INDUSTRY ACTIVE

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 740, 13 August 1929, Page 11

INDUSTRY ACTIVE

COST OF PRODUCTION IN ENGLAND LOWERED' l MANUFACTURERS KEEN T 0 1 TRADE There is a decided improvement . in the industrial world in England. 1 The shipbuilding industry is better 3 than it has been for years and a j corresponding activity has been ‘ reflected in the steel, coal and iron trades. l‘iß. ROBERT BURNS, managing. director of John Burns and Co., Ltd. who returned from abroad by the } Marama this morning. spent some months in England and he brings most optimistic information concerning business at Home. He said that the cost of production in the heavy metal trades has been reduced and consequently England is now able to compete successfully with the Continent. In addition to this the manufacturers on the Continent no longer have the. advantages on the exchange which formerly assisted them in capturing trade from England. Labour on the Continent also is costing more than it did a. few years ago. : “There is a general feeling throughout Great Britain that the worst is over and that things are settling down," continued Mr. Burns. “In many cases this has been helped by the disposition on the part; of the men to meet their employers and to come to an understanding—not so much by decreasing wages as by increasing the output.” Mr. Burns stated that the effect of this could be seen in the coal trade. Hours of work have been increased slightly, but the production of coal has increased by about 30 per cent. a man. Manufacturers in England today are not afraid to spend money it" it will bring a return to prosperous business, and he found many of the factories modernised. “They have seen the impossibility of getting the cost of production down without spending a great deal of capital. This they are doing, and there seemed to me to be lots of capital available for any Soheme. which. showed that it could be a. success or a chance of success.” " Manufacturers, said Mr. Burns, were all sending representatives to New Zealand and Australia—either directors or sons of directors. There was a desire on the part of everyone to trade with both countries. ‘ During his stay in England the election campaign was at its height. “The general impression I got was that the people, both Liberals and ’Conserva—tives', were tired of the Baldwin Gov. ernment, probably because 01’- the period of depression through which the country had passed. Everyone seemed to think that a change of. Government would be an advantage. “It was rather curious to hearnaanuEacturers saying that they would support the Labbur Government and give it a. trial:

"An astonishing thing was that despite the immense amount of money spent on the campaign by the Libem als, they made no headway at all. They were spending money like water and yet they went back. The public no longer has any confidence in the Liberals, and even in the National Liberal Club Lloyd George is adversely criticised.” ' . Mr. Burns states that the general impression in England is that it the Labour Government keeps to a sane and progressive polio}r it will run its fullterm, but that at the next General Election the Conservative Party will be returned to power. “The Labour Party in England is not what we Would call the Labour Party here," continued Mr. Burns. He referred to several members of the party, including Sir Oswald Moslcv, who was a. very Wealthy man, and Oliver Baldwin, son of the former Prime Minister, who adopts a pose of dressing badly and in extravagant garb and lounging about with the villagers. It was all. very theatrical.