Eighty years ago this a system of generous support for university students is born

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The British government announced that it was to introduce a system of financial support covering both tuition and maintenance costs for university students from families of modest means who had won scholarships. The level of the support was not disclosed but it would be available in full to students whose families earned less than £360 a year with diminishing amounts up to family income of £1500. Thus began the generous system from which generations of students benefited. 

The bill nationalising the coal industry was finally passed after a prolonged and sometimes acrimonious debate. Opposition criticism focused on the proposed structured for controlling the industry once in state hands. Having an appointed board in charge was described as state capitalism; its members would be, at best, trustees, at worst, bureaucrats. Unspoken was the reality that coal mining would still be pursued as a business with the profits (such as they were) going to the workers rather than individual owners. It was observed that no attention had been given to reorganising an industry which was in dire need of it. 

A labour dispute in the US rail network escalated into a major conflict. Two key unions led by former allies of President Truman refused to accept a settlement and were commited to a strike which would cripple the whole rail system. Truman responded with an executive order which brought all rail operations under government control. 

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