REARMAMENT.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 45, 23 February 1937, Page 9

REARMAMENT.

BRITAIN'S ACTIVITY.

SKILLED WORKERS WANTED.|| i STIMULUS TO INDUSTRY. 1 ~ i (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, Monday. The effect on industry of Britain's rearmament programme wa* referred to by Lord McGowan, chairmen and managing director of Imperial Chemical Industries, who arrived by the Awatea to-day from Sydney. Lord McGowan eaid hie company was very busy on manufacturing munitions of various kinds and would continue to be busy for nonie time to come. Almost every large industry in Britain was. affected in some way i>r other a« a result of the Governments defence policy, and to-day there was a shortage of skilled workers in England. The defence programme had come on top of a return to prosperity of the ordinary kind, and there had been a heavy demand on skilled labour. Primarv producing countries like New Zealand would feel the beneficial effect of the present good economic conditions in Britain, as the purchasing power of the people was increased, said Lord McGowan. and in this way ft country like New Zealand would feel the effect of defence works in Britain. Demand for Foodstuffs. Apart from the use of extra raw material*, there was «ure to be an increased demand for foodstuffs on the part of British people. Unemployment in Britein had been reduced from 3,000.000 to 1,500,000, but the defence programme alone was not responsible for that decrease. Referring to the production of oil from coal by the hydro-genation process, Lord M<<iowan said that hie company was suceessfuly operating a plant on the north-ea«t coast of England, but he could not eey whether the same economic conditions applied in New Zealand as applied in England. From the point of view of expenditure, he did not think eo. The capital outlay for such an undertaking was big, and he did not think it would be economic. In any case, it would be necessary to make a thorough test of New Zealand coal. Lord McGowan ie accompanied by Lady McGowan, the Hon. W. J. McGowan, Sir Lennon Rawe (chairman of the Australian and New Zealand Company), Mr. and Mrs. Todhunter and Dr. W. H. Strong, a scientist. He is to visit Rotorua and Auckland and is to sail by the Monterey from Auckland on March 8.