CAB80-25 — Page 549

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TO BE KEPT UNDER LOCK AND KEY,

It is requested that special care may be taken to

ensure the secrecy of this document.

455

(THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT).

This document was considered at Co. (+1) 5-8 Meeting.

SECRET.

C.0.S. (41) 100.

14TH FEBRUARY, 1941.

WAR CABINET.

CHIEFS OF STAFF COMMITTEE.

るる

COPY NO.

GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF WAR PRODUCTION.

Memorandum by the Ministry of Supply.

The Chiefs of Staff Committee on 30th August, 1940, considered a Memorandum on this subject by the Industrial Capacity Committee of the Production Council (I.C.C./PC/(40)/ 26) and supplied a report to the Industrial Capacity Committee. The point in this report which, appeared to the Industrial Capacity Committee to have the most far reaching effect upon questions with which it is concerned appears in paragraph 4 of the report:

"The danger to War Factories from invasion is

We, therefore, slight compared to that from bombing. consider that there are no areas from which all Government work should be removed on account of the invasion danger. As a general principle, however, those areas from which vital war production. should be excluded on account of invasion are the same as those shown in the attached map. Existing production should remain, but no new war production should be initiated in these areas".

(The areas marked on the map consisted of all areas within 20 miles of the coast of Great Britain.)

The area thus indicated includes a large number of important towns which have grown up round the main ports, in which a high proportion of the industry of the country is normally situated. It also includes the whole of the industrial areas of West Cumberland, Northumberland and Durham, as well as industrially important parts of Lancashire and Scotland. In some of these areas notably County Durham and parts of Scotland readily available than in the main industrial areas such as the districts round Birmingham and Manchester where war production is being developed to a stage approaching congestion. The Area Boards concerned have continually drown

hand and to under attention to congestion on the one

labour is more

employment on the other, and the Northern Area Board on 15th January passed the following resolution;

C.o.s.(40) 287th Meeting, Minute 2. C.o.s. (40) 686.

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