BRITISH INDUSTRY.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 20 April 1927, Page 7

BRITISH INDUSTRY.

FIGHTING THE FOREIGNER. UNITED FRONT AND POOLED SECRETS. LONDON, April 12. A .strong plea for further co-opera-tioiu between great industries and the pooling of ideas and knowledge was put forward by Sir Alfred Mond, -addressing the Leeds Luncheon Club on the “Rationalism of Industry.” Anyone who .studied the economic conditions of the world to-day. Sir Alfred said, must lie. struck with certain phenomena, occurring in almost every country—tile phenomena of the grouping together of industries in larger units, units which at one- time would have been regarded as unworkable and uncontrollable. By analysing the world’s demands such great combinations could regulate the means of production, and at the same time regulate prices, so that instead of curves like the contour of the Alps, one got a fairly level highway of prices, which, enabled the consumer to calculate ahead for years with -some kind of certainty. The rationalism of industry ■ prevented industrial depressions and shortages’, and undue rises and' falls in prices. The difference between slumps and booms was rarely more than 10 per cent, and this 10 per rent was being allowed to govern the world, to create fortunes, to cause great losses, and to disorganise te life of the community. Referring to the “interlocking conditions of industry,” Sir Alfred spoke of the great • differences made by the increase in transport facilities-, and the fact that no country could boast a

monopoly of brains. Ingenuity, or skill. No one knew from which country the next great idea, would, come. He had that morning come from Billinghatm, on the North-east coast, where the industry with which he was connected was erecting a. fair factory for the extraction- of ammonia, from the air. As the result of a brilliant invention, the Germans had virtually the monopoly of this method: before the war. Within a few years the engineers and chemists of this- country had been able not only to equal the Germans, hut to .surpass them.

People who were individualists liked to paddle their own canoe. They liked to think they were, cleverer than l anyone else, and believed l no one could teach them anything alx»ut their own businesses. But take the steel industry. Tll America, there was the United’ Steel Corporation and in Germany the great steel merger of 1.00 companies. How could we in. this country compete with them? Tt was a ease of a disunited force competing with a united force. Strong an individualist as be was. lie felt we ought to be in a position. to present to the world: a combined’ front industrially. People nowadays wanted to negotiate with an industry. There was no time to negotiate with M 1 ’ John Smith or Mr Tom Robinson in different towns. Tt would only he by industries coming together on the basis, of sound finance andi the pooling of knowledge and experience that we should get strength to enable the industries of this country to meet and 1 compete with the great, groups in other parts of the world. In the textile trade- there were the Bradford Dyers’ Association, the British Cotton and Wool Dyers, the- Calico Printers-’ Association, the. Bleachers’ Association, and so 011. In each of these a, large number of firms were..represented. - America, had- an advantage over .some' countries. The combinations there catered for a. country stretching from New York to the Pacific with 120.000,000 people, al! wearing the same sort of hats andi boots and shoes, the same- sort of clothes, almost the 'identical suits,’and there' was- the same currency and the same system of weights and measures. To give only one example, let them translate' that advantage into the terms of advertising. It. -meant that one advertisement sufficed for 120,000.000 people, whereas Britons- had to advertise products in 'all kinds of languages because their customers were so widespread. It might lie said that such big combinations- as he was advocating could not easily be managed. His experience was that it was the small business which gave the most trouble.