Australia Cancels Orders For Crockery

Grey River Argus, 1 September 1948, Page 8

Australia Cancels Orders For Crockery

AUCKLAND, August 30. Because the majority of Australian orders for crockery has. been cancelled after the alteration of the exchange rate, 57 men and women employees of the Amalgamated Brick and Pipe Company, Ltd., at New Lynn are under notice of dismissal. They are a sixth of the staff employed in the crockery manufacturing section. They wilt finish work at the end of next week. Over the last two and a half years the company has built up a substantial crockery export to the Australian market, in spite of a tariff of 17 i per cent. When the exchange alteration added 20 pel- cent, to the price paid in Australia it became too high for Australian importers. Efforts to rebook orders are being made by the firms representative in Australia.

Efforts were being made to place skilled pottery workers in temporary employment until they could be taken back, a representative of the company said. Because the crockery trade in New Zealand had not been getting a “fair spin” they could not be absorbed immediately. The firm had to compete against increasing importations which entered the country without duty. ’ 6 The effects of the exchange rate on the firm’s employees is to be considered by the Auckland Brick, Tile and Pottery Workers’ Unipn.