BRITISH INDUSTRY

Hokitika Guardian, 11 May 1928, Page 4

BRITISH INDUSTRY

BACK TO NORMAL STATE

BUG BY, May S. The Committee of Industry and Trade to-day published the fifth of six volumes on its researches. It deals with the iron and steel engineering, electrical manufacturing, and ship-building industries.

In maintaining that in no country in ihe world is steel produced of so good a quality as the British article, it is

admitted that British practice may he behind that of particular Continental countries, but both in the ordinary iron

and steel and in special kinds the British article holds the field for quality, so that it is suggested that it would not necessarily be advantageous For British manufacturers to establish in this country very large plants for the mass production of common qualities of steel products. ,

It is declared that the position of the industry is improving, the committee being convinced that this country has got back to the normal state of steady increase that obtained before 1914. It is noted that the motor industry is improving and that, this country is' likely to lead the world in the production of motor-cycles, the only serious competitor being the United States. Britain also loads in pedal cycles, Germany coming next.

Great progress lias been made since the war in electrical manufacturing. The output of cables lias been greater since tlie war than before, and the es ports of telegraph and telephone instruments and apparatus have increased tenfold since 1913. The export of electric lamps has more than doubled in the same period. In the committee’s opinion we have regained supremacy in shipbuilding. The tonnage launched in 1927 rose to nearly ii per cent, of the world’s output.