BRITISH TRADE.

Hokitika Guardian, 8 November 1924, Page 1

BRITISH TRADE.

A GLOOMY OUTLOOK. AI. f'ls I.A ND, November fi. Mr Albert Spencer, president of the Auckland branch of the Employers’ Federation, who has been touring England. writing to a friend in Auckland under dale September 20th, gives his impressions of industrial conditions in the 1 loineland. lie writes:— “The state of affairs is simply dreadful. and tilings look very black for tincoining winter. The great industries are in a very had way, and every day the position grows worse. Tile key industry, coal mining, is in a dreadful stall-, and many thousands of millers are out of work. Every week mines are closing down. The outlook- in the South Wales coalfield is one of the gloomiest. Tin- Scottish mine-owners who export to tbe raiways in Sweden huge quantities of coal, this year got no share of this trade, foreign competition having stepped in and taken the lot of 30,000 tons. Germany is supplying huge- quantities, and two Scottish collieries closed down this week, In Northumberland 5000 millers will tic- minus a job in a fortnight, and the miners will lose their seven-hour clay, which will lie abandoned. •'The iron and steel industries are also threatened, with slow strangulation and are now feeling flic- keen foreign competition. Several steel Works have already closed down. Steel rails and iron can lie lauded from 30s to -10 s less than our manufacturers can produce here. This is due partly to tlie high cost of production, and those sheltered trades, such as railways and docks, who all demand increased charges for ha idling this commodity. The railways themselves are tec-ling tlie loss of carriage, to (lie extent of four and a-half millions. .Most ol this steel trade lias been captured by Continental manufacturers, and a good deal of Britain’s overseas 'business lias also gone flic re. ‘•One of the chief sufferers is tbe shipping industry. Big contracts arcbeing diverted to Norway, Belgium, and Germany. Steel ships and oil tanks alone, to the value of two millions, have already heen built abroad instead of in England. Shipowners are placing a great number of orders abroad, and tlie directors of one c-om-pnnv congratulated the siiarelioldei s 011 the big saving in tlie cost of construction.

“All manufac turing towns are groaning under tbe terifie load of taxation, whilst foreign competitors are working longer hours and taking full advantage of Britain’s Free-trade policy to pour in their goods. Since the AL-kenna duties have been abolished, huge in creases in imports have taken place. The importation of watches, clocks and parts, motor-cars, motor-cycles and parts, rubber tyres, musical" instruments and parts, cinematograph films and other lilies too numerous to mention is a serious menace to our British manufacturers and a gloomy outlook to our workmen. ••At the present time 1,102,000 men