LANGUISHING INDUSTRY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18553, 10 November 1923, Page 12

LANGUISHING INDUSTRY

STAGNATION IN BRITAIN.

TWO NOTABLE EXCEPTIONS.

BUILDING AND MINING.

The depressed state of industry in Great Britain was discussed yesterday! by Mr. W. A. Robertson, of Melbourne, who is spending a few weeks in Auckland, prior to returning to his home. Mr. Robertson is no stranger to Auckland, having, as general manager of the Ferro Concrete Company of Australasia, supervised the construction of the Grafton Bridge between 1907 and 1910. Mr. Robertson spent some years in Britain, his business having to do with fuel economy in the generation of steam, taking him largely into the industrial, districts. In all trades, he said, the depression was general, and unemployment was expected to bo worse in. Enttom this winter than during any of the three preceding. The temper of the workers under these trying conditions was more tranquil than might bo expected, iney seem to accept the economic necessity that trade had for the time deserted the country. Even in Glasgow, where trie doctrine of Communism had most sway, there was no ugly spirit abroad. The, unemployment -doltk had undoubtedly saved Britain from a social catastrophe, in Mr. Robertson s opinion. He said in New Zealand he had found a mistaken impression as to the nature of the dole. It was not a gratuity, as many thought, but a payment under the national unemployment insurance scheme When employed, the workers had paid a certain sum weekly into the insurance fund, and this was supplemented by employers' contributions in fixed proportion, with a Government subsidy added. Ihis scheme had been Britain's salvation against the menace of unemployment. Clyde Shipbuilders Idle.

In September Mr. Robertson made a trip down the Clyde, and from the attenuated sound of hammers in the snipbuilding yards, he judged there were not 1000 men in the works, where 45,000 had been employed in more prosperous days. This stagnation had been of long duraThe cause was easily explained. There •was in existence /more tonnage thr.n there were freights offering, and the cost of . new ships was almost prohibitive. Mr. Robertson quoted the cost of two ", Empress '■ passenger liners built fo;» the Canadian Pacific Railway, one completed before the war, costing £550,000, and once since, £1,750,000. It was true that the newspapers recorded <the fact) that orders had been placed in various yards, for new ships, but these were at a certain price, and no building could take place until prices receded to that level. The orders were listed as they were received, and would be discharged in that order. , The building trades and coalmines were almost the only exceptions to the genelal depression. Much coal was being sold for export at good prices, and ne miners were everywhere working full time. South Wales could be said to bo living on its coal seams at the present time. Activity in the building trade was also general, especially house building. The Glasgow Corporation had been particularly active in providing homes for workers, and had erected some thousands. These were generally grouped in garden suburbs, laid out recording to town-planning models, and were excellent examples of what could be done in «,his way on a large scale. Many of the houses were of two storeys, each being a sef* contained flat for a family. Each house -~ad its own garden, and each comunity aj area for recreation, the latter maintained by the corporation. Electricity versus Gas. .An interesting .test of the relative economy of electricity and gas Was being made in these houses, said Mr. Robertson. Some were heated and lit entirely by electricity and some by gas. >>o final conclusion had yet been reached. Tne electricity was . generated by the corporation at one large steam plant consuming 750,000 tons a year. Many of ihe new houses were being constructed in concrete. Concrete blocks were largely used. AH over Britain concrete w.is be:ng increasingly used in the construction of all classes of work. The conservative policy if banks in financing trade was also touched on by Mr. Robertson. Advances were being made to exporters and traders only o-i orders actually in hand. A manufacturer would receive an order for, say. £45,000 worth of goods. The bank would advance against that for wa,.:e3, raw materials, etc., if it was satisfied after examination that the customer could pay for the goods on delivery. But the banks would not finance further than they could see.

Returning to the depression in all branches of the iron and textile trades, Mr. Robertson said: "It was painful to walk through the yards and works—they were like the deserted graveyards of hi dustry." In the Black Country—Sheffield, Leeds, Wolverhamptonthe smoke used to be as a pall over the land. Today the workers enjoyed a clearer atmosphere than for decades past, but with it had to take the bitter bread of idleness.