Evening star., 1947-02-08
AHIee Regime Faces
Heavy Press Attacks
For Crisis in Coal
BY the Assoeiofsd Press

lister Attlee'S Labor government
faced a severe storm of public
and parliamentary criticism over
the coal crisis which will force a
major shutdown of England's in
dustries Monday.
"Shinwell must CO." three Con-
servative provincial papers pro-
claimed and even the Laborite Lon
don Daily Herald took to task Mr..
Shinweu and other members OF Mr..
Attlee's cabinet, accusing them OF
failure to keep the public informed
of the developing crisis which has
been aggravated by the severe cold
wave that has gripped Europe for
il days.
On the Continent the spreading
coal crisis caused drastic industrial
shutdown in the American zone Of
occupation in Germany, leaving
some 250,O00 workers virtually idle.
About 20 per cent of the factories
In the state of Wurtemberg- Baden
began slowing down production of
heavy equipment this morning in
preparation for a total halt ordered
Monday.
Bavaria, Hesse Affected.
The American zone shutdown was
ordered last night by the American
and German authorities, as coal and
power shortage also began to affect
the, states of Bavaria and Hesse.
Wurtemberg- Baden officials said the
shutdown would last about 10 days
In Bavaria the Ministry Of Eco
non1ics said catastrophe impended
II more coal was not delivered soon
Political tension mounted in Brit
ain amid speculation whether Win
ston Churchill, Conservative leader,
would choose Monday, the day of
the industrial shutdown in the Lon
don, Manchester and Birmingham
areas, as the psychological moment
to offer a motion of censure, a move
he recently announced he planned
to make in February.
Few thought such move would
upset the big Labor majority, but
the newspapers have limited for sew
eral weeks that growing economic
difficulties might put pressure on
the Laborites to form a coalition to
win the united support of Britain's
tagging postwar recovery drive.
10000 May Be Idle.
A Board of Trade spokesman esti-
mated that 100000 workers would
be temporarily jobless as result of
the governments drastic decision
late yesterday to shut off electric
power Monday to all factories in the
country's biggest industrial areas to
keep fuel shortened generating
plants going.
Electricity to domestic users-in-
cluding homes, stores, offices, cine
mas and restaurants-will be Or
dered cut off five hours daily.
Mr.. Shinwell announced the de-
cision to make the biggest shutdown
In Britain's history during a bitter
Commons debate that found both
Socialists and Tories attacking the
government for not meeting the
crisis sooner. Mr.. Shinwell said he
hoped the cut would last no more
than a week
He told the House, eff we don't
keep large power stations running
with such coal as we get within the
next week, then there will be COL
lapse" He said the sudden decision
had been taken because the three
week cold wave and snowstorms
had cut mining production and
blocked the transport of coal to the
seriously depleted power plant stock
piles.
Shinwen Answers Eden.
Mr.. Shinwell branded as classic
example of Tory brazen effrontery"
an assertion by Conservative An
thony Eden that the Labor ministers
had completely misjudged" the
gravity of the coal crisis and as
serted that the nation was con
fronted with the greatest industrial
crisis that has faced us in the last
20 years"
Mr.. Eden was joined in his criti-
cism by Socialist Raymond Black
burn, columnist for the Laborite
Daily Herald, and Douglas Jay, who
until his election to Parliament was
Attlee's special economic adviser.
Another Commons debate on the
coal shortage is predicted for next
Monday by London newspapers,
which are almost unanimous in
criticizing the governments han
r31in0 of the cool cricic
While the power embargo will
bring inconvenience and increased
freshness to millions of homes, the
principal effect will be to curtal
vital exports which are Britains
main hope in preventing national
bankruptcy.
Capt. Leslie Gamage. president of
the Institute of Exports, called the
shutdown a terrible blow to our
export trade and disastrous to our
hopes of industrial recovery"
Cold Takes Rising Toll
Meanwhile, one of Europe's Bit
terest cold waves in over a decade
continued to stall industry, took a
mounting toll of life and threatened
a food crisis in villages and metro
politan areas cut off from supplies
by a deepening blanket of snow.
There was no immediate prospect
: of relief from nearly month of
bitter weather-the worst Britain
has experienced in half a century
In Berlin, where more than 100
persons have died of the cold since
December /. six more persons sue
cumbed during the night to exposure
and starvation. Many new cases OF
tuberculosis were detected among
the underfed, ill-clothed inhab-
itants of the German capital.
The Berlin Weather Observatory
predicted the thermometer would
hover around zero at least until
Monday, when slightly higher tenn
peratures were expected.
In London forecasters were pessi-
mistic.
VERY cold weather is expected tt
continue with some sleet or snow,
they predicted. Later snow is likely
to spread to the south and south
east. Frost will continue in mos
districts day and night and will bs
ACCOMPANIED by strong southwest