NEW INDUSTRY.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 20092, 22 November 1930, Page 17

NEW INDUSTRY.

siS METER MAKING.

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i faiy (JfIVS Jl 21GW 111" Ke be C launched in Christmanufacture of gas meters. <f«on-pHmentary references to il of the company responsible, * iMer and Mackay, were passed A " _ their honour at Wari,,Wie *i which was attended by - *• - .tocks of equipment, and pre(sjibli,l>. being made for the mprtW** h machinery which will en- * jt+nre to proceed ou a scale £L|X*te witb the needS 0f tbe gjjtb JWMfI- New Zealand repreJb ®* « ijje company, conducted factory, which is in Armagh * < fnrers' Association), t- • **?? Iretery to the Christchurch Jeei F W. J. Beltou (engi®"s°j^Hnrlev' (assistant engineer), Workshops manager), H. O. /sales manager), F. Hanham manacer), J. Roy Smith (secthe Canterbury Chamber of ldU7 F L Hutchinson (a former CwSfl f.Mpnt'of the Canterbury Manu-A-ociation), D. Macpherson KV Neale (secretary of the & is W Anderson, H. St. A. Murray, PW'J' M r John Eobertson (man°of the Christchurch branch of Alder and Mackay) demonstrated ti^rwor f kl h are IQ t t he rS first of the kind - the South Island, supplies having been drawn from Wellington. Say business has been so satisfacthat two additional men will be °SSe luncheon several apologies were j including those from Mr I. i,. Grahim (chairman of directors the nSstchnrch Gas Company) and Mr M. j. Kennedy (manager of the Wellington Gm Company). Welcome From Manufacturers. Mr VToolf said it gave him peculiar rfensare to welcome the representatives of t new industry to Christchurch. They «re what the country needed, m addition to more population. If it had them the unemployment problem would soon disappear out of sight. The firm had teea started 80 years ago m Edinburgh, the first branches overseas were established in Sydney and Wellington h 1910. The branch in Christchurch naa going to prove a great convenience to other industries, in the saving which it would effect in freight and time. At the same rate of growth as was being shown at present, in a quarter of » eentnry Christchurch would liave a population of 250,000. "It is a great tompliment to Christchurch for this firm to start here," said Mr Woolr. "Christchurch mußt be the Tailway centre of the South Island." Proposing the toast of "Messrs Alder and Mackay, Mr Woolf wished the firm success in its new venture. , Responding, Mr Rabbidge said that my firm that worked in Edinburgh for 50 years found out a thing or two. Twenty people were now employed in to Wellington branch, and it had made TOy good progress. In tho last six iar« -half of the business ifl,: .New Zea-. Wfcad been with the SoUth Island, uJIW the purpose of relieving the Wiiljton works and catering better fif tatomers, it had been decided to eAiU a branch in Christchurch. It vunlised that the business depended <a population, and it was hoped later si to employ more men.

&a Industrial Era. Mt Hutchinson said he hoped all condole with him and pray for £3 in his new position on the Unemplsroest Board. Unless new industries mt developed, New Zealand would be iitslvtd in trouble. The growth of the letttdirv industries would stay the retopasion in primary production. "It a still in front of us yet," said Mr Hitehinson. "It is erroneous to beIn* that these small industries are ,Nt worth having. It is very obvious Wthe starting of .this industry- that the wtrj eanndt be too small, and if the Mlopment is generally promoted it *iiMe for the prosperity of the coun- ■ itj." "The Gas Industry in New ZeaW was proposed by Mr KabWge. It had seen wonderful changes, to laid. In the old days it was rePrifd as an automatic monopoly, but it paij fat dividends, and went along flight It did not collapse because t!» authorities connected with it realms that it had to meet the conditions •f the ■ day. New policies were to meet competition. Times y® sot the best now, but the gas inwas getting along better than else he knew of. That state■rtwald bear investigation. There* *» nothing to be disturbed at, as the Watty could not do without the inW'i and it gave good service. No plaes in New Zealand provided a y and that given by the ChristWKh' Qm Company was wonderful. « fleliTered the goods. Even down Tillage gasworks, progress was ""*8 made, and he knew of a corner wHeh was going to pay a divititer languishing for twenty "JMa. He knew also of an electrical "™ *hieli had closed every branch in sew Zealand except its head office in Wdßsgton. The reason for the su»"J® of the gas industry was the en"Buasm and enterprise of the comr®* 1 * Christchurch had taken the the results spoke for theinBervice and Success. the secret of the suc--7® the gas industry was a realisa- £* « the fact that service was the ff 01 ® of success, which remark might # to all industry. Others I ""goishing because tlicy had _® down in their service to the whieh did not mind paying for *IUi The industry they had seen *® B »ering a very essential service. ttet«a were subject to very rigid fl™* had to be stamped by the "T«m«nt. There were many other ' tew. U, l , n,e » not were subject _~*fWttion. That was one of the ? n^a ' r treatment meted fisiuLn 8M industry, which was a coming into its own. The *&Oe H was & very heavy taxpayer -A,?*® 8 Privately owned, yet •Writ* utilities offering the same tt lot subject to taxation pjThe position was that the tfeju was loaded with taxation, emß P e titors escaped. About cubic feet used fcj 4?* Government in this form, jgg, ? gasworks utilised only a y* e valuable products of I®!® n _ day the Government would T ®alise that the gas inasset. |UtmtJ ma:r kct prices of s^ar cs were about the fi* ly had not dropped, and oif. ■ !B P a ®Ws would come into *®t pronjJr industrial era. PresVt gjji/* *ere very good. Ba,d *" e did think eea * time when the pros-

pects had been so bright, and he had the utmost confidence in the future. If the electrical industry was privately owned it could not compete to day. "I cannot understand why you people are prepared to pay 30s per year unemployment levy when the country has an industry like that of the electrical supply, in which £.28,000,000 is invested, and which is not helping the Dominion by one cent, of taxation," said Mr Ridley. "I cannot understand why U docs not pay its share. Why should the electricity consumer escape with out payment of one penny 1" A total of 280 people were employed in the gas industry in Christchurch, and the company paid £25,000 annually in freight on coal, of which it used 30,000 tons, all mined in New Zealand. He

knew electricity was a great boon, but if it was not free of taxation it would be dearer, and if it was on an equal basis with gas many more men would be employed in the coal industry.