BRITISH MADE CLOCKS

Greymouth Evening Star, 16 October 1939, Page 3

BRITISH MADE CLOCKS

LOST MARKET RECAPTURED LONDON, August 28. Great Britain, after a nine years’ struggle, has captured the home market for better quality clocks, and ended the virtual monopoly enjoyed until recently by Germany. Since 1930 the industry in this country has been gradually re-establishing itself, until now the value of British clocks, sold at home is greater than that of clocks imported from Germany. Thus British craftsmen have regained the supremacy they lost a century ago. To-day 2,000.000 British clocks, of an average value of well over £1 each, are being sold here, compared with 05,000 in 1930.

In the 12 months to last December, clock imports numbered just over 4,000,000, of a total value of £551,000, or approximately 2s fid per clock. Germany supplied 3,000,000. other foreign countries 1,000,000, and 42.000 were imported from British Empire countries.

With the rise in home production imports have shown a gradual decline. In 1930 they numbered 5,000,000. Mr. F. B. Cowen, secretary of the British Clock Manufacturers’ Association. said:

“We have 20 member firms, and they are all very busy. Last year's encouraging progress has been well maintained, and their aggregrate production for the first six months of 1939 must have been, well in excess of the German imports in value.

“There are a number of reasons for the revival. One of the chief, perhaps, is that while the standard of the British article has been improved, its German counterpart has declined in quality.

“Germany's concentration on munitions has had a harmful effect on her clock industry, whereas our own manufacturers, despite the fact that they are playing an important part in the rearmament programme, have not sacrificed their 'bread-and-butter' lines. “The Black Forest—traditional home of the German clock-making industry — is in the heart of the Siegfried Line area, and the machinery has proved very useful in the manufacture of arms.”

An official of one of Britain's largest clock-making firms said: “In the days of Tompion, Graham and Harris we monopolised the clock and watch-making industry of the world.

“These pioneers, however. never took kindly to the wonderful machinery which was introduced to dispense with the old laborious and costly hand operations, and the market passed io the Germans and. Io a less extent, the French. “Before lik’d' £l's worth out of every £lOO worth of clocks sold in this country were of foreign make. Our £5 worth of the market, moreover, was represented to a large extent in the production of master clock systems land precision instruments such as chronometers. rather than domestic clocks.

“Now British manufacturers are getting t>l) to 70 per cent.'of the home i trade. The 28 per cent, subsidy paid 'to the German industry entirely wipes ■ out the effect of our tariff protection, but the quality of our goods is such that the public has at last realised

the superior value of the home product . “There will, no doubt, also be a serious effort made Io gain similar sttc-<-ess in the manufacture of watches. The Swiss are at present unrivalled in this industry. They produce '4o.ii(i(i.(i(io watches a year, and export to every country in the world,”