Abstract
THE advice of a recent ex-Minister of State that we might well leave after-the-war conditions to take care of themselves finds little response in the world of industry, whether in regard of employers or employed, who are alike viewing with deep concern the industrial and commercial problems that will surely arise on the advent of peace. This finds clear expression in a valuable memorandum issued in June last by the Garton Foundation entitled “The Industrial Situation after the War,” which is fully and sympathetic illy further considered in the Quarterly Review for October bv a member of the group which prepared it. This highly important memorandum has been drawn up by a group of men representative of the capitalist arid employing classes, of organised labour, as well as by men familiar with finance, economics, and administration. It has further been circulated to, and discussed in draft by, large employers, trade union officials, and experts on social and economic questions with a view to their criticisms and suggestions. It is now published in the hope of stirring both employers and employed to action. The industrial problem, if declares, was with us before the war. The dangers of labour unrest and the cry for increased efficiency are familiar to all. But the war has profoundly affected both the circumstances and the minds of men, and has gravely accentuated the complexities of the situation and the peril in which our industries stand. It is strongly urged, since industry as a whole is inextricably interwoven with the social and political life of the nation, that we cannot too soon bring to bear upon the various intricate questions involved the best intelligence and experience at our command with the object of formulating a policy based upon a comprehensive survey of all aspects of industrial conditions.
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British Industry and the War . Nature 98, 236–237 (1916). https://doi.org/10.1038/098236b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/098236b0