MANUFACTURING FOR PACIFIC

Press, Volume LXXXII, Issue 24868, 7 May 1946, Page 5

MANUFACTURING FOR PACIFIC

Australia’s Industrial Future

OVERSEAS CAPITAL AND COMPANIES

(Special Australian Corresp., N.ZJ’.A.) (Rec. 9 pm.) SYDNEY, May 6. Overseas industries and capital are pouring into Australia ia such volume that it is already apparent Australia will become the mam manufacturing centre of the South Pacific, and possibly of the Far East. As conferences discuss the redisposition of Empire defence industries, private enterprise is swiftly moving in to take advantage of the coal and iron resources of this country. Before many years are past it seems inevitable that exports of iron, coal and wool will dwindle and will be replaced by enormously more valuable trade in machinery and textiles. Plans by big British and American car and machinery firms who are establishing plants here envisage complete construction within Australia in two years’ time. A British company is seeking to make Australia “the Bradford of the South” by establishing 30 woollen mills in various States on a capital of £20,000,000. These would handle a total of 1,000,000 bales of wool annually or twice the capacity of all the present Australian mills. The complete output of low-priced goods would be intended for export.

Although the £5,000,000 project put forward by Courtaulds, Ltd., for the manufacture of rayon at Hexham, New South Wales, is momentarily hanging fire until the conclusion of an agreement concerning double taxation, it has not been abandoned. The firm of Cole of California has provided the first example of post-war trade relationship between the United States and Australia by starting production at Bathurst of bathing suits, footwear, and apparel. The capital is shared with Australian firms and at present is £500,000. The company’s products will be manufactured under licence from American companies and the factory is the nucleus of a group of five concerns to be known as California Products, Ltd. Firms manufacturing radio and trical appliances are multiplying rapidly. The Philips factory, which has moved from Sydney to South Australia to allow of greater expansion, intends to produce plastics also. Vactric Electrical Appliances, Ltd., has just announced plans for a factory in Adelaide which will make at least 50,000 vacuum cleaners a year. Most of the capital of

£300,000 will be subscribed in Australia. A former munitions plant at Orange, New South Wales, has been taken over by Electricity Meter and Allied Industries, Ltd., for the production of refrigerators, washing machines, and electric motors. Sir Ernest Fisk, head of Britain’s largest radio electric combine, plans to return here shortly to expand the company’s business in the manufacture of radio, television, phonograph, and. electrical goods Max Factor, the American cosmetics manufacturer, has selectee the Woolloomooloo munitions arnsxe as the site for a factory which wII be in full production about Octocer. The present plan is to supply all t ■ cosmetics needs of Australia and I N ■ Zealand from this factory, ‘stclox will be turning out clocks o 1 kinds from its Victorian factory ir .icut six months. ? most recent of a number of tyre ci anies establishing plants here is F stone, which expects to be fulfil' ng orders within a year from its S th Australian factory.

new Australian industry, the production of cold rolled metal sections, for bui’ding and vehicular construction will be operated by British Tube Mills. Of a number of tool and instrument manufacturers establishing plants in Australia the most important is Morris Proprietary, of Birmingham, the largest maker of rotary files outside America, which has taken over another munitions plant. These are only some of the industries which have decided within the last three months to begin in Australia. As well as materially in-’ creasing the national wealth they will provide an answer to the immigration problem within a very short time. People from Britain wishing to settle here will be able to come out with employment guaranteed.