EMINENT ENGINEER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21112, 20 February 1932, Page 10

EMINENT ENGINEER.

VISIT OF SIR W. ELLIS. I BUILDING GIANT CUNARDER. SHIPOWNERS FACE CRISIS. [BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.] WELLINGTON. Friday. Sir William Ellis, managing director of John Brown and Company, Sheffield and Glasgow, the great shipbuilding firm which built the Rangitiki and her two sister ships for the New Zealand Shipping Company, arrived by the Rangitiki today, accompanied by Lady Ellis. The firm is at present entrusted with the building of the giant new Cunarder, on which work has temporarily ceased. Sir William is retiring from active work after 53 strenuous years in various branches of engineering and he is taking his first opportunity of visiting New Zealand and Australia. He is specially interested in the New Zealand Alps, in view of his long association with climbing in Switzerland. Referring to the acute situation in India, Sir William said the position was being watched with great anxiety in England. He felt that the advent of the National Government in Britain would lead to the introduction of a firmer policy with regard to the Indian problem and would to some extent abate the revolutionary spirit, which had resulted in the murder of a number of Europeans and many disturbances. Ihese arose out of a feeling that England was not willing to show a sufficiently strong hand to suppress outrages. Since he left England hostilities had occurred between Japan and China, and the position would undoubtedly require verv careful handling internationally to avoid other countries becoming involved. No doubt the Japanese had veiy stiong reasons to justify their landing tioops at Shanghai, but the information so far available had not divulged what their real grievances were. The industrial position in Britain was very unsatisfactory, said Sir William. The National Government had a mandate to take whatever action was thought desirable in the interests of industry and trade and it was hoped that the tariff measures it proposed to introduce would result in benefit to the Home Country. They would certainly not be adopted in such a way as to prejudice the interests of Britain's overseas dominions. Properly applied, they should lead to fuither facilities for inter-trading with the Old Country, it being felt- that Britain was in a unique position relatively to otlTei nations for co-operation with her overseas associated countries, resulting in further development of mutual trada. "The shipbuilding industry in which I am largely interested is in a very unsatisfactory condition," said Sir William. "It is very adversely affected by the American financial position, which has is suited in many important .liners being laid up owing to the volume of American travel having fallen off so seriously. Naturally, shipowning companies dare not embark "on building further tonnage, in spite of the favourable prices ruling at present, until they can see a reasonable prospect of the volume of foreign tiavel materially increasing. An instance of this is present in the minds of many people in the case of the 1000 ft. Cunardei on which work has been suspended for the time being for financial and economic reasons." Sir William and Ladv Ellis will spend five weeks in New Zealand and will visit Christchurch, en route for the Heimitage.