LEAVES FROM THE INSPECTOR'S NOTEBOOK.
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The Passing of Priority. In Lighter Vein.
DR. ADDISON, the Minister of Reconstruction, speaking at a luncheon of tbe Rotary Club one day recently, made the interesting announcement that, after due consideration, it had been decided to make a clean sweep of the whole gamut of priority classification and regulation. From a broad point of view, it is to be supposed that this‘decision cannot but meet with general approval throubout the industrial circles of the country, particularly with regard to the comparative promptitude with which it has been reached. Apparently the only important reservation made by the Minister, in. his lucid yet comprehonaivestatement, is that of shipbuilding, but so far as cart be ascertained, up to the4ime of writing, there are a few other exceptions.
It has been no easy task, this attempt to differentiate between the relative importance of the many elastics of war stores required by the Government during the period of hostilities. Not the least puzzling factor must have been that of attempting to decide when the exact effectiveness of any particular priority grading had been diminished on account of the number of orders existent, at the same time carrying priority with a higher number. This was constantly happening and the difficulty was increased by the necessity, when new and more urgent needs arose, to create what might be termed superiorities, gradings ranging ahead of what had hitherto been the highest,
Admiralty work, Tanks, mines, aeroplanes, agricultural tracbora, and similar requirements all in their turn were made to take precedence of other work which, up to a certain period, had ranged as of prime necessity, but, with the stroke of the pen, all this work had to take a step down, and such action, necessary as it was no doubt, had the %fleet of putting back all the different gradings one notch. Then, again, there was a period, within short memory, when there were so many "Grade 1" jobs in hand that Priorities :3 and 4 were more or less useless. It was net always only a question of whether the shop holding a direct contract could deal with the requirements according to the priority granted to it, but it was the more intricate one of obtaining sub-contracted material, to say nothing of labour, which settled the possibility of execution.
Such difficulties were, of course, in the nature of things unavoidable. Just as the nation's good days and bad days alternated, just as its requirements in one or another direction increased or decreased so far as Munitions of specific kinds were concerned, 80 did the need constantly arise for re-adjusting, at short periods, the whole task to which the nation had set itself as one gigantic machine. The priority regulations, for the original conception of which it would indeed be difficult to settle the proper claimant, although several names have been mentioned, became a necessity quite early in the war. when' work being plentiful and facilities scarce, it was the greatest temptation to give preference to jobs in the shops which were likely to give the best return financially. As the chances of meeting civilian needs became fewer, in the /natural order of things the prices offered from civilian sources rose, and this only served to exaggerate the difficulty of properly ensuring adequate supplies for national needs which were not subject to this enforced raising oj prices due to such entirely artificial competition.
Priority, however, is very nearly dead, and may well be finally. interred at the same time as her close relative D.O.R.A., and with their disappearance from a, very active life, if mercifully a very brief one, comparative industrial and commercial freedom again becomes an asset. On the whole the priority scheme worked well enough for national purposes? and certainly it would have been difficult to contrive the results achieved in any other way. Priority certification brought with it, it must be admitted, many abuses, as, indeed, have almost all comprehensive attempts to nationalize the country's • efforts. It was almost always • possible to secure material both raw and partially •worked, in defiance. of penalties, whatever the priority allotted, providing that the price was paid, and, risky as such disregard for the regulations undoubtedly was, the abuse was one which commanded a very tempting reward. The old saw as to supply and demand again justified itself, even when. so drastic an attempt artificially to interfere with its relations had had to be enforced.
In Lighter Vein.
One of the moat welcome outward and visible signs' of the return to brighter and cheerier times has been the re-appearance in our streets at night time of the lamp, no longer disguised with screens, shutters and dabs of paint. Once again the streets are jewelled with innumerable points of light on vehicles, in street lamps, and to a less extent in shop windows and houses. It is surprising what a cheery effect this has had on those whose business or pleasure it is to be out and about at night time.
Although we have heard quite a lot from time to time recently of the increase in the statistics of accidents during the "no light" period, and attributed by coroners and other gentlemen of similar cheery outlook almost solely to their dimness, I think not enough has been told of the wonderful adagtability of the drivers of ordinary motor vehicles who' have continued, although by no means from choice, to use the streets with relatively so little evidence of accident and misjudgment. Truly, the task of the driver, for instance, of an ordinary commercial vehicle, heavily laden and in busy districts not infrequently on surfaces treacherous with greasy mud, has been one little to be envied, and one in which the risks of collision and of causing damage to other users of the highway has been to no small degree comparable with the chances taken by the khaki driver on the unlighted roads in the battle area in France.
I think at least this passing tribute might be allowed to stand to the unquestionable skill and pluck of those who have had to navigate crowded thoroughfares, particularly in London and in other great centres; after dark—darkness, in a sense that it has never been before since traffic density lias mattered —now that we and they can once more see our way about, The increased statistics of mishaps which we are told are directly traceable to the darkening of our streets, I consider are remarkable from the fact that it is nothing short of marvellous' that they have not proved to be infinitely worse. Had it not been for the skill, particularly of the drivers of lorries, wagons and vans, and for the proof of the very excellent control under which these modern machines may be held, it would literally soon have become a matter of extreme danger for any ordinary foot passenger, for instance, to have attempted to have crossed the streets in the „absence of adequate lights. This is certainly another feather in the cap of the coremercial driver, and particularly of the motorbus steersnian.