Bridging the Gull.
Page 5
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By"The Inspector."
I. AMNOT ALTOGETHER enamoured of the term
" reconstruction' which is 'being chattered into
general aCteptanee as .being -descriptive of the efforts that willhave to be made to recover our national balance,. once peace is declared. Various far from instructive or illuminating opinionS are already being expressed: as to. what is to happen to us all eonisne.rcially when the Kaiser's particular business .ha s• been put into the hands of a Controller. Before we'begin to theorize as to the 'particular manner in which to tackle this almost overwhelming, problem we ought to attempt to get into our 'minds a somewhat , clearer idea of what is certainly going to happen at
the end of the war. .
, I do not fancy the word " reconstruction" ; it savours too much of a new lease of life for a Company *lila has been drivento some such, expedient to prolong its existence. The British Empire will be in no need of such a Subterfuge. Why should we not Write of " reorganization,' or, better still, of
".recovery "I •
. Whatever we call it, the problem: is the same, and it will be an even greater one than any of those wartime difficulties which we have already faced. We have to plait means to return. the nationto its original work on a scale enormously increased, to
• ensure safe transition from over-control to selfcontrol.
Every tiny link in our national machinery will be affected in some way or another, and as '" transport is the life of trade" the Problem is one to which all we. of the mechanical-transport industry must give our closest attention. Very few are the industries not now doing something, if nett all," for the war." There will not he many left which will not have to take part prominently m the coming 'great national recovery.
Many of us bold contracts for carrying out some form of national service, and those contracts net in
frequently state a period within which we can be called upon to stop work, whether it be lorry-building periscope-polishing. It is not every contractor . who is so fortunate as to be doing Something for the v. a r which will be equally useful to the community in peace-time.
I am glad I am not a contractor for gasmasks, for instance. Supposing the Government—as eventually it will—to reach a period when it cannot with honesty. become responsible for acquiring more shells, more guns, and it has to stop, with snore or less suddenness, most of its orders for such supplies. •• What is to take their place as suddenly? Is it generally realized that it maby take a year or.more
certainly months—after active' hostilities cease to • secure the necessary sureties andguarantees for the peace we are resolved to have?' Is, it not likely that _ during that period munitions-making will have to slacken down? Yet no plant must be dismantled. It , will have to be on the alert to reechArn out war supplies should the negotiations prove a:bortive.
During the negotiations there will be little opportunity to do more than to prepare to reconstitute.
,..We. Shall hate ,great tasks ahead of us in merely clearing 1,1P. .the .devastated areas of France, Belgium, SerVia„ Italy. and Russia. • Middle Europe will have to be helped to "recover " before the wheels of industry begin to hum at anything like ' a respectable note for burposes akin to those that kept them busy. before the. war. I fear. , there is too 'much suggestion' already abroad that it • will be only a question of ringing down the curtain en the Tragedy of Europe to ring it' Up again to the tuna of ". Hail, Smiling Morn,"
It will be necessary to prepar,q with the utniost forethought for the. dangerous and uncertain period' between war and peace before we can effectually lay plans for peace-thrie proper. Not for many months will the Ministry permit us to scrap the shell-handling' jigs which have served so good 'a turn. •
surmise this will be a period of rationing and a very difficult one, too, full of heart-burnings and trade jealousies. For our own industry this will not be so diffifult, for much of our war-time effort will be 6f use'. T , in peace. Supplies of. material will be scarce andlabour, will be difficult, but the transition period may be, and doubtless will be, turned to good account," at any rate so far as those factories are concerned which have been busy en direct vehicle contracts of one sort or another.
Perhaps most of us have been a little inclined to permit the dread of the " returned. chassis " to obscure the more likely issues of the after-thepea.ee situation. I am one of those who think that, having been forced by Prussia to become one of the greatest military powers of the world, we shall not lightly relinquish that position.
I imagine that for the sake of the peace of the world we for years to come shall have to act as one of .. its armed policemen. Until international burglary on the grand scale dies out With the growth of democracy we shall need our newly-acquired and colossal equipment. Germany would never have dared to invade Belgium if we, in 1914, had possessed an army of six millions. She is never likely to dare the whole world again.
Finally, I believe we shall need to retain our tens of thousands of army lorries and the rest of our, warlike impedimenta. Much will be scrapped, much more will never be brought back, while the bulk will be retained. • What the world, in its coming great effort to -restore peacabIe conditions, wilt require for transport purposes, ships, locomotives and motor vehicles-of all kinds, it .is ithpossible to hazard a guess; but it will bemore than our own 'greatly-expanded industry can hope to assimilate for years to come. Whether there will be -money for luxuries I have my "doubts, but there will be for lorries. An it is up to us to supply
them. .
I t is not the function of the " CM." to consider the question.. of national recovery, as a Whole. We cart all, do that with more effect elsewhere, but here and now we must prepare for the troublesome peacediscussion period, when our hands will be tied, as well as for subsequent schemes of great outplit, improved design, specialized production, changed labour con, ditions, and the much more widespread application of. the commercial motor. I think we are all,agrced Motor tranep-ort must play a bigger part in th:2 future than it has in the past.