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Otago Daily Times, Issue 24424, 9 October 1940, Page 7

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BRITISH EXPORT WORKS NAZI AIMS FRUSTRATED (British Official Wireless) RUGBY, Oct. 7. The Board of Trade states that if the aim of Hitler and Goering was seriously to impede the commercial and industrial activities of the Greater London area during a month of intensive day and night bombing, it has signally failed. Inquiries addressed by the Board of Trade to member firms of export groups and trade associations in the area give conclusive proof that an overwhelming majority of works engaged in export trade are keeping up full production and. are making deliveries to contract time for despatch to customers overseas.

Even in the most heavily bombed areas works which have been repeatedly hit have been able to adapt themselves quickly to front-line conditions. A typical example is a works in the neighbourhood of the docks, employing 1200 people. This works has been bombed eight times within three weeks. Every known type of bomb has fallen upon mie or other section of the works. A big carpenter’s shop, the genera.- stores, a large paint shop, and s metalworking shop were destroyed so were stocks of raw materials. The principal generator was put out of action, yet the managing director of the company owning the works was able to report only two days after the latest raid that, as a consequence of resourceful organisation, their output was already back to nearly 70 per cent, of normal, and was increasing every day. Another works in the same area reports that within 30 hours of almost total destruction of the premises production for export orders had been transferred under a prearranged “shadow plan ” to another factory in the north of England and the output was being fully maintained. The London Chamber of Commerce has a membership of some 9000 firms engaged in every branch of light and heavy industry. Fewer than 20 of these firms have notified the chamber of the necessity to move to temporary addresses owing to damage caused to premises by bombing. All firms continue to “ deliver the goods.”