Privr to presenting his Bill to the House Mr. Wheatley met representatives of the building trade vuperatives and the building material manufacturers. He was unable to persuade the former to agree admit to their craft any of the surplus Labour now on the market, r to up-grade their semi-skilled assistants already in the industry.
Their only concession was promise to reduce the years of mnticeship to four, and largely.
increase the proportion of apprentices to men. The manufaeturers agreed to charge no more for their products than the prices ing last January unless such increases were justified by causes over which they had no. control. This promise not to profiteer wi Il" Jconfined to members of the build-materials combine. The manuieturers outside the combine are alleged to have already increased ses. To cope with these Wheatley has drawa Materials. Bill mak-a punishable offence to pro fiteer in the sale of building materials required for house building. Offenders are to be liable to imprisonment and heavy fines.
Telling Criticism The opponents of the Bill have fan embarrassing quantity of telling objections to put forward against it, Firstly, they say it is unworkable because the crux of the is the shortage of Inbour iercased number of appre: tices will not make up for that decency. Secondly, they allege that the nation cannot afford it and Jbsequent government will con-self bound to take over such Thirdly, they that the master builder's lations and the organizations of building operatives have held up the rest of the nation to ransom and dictated on what terms they. are prepared to do work of national importance. The "New Leader" hus no faith in. the proposed penalties for profiteering, and. prophecies that the measure will be complete a fiasco as the previous ill against profiteering was. Many left-wing critics of the Government say that the Bill is no-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.