SYDNEY LOSES £1,000,000 INDUSTRY

Chronicle (Levin), 29 March 1946, Page 8

SYDNEY LOSES £1,000,000 INDUSTRY

PTess Assn.-

— i-: - 0 "• tJNSAtlSFACTORY LAND DEAL LCiRti ^UFFIELD'S PLANS

Mlj f el&graph

■Copyright

SYDNEY, March 28. Fitidihg that hfe. cotild not obtain assufarlces that the Victoria iPctrk racecourge. at Sydney, which he recentiy boughf for £1800 an aCre, would not b'e reSiiindd for racing purpoSes, Lord MtSieid, the well-kfiown philanthropist, tias confracted With a South Australian cohipaiiy to do all the bodyhuilding tvbrk whith he had intehded to do at Sydhey. Iii a long statement, Lord Nuffield feritic'isM the New South Wales Pre rruer (Mr, McKell) and outlined the efforts which his representative had rnade to obtain a statement of the Government' s ihtentions. The positioh is that the Australian Jockey Cluh holds a. two-year lease of the coursa, and that the Sydney Turi •Jlub - has "certain poV/ers of resumption." Lord«Nuffield paid £205,000 for the land afid now leams that the Turf Cluh is pfoposing to reopen the course for racing. Lord Nuffield 's statement was in reply to Mr. McKell, who said in the Legislative Assembly that Lord Nuffield 's representative had shown an "ahsence of care in purchasing the Victoria Park racecourse without colislaering the existing lease and the powers of resumption of the Sydney Turf Cluh." Lord Nuffield pointed out that the efstwhile racecourse had lost its iicence and disclosed that the lessee, fche Australian Jockey Club, had negotiated the lease which was exclusively limited to provide training facilities only. Because of the conditions in Eiigland and America, it was impossihle to obtain heavy machine tools for delivery in Australia under 18 months. He intended to use this time in preparation for the production of a car which would "be wholly australian. Sydney Turf Club officials said that they were willing to meet Lord Nuiiield, hut thought that the placing of a factory on the ground would remove a recreative centre from a congested district. Mr. McKell said this mofning that he was still willing to assist Lord NuMeiu in any way possible. "Lord Nuffield can have the lot at the end of our two-year lease," said the chairman of the Sydney Turf Club. He maintained that the club had made that peri'ectly clear when first interviewed by Lord Nuffield 's representative. The contract between Lord Nuffield and Richards Industries, Ltd., of Adelalde, is worth £509,000. As soon as the State Parliament met today, Mr. Treatt, the leader of the Opposition, gave notice of a censure motion against the Government because of its faxlure to carry through the necessary action • to enable the estabiishn.cn o of a £1,00u,0\ju Lriti.sii mocor industry, in Sydney, and its disregard of the industrial development and sconomic wglloeing of the State. ThS clu'b . is paying £12,000 yearly rental for the site, for which Lord Nuffield gave £205,000.