to the American
people because 1t shows the dangers
and risks inherent in putting reform
ahead of recovery.
The British Labor Party secured con-
troll of the government in an election
which showed England's irritation over
wartime controls, but the Labor gov
ernment Immediately instituted even
more drastic control of the economy
and began to emasculate the private
enterprise system by program of public
ownership of coal and electricity with
plans for the taking over of other
industries.
Nothing could be more unsettling to
an economic situation than the uilcer-
tainty produced by the British Labor
Party program, and now that coal
crisis has become so grave as to require
a shutdown of factories in order to con-
serve coal, the impact of the first social =
istic government on the British people
has developed major crisis.
1t is an impact that indicates political
repercussions will follow. Already there
is talk of change in government or
coalition government. The British
Laborites have an overwhelming ma
jority and there Is not considered to be
much chance of a shift to the Con-
servatives right away. After more suf-
fering and more discomfort, perhaps, 1T
may be that the British Parliament will
be dissolved and another election or
dered, but it is too early as yet to
calculate the results of the coal holiday.
Communists Pleased.
Unquestionably the situation In Eng
land is pleasing to the communists who
have been boring from within in the
At time of internal distress in Britain,
Stain has been needing Bevin and try
ing to create political discord inside
England. The cleft wingers" who are
friendly to Russia are criticizing Bevin
for excessive friendlineSs to the United
States and trying to sow seeds of dis
sension between America and Britain.
The Conservatives, on the other side.
are critical because the Labor govern
ment is not sufficiently severe with the
Communists and because Bevin is pur-
suing a foreign policy that appeases
ieft-wing sentiment.
The country which will gain out of
the mess, of course, is Russia. Having
failed to drive the United States out
of Europe, Russia hopes to weaken
Britain. There are some who believe
that England's socialistic program is
sop to "left-wingers, who really would
favor communistic experiments. but
who would be checkmated if socialism
succeeded
British socialism has ventured far in
the last several months but the English
people aren't so much interested in
"isrns" as they are in better standard
of living. They have been willing to go
along with the public ownership pro-
gram in the belief that it would help
them get COAL When the mines were
bought out by the central governments
there was drive to get an increased
output. But, under government owner
ship, output has not been materially
different from what it was before The
reason really is that the British mines
had not introduced up-to-date ma
chinery. 1t is contended that the Brit
ish owners, instead Of investing in bet
ter facilities, were content to let the
industry drift. There was money for
undermining during the war but it was
not done.
Not Producing Results.
In any event the mining industry I'M
der government ownership Is not pro-
ducing results nd that's about all the
average man will ask about. An elec-
tinuance of socialism is inevitable. Just
when it will come is uncertain. Un-
doubtedly former Prime Minister
Churchill. leader of the Conservatives,
will make an effort to increase the
opposition numbers in the hope of grad
ually wearing down the Labor majority
and forcing another election or a.
change in the control of the govern
ment
The British people have tough road
to travel any way. The war left them
in a financially weak position. The
American loan has helped substantially
but it will take more than the loan to
straighten out Britain's economy and
she would be farther along the road
toward postwar equilibrium and the
resumption of her place in the world
of trade if she had a government in
which the rest of the world of business
could have confidence. -
With "left-wingers' pressing from the
top and the Conservatives from the
bottom, 1t looks as if socialism-the
middle-of- -the-road philosophy--will be
ground between two millstones. 81
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