Trials Of Australia's Great Industrial Surge

Chronicle (Levin), 21 March 1949, Page 5

Trials Of Australia's Great Industrial Surge

Received Sunday, 11 p.m. CANBERRA, March 20. "¥e have now reached the state where oue out of every three wageearners relies on the manufacturing industry for a livelihood while the valne of manufactured production considerably exceeds that from the primary industry," the Prime Minister (Mr. Chifley) said in a broadcast tonight reviewing the changes in Australian economy. "Despite shortages and diffi eulties we are expanding. From the end of the war to June i948 industry hes announced plans for developmental expenditure totalling £141,000,000," In this surge of development more than 2200 new manufacturing projects have been announced and financed by Australian and United Kingdom organisations and Americans. Mr. Chifley said three difficulties against the present expansion were: Firstly, the labour demand was greater tliau the labour supply; secondly, despite a greater overail output of electricity than befure the war power supplies were insufficient; thirdly, the need for coal and ther basic materials had outrun the present capacityto produce. Mr. Chifley said in Some industries the output was fullv equal to the demand, but this might be affected verv soon by the increased volume of imports. " We should be none the less adveuturous in the difficulties lying ahead, but there must be a consolidation of what we have achieved as well as expansion. Evervthing possible must be done to increase the teehnieal efficiency of what we have already. "