LONDON’S TRADE.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 265, 7 October 1940, Page 7

LONDON’S TRADE.

WAR DAMAGE DEFIED. FIRMS’ FINE WORK. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, Oct. 5. London’s share in the export trade is not being affected by enemy action. This emerges as a result of a careful inquiry made by the Board of Trade, and reports from firms ol the export groups and from trade associations in Greater London show conclusively that the German air warfare has signajly failed to interfere with these industrial enterprises or stop the dispatch ol their goods for export to the markets of the world. Even in t'he most heavily-bombed areas, works which have been hit have been able to''adapt themselves quickly to the front-line conditions and make arrangements whereby production can go ahead. A typical example is a works in East London employing 1200 people. Bombs had fallen on one or other section of the works; a big carpenter’s shop and general stores, a large paint shop and a metal-working shop were damaged, stocks of raw materials destroyed, and the principal generator put out of action. Yet the managingdirector was able :to report only two days after that as a consequence of resourceful organisation their output was already back to nearly 70 per cent, of normal and was increasing daily. .This works, incidentally, has substantially increased its export trade since the war began. AMAZING RECORD.

Another works in the same area reports that within 30 hours of almost total destruction of the premises production for export orders had been transferred under a prearranged shadow plan to another factory in another part of England and the output was being fully maintained. The Manufacturers’ Trade Association, with more than COO works in the Greater London area owned by member firms, states that less than 1 per cent, have suffered damage by bombs. Within a week arrangements have been made whereby all the works were able either to resume full production or transfer their operations to other premises under a mutual assistance scheme similar to that worked out by moat of the export groups. The London Chamber of Commerce has a membership of some 9000 firms engaged in every branch of _light^ and heavy industry, and fewer than 20 of these firms have notified the chamber of the necessity to move to temporariaddresses owing to damage caused to the premises by bombing. In one industry t'he chamber has organised a mutual assistance scheme under which some' 80 firms have agreed to assist one another in the event of dislocation caused by bombing, and so far not one of the firms has found it necessary to call for assistance.