A.C.I. ACTIVITIES

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 9, 10 July 1940, Page 10

A.C.I. ACTIVITIES

WIDE RANGE, MANY INTERESTS

Some idea of the many manufacturing activities and of the diversity of goods made by the company was given in a recent speech by Mr. E. Norton Grimwade, chairman of Australian Consolidated Industries, Limited. The company was formerly called Australian Glass Manufacturers Co., Ltd., and was formed in 1922. It was then an operating one. The first few years were mainly devoted to the remodelling and reorganising of various factories, which were bottle-making plants. It built a factory in New Zealand in 1923, and in 1924 started to put into action a considered policy of expansion. In 1925 it employed 2560 persons, whereas today it employs over 6000. In 1925 it was engaged in practically bottle-manufacture only; today its activities cover. 17 different industries.

These industries include those of subsidiary companies manufacturing glass in five States in Australia and one in New Zealand. Bottles and jars, rolled and sheet glass, and glass for builders and glass bricks are among the manufacturers. Other industries are engineering—with main plants, in Victoria and New South Wales—bright steel and fabricated steel, corrugated straw board boxes, field and bench tools, plastics in a great variety of lines, metal manufactures generally, the working of silica and feldspar deposits in South Australia and Western Australia respectively, and munitions. Mr. Grimwade said that "prior to the actual outbreak of war we undertook the building of an annexe, at our own expense, for the purpose of producing shells for defence purposes. The Government has equipped it with the necessary machinery. We now have it in operation and have undertaken with the Government to produce the shells without profit."

He corrected what he described as an erroneous impression, "that any manufacturer who succeeds in multiplying his number of employees in a few years does so under the shelter of unreasonably high tariffs. In our case, I think it is appropriate to tell shareholders that, speaking generally, we do not work under high tariffs. As a matter of fact, in connection with one of our industries—bottles—there is no Customs duty at, all on bottles and jars from the United Kingdom, and the foreign rate is 30 per cent." The chairman stated that 91£ per cent, of the company's shares are owned by holders who are resident in Australia, and 8 per cent, in New Zealand. There are 5550 shareholders on the company's register.