NEW BRITISH INDUSTRIES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 1936, 6 February 1919, Page 4

NEW BRITISH INDUSTRIES.

Developments, in British industry during the war were described by Mr F. G. Kellaway, Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the Ministry of. Munitions, in an address before members of the Industrial Reconstruction Council. He said those developments had been very numerous, and were likely profoundly affect the future of British industry. The war had revealed with pitiless accnraey the defects in our industrial development. Many of these defects had been overcome, and, as a result of the war the United Kingdom, while maintaining its position in departments of industry where it had already held first place, was now first in the world in almost every sphere of industrial effort. The electrical industry had been a great war industry, ami would become- greater in peace-times. Germany had established a predominant position, but this would not have been possible without supplies of mica from India and other parts of the British Empire. When war broke out we stopped Germany’s supplies from India and German East Africa. An attempt by Germany to form it combine in a neutral country to impede production in the end had been frustrated. Germany could get no more mica from these places. The British electrical industry had. taken the position previously held by Germany and Austria, and was now (he first in (he world. Expected developments of commercial aircraft, ami wireless, and motor traction, made it essential that the Empire supplies of this vital raw material should he safeguarded. Tungsten was essential to the manufacture of high-speed steel, a vital war material, which to some extent had taken (he place of platinum. Before the war Ihe British Empire produced JO per cent, of wolfram ore, from which tungsten was made, but so successfully had Germany captured the trade that no British manufacturer was able to establish the industry in this country. Germany benefited to the full by the monopoly. Bat nil (his had been changed. Bril isli manufacturers were now in a position (o deal with all the Empire production of ore, and could, if necessary, convert the whole world’s output into tungsten metal or ferro-tung-sten. Ferroehrome was an essential material in the production of certain (‘lasses of steel, and before the war our home production was practically negligible. .In future, our industry would be in the uui<|ue position of competing successfully with the cheap water power of Scandinavia.