MACHINE TOOLS FROM GERMANY

Evening Star, Issue 26087, 29 April 1947, Page 8

MACHINE TOOLS FROM GERMANY

DOMINION'S CLAIMS PRESSED REPARATIONS POSITION OBSCURE (P.A.) WELLINGTON, April 28. New Zealand’s efforts to obtain machine tools and allied equipment as reparations from Germany are being continually pressed, aud some machines have already been allocated to this country. Arrangements are now being made for these to be shipped, but packing and shipping difficulties will still be the cause of much delay. This was stated to-day by the Acting Minister of Industries and Commerce (Mr Nordmeyer), who added that the position regarding reparations from Germany was far from clear. Mr Nordmeyer said that all interested parties would have an equal opportunity of obtaining any equipment which came forward, since it was proposed to dispose of all material through the War Assets Realisation Board in the normal way. Many hundreds of inquiries had been received for plant and equipment of every description, and it was not possible to advise each individual inquirer whether a particular machine or type of equipment would be available. [ll general, however, present indications were that many of the types of equipment for which inquiries had been received were unlikely to become available. Heavy plant and machinery coming within the following categories, the Minister said, would not be available Coke oven and basic steel mill equipment, cranes (factory), complete laboratories for steel mill and other - types of factories, rolling stock and road vehicles, furnaces (brick bound), food processing and preserving machinery, dental leather and bootmaking equipment, textile and woodworking machinery wheel lathes for locomotive wheels. There would be no deliveries of consumer goods and consumer materials or stores. In the light industry group such as that for the production of household utensils in steel and wood final details had yet to be decided and it would appear iliat the amount available was likely to be very limited.