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FACING FACTS

PRESENT SPIRIT OF AUSTRALIA. WILL TO SE,E THINGS THROUGH. 'The disappointing thing about Australia'to a lNe\v Zcfitalid'er at tlie present time, writes \incent Freek in a northern journal, is that he never meets any bony in business who keeps up a continual n.oan about depression. Nobody attempts to make you feel at home by saying: “How’s business ancl answering it by saying, “Rotten !” before you have time to make the threatbare repty: ‘ ‘Corporally 1 alii well, but financially I am a corpse.” Definitely that lias ceased to be regarded as humorous in Australia. While in Sydney and Melbourne recently I had the opportunity of talking with dozens of business men, not .aboiuifc politics—of which they have grown somewhat contemptuous —'but about them - own business. On every hand I found a return cf confidence, of the fighting spirit, of-the determination to survive and retain t-he- things worth living for. Australian business men have done Lome vvoiiidei'iiul finings, lake this case of a large factory which' -is similar to many other cases. In -1931 the directors budgeted for a loss of £40.000 and lost £38,000. Half / the factory was ctUosed and about 600 operatives were out of work. It was apparent that no factory could stand very much of that sort of thing.

‘‘REFORM OR GO I'NDER/’ Tho general manager, who told me about it, said quite franloly: “Me had grown soft when times were easy. Now it was' reform or go under; For the first time we determined upon some real campaigning. We sent one of iOUir directors abroad to revise the buying of our materials. We determined what we would make and what the public would pay for. Tt meant giving a groat deal more value foi money and lowering our prices by about one-third. Virtually we had to build something the other man could not, make and offer it to the public on such attractive terms that they could not refuse .it. We had to do' this without .sacrificing our reputation for quality. Having. determined the minimum output, which would enable us to sell at this low unit cost, we ' had to go about selling it. I “In the old days our advertising pro- ! gramme bore little relation to our selling policy. We just gave a certain sum of money to omr advertising department and let them go ahead. But we do not do that to-day. That is what we may term, skirmish fighting. To-day we plan the campaign. The advertising department confers with and gets its: direction from the sales department after we have determined'upon ; what we will make‘rand what our selling policy is to lie. “Then we prepare our dealing compaign, all our window and counter trim and newspaper advertising. ouf' sidesmen go ‘over the top’ and the selling •and advertising campaign ip .carried out to the hitter end, without cessation or alteration. In 1932 we increased our turnover by 67 per cent., put all our operatives and machines • back into work, and .showed a profit.”

(ANOTHER FACTORY’S EXAMPLE. : In rir.bther factory,' employing 1200 hands, I s&w additions being rushed up. An extension, the size of' which was. equivalent to what would call a sun-V star.tial .factory iu New Zealand, had . been • planned and built in 10 weens. 1. One very large retailer complained that the pressure of orders in th\> factory had ffieon such that they could not supply hjm with goods, which would have given him an extra. £15,000 turnover in the last three days before Christmas. You will' see that there i. 3 still some money in the Commonwealth, and the Australian, under pressure of necessity, is not the sun-soaked, easy-come, e.asy-go individual w e have been taught lie is liable to be. Confidence is written in letters a mile high across Australia. Rotter seasons and slightly better prices for wool have something to do wi'th it, but largely this confidence is bred from within, as the result of the successful tackling of what seemed to be insuperable problems. Whatever Australia may have to face in. the future, v**n may rely upon it that she has learned a lesson, and she will emerge triumphant from her difficulties. If you think. I have painted too glowing a picture, let me tell you that I .saw things which were ,still moie inspiring—families reduced to- actual poverty, ruined in the succeeding stages of the slump, facing the position squarely and fighting their way back with no whimpering. THE SHIR I !' THAT MATTERS. You see youth, with its feet tingling for th e first step, 3 of a career, nimble to find',a job. You , s e? amiable wasters, with no ambition, floating airjlv around on the bounty of their friends. It is fch € spirit thet matters. The will to survive, to overcome difficulties, to maintain’a standard of living worth fighting for. You do not see the samp reckle-s spending in Australia- as of yoie. Things are quieter ; the people as a whole arc a little more- sober, moi o on the job. ( Yet they still love play in 'their genial climate. On a tendays’ launching trip sit Christmas I saw not a hundred, but thousands of launches and yachts, a number of them costing above £IO,OOO. The beaches were crowded. Peopl,, had money to spend, and were spending it. No ; Australia is coming back fast. With, it,, climate, its .seemingly endless natural .resources and its fighting spirit, you can depend upon it. The Australians are peeing it, tinougly

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/HOG19330224.2.64

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Hokitika Guardian, 24 February 1933, Page 8

Word count
Tapeke kupu
912

FACING FACTS Hokitika Guardian, 24 February 1933, Page 8

FACING FACTS Hokitika Guardian, 24 February 1933, Page 8

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