Evening star., 1952-11-29
Trying to DenotionoIize

Britains Conservative government has taken
one more step toward denationalizing the coun-
trys iron and steel industry but the greatest OBJ
stacles to realizing this political pledge still
remain.
BY vote of 305 to 26s, weary House of
Commons after an all-night session approved
legislation which provides that the nations iron
and steel plants be transferred by auction sale
from government ownership to private hands,
The auction procedure would not take effect until
some time after next Easter. The measure now
goes to committee where revisions in detail may
be proposed, after which the formality of final
reading OF passage will be in order in the House.
The immediate obstacle is parliamentary
one growing out Of lack of quorum during part
OF the 18-hour debate. Labor Party leader
Clement Attlee served notice that he would con-
test validity of the House action on this ground,
In the form of a motion of censure of the Con-
servative government. If carried, such motion
would mean the downfall of the government and
the calling of new elections. Since the Conserva-
tives have displayed safe working majority in
Commons, however, this maneuver may be more
Of nuisance than threat. x r+ 5as
The more serious problem concerns the ac-
tual disposition Of the Industrial properties. AS
with any nationwide industry, Britain's iron and
steel plant includes big companies, and small
Ones strong ones and weak ones, profitable ones
and others that were at best on the fringe of
prof1t-making when privately owned While the
Conservative Party has taken the all-embracing
position, that the industry should be privately
owned, not all of the previous owners have dis
played great eagerness to buy back their prop
critics. This reluctance has been most pronounced,
OF course in the cases of the less desirable prop
critics and the prospect exists that, even at auc-
tion sale, some of these may remain right in the
hands OF government.
Some questioning also is going on as to Just
what form OF government controls still would be
applied II the plants were to return to private
hands. With British industry heavily. engaged,
as Is our own, in rearmament program alloca-
tions OF raw materials and even of production
are part OF the order Of the day. Proft-makng
possibilities are affected accordingly
further disturbing influence is the fact
that the Labor Party has officially declared that
when 1t returns to power-a more or less in
eVitable development-it will promptly renation-
alize the industry. And on that occasion, the
party has implied that the compensation it will
offer in the name of the government will be on
less attractive terms than were given when the
industry was taken over in 194s
All in all, the problem Of unScrambng the
naturalization policies of the former Labor gov
ernment is not simple one. Thus far the Con-
servatives have initiated efforts in road trans
port as well as in steel, but there have been no
steps taken-or even declarations of intent-with
regard to the coal industry, the electric-power
industry or the railroads. It is believed that none
OF these will be attempted-unless long time Con-
servative rule seems assured and the transition
in road transport and steel becomes easier than
Is now indicated