There have for some time been rumours of increasing competition in the gypsum and plaster board trades. It is now confirmed that Anderson Gypsum Products, a subsidiary of D. Anderson and Sons, Ltd., roofing felt manufacturers, is commencing production in Nottingham. The new company is to raise gypsum from its own mine and has put up a calcining plant for the making of plaster for the building and other trades.
The leading concern in the trade is British Plaster Board. I do not think that the predominance of that company—it has done as much to rationalize the industry as Associated Portland did for the cement trade—is likely to be seriously challenged. British Plaster Board distributed 50 per cent. from earnings of 08 per cent. in the year to April 30 last and, at the end of November, repeated its 20 per cent. interim for the current year. The industry is largely dependent for custom upon the building trade. Besides being used in the making of plaster taths and wallboards, gypsum is used as a material for general internal plaster work on walls in the place of lime and is employed in the making of glazed tiles, artificial marble, plate glass, pottery, sanitary ware, faience and cement. Thus its uses in the building trades are so varied and so capable of expansion that only a real slump in building and constructional operations would seriously affect the demand for gypsum and gypsum products. In addition, specially prepared gypsum plaster—plaster of paris—is utilized in dental and surgical work and in the electrical trades, while gypsum finds employment as a fertilizer, in polishing tinplates, in mine dusting and, in a more refined form, in the paint, textile and paper trades. British Plaster Board, in fact, makes one hundred different products. Diversification such as this makes for profit stability.
The iron and steel price reductions announced last week have, generally speaking, been accepted as adequate by the principal consuming industries. An effusive welcome for the cuts was hardly to be expected. The shipbuilders point out that the reductions will be a helpful contribution to lower shipbuilding prices, especially as he most generous concessions in the heavy section are allotted to ship plates. Even so, builders will not be able to meet the competition of subsidised work done in continental and other yards. Moreover, as Mr. F. E. Rebbeck, chairman of Harland and Wolff, has pointed out, the reductions will also be available to continental builders under the cartel arrangements. An important point, however, is this, that the suppliers of engines and machinery should be uble to reduce their charges to the shipbuilders, who, engaged as they are in an assembly industry, are highly dependent for their costs on the prices quoted by their suppliers.
The motor trade accepts the price cuts as evidence of a definite effort by steel producers to lower production costs to the industry in general. Negotiations are still proceeding between the automobile industry and the British Iron and Steel Federation.
These negotiations may bring even greater advantage to the motor rann. facturers than the actual price ce Movements of Gold in United Kingdom London, Jan. 6.
Movements of gold in the United Kingdom during the week ended January 4 resulted in a surplus of exports over imports by £1,677,000 compared with £2,624000 during the previous week.
Imports during the period under review amounted to £2241000 and included shipments from the follow. ing principal sources; Soviet Union £1,215,000; British Africa £364,000; Brazil £359,000; Switzerland £120,- 000; Southern Rhodesia £70,000 and France £32,000.
The previous week's imports totalled £661,000 including £274,000 from the Netherlands; £140,000 from Southern Rhodesia; £93,000 from France; £58,- 000 from Australia; -£42,000 from South Africa and £24,000 from Belgium.
Exports during the period under review amounted to £3,918,000 and included shipments to the following countries: United States £3,838,000; Algeria 39.000 and Switzerland £27, 000.
The previous week's exports totalled £3,285,000 including £3,259,000 to United States—Reuter. cessions—even a 10 per cent. cut in steel prices covers only 1 per cent. to 1% per cent. of the costs of car manufacturing.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.