OPENINJ OF THE NODULAR IRON FOUNDRY
AT } EKERAL MOTORS-HOLDEU' S FACTORY
Speech by the Prime Minister, Mr. Harold Holt
February, 1967.
Mr. ' ilson, Mr. President of the Senate, my colleague
the Minister for Labour and National Service, and many other
distinguished guests that I see in front of me here this afternoon,
and my greetings to the employees of 3MH who are also here with us.
It's a personal pleasure for me, Mr. Wilson to have this
opportunity of saying welcome to another important adaition to
Australia's range of manufacturing capacity. You have pointed out
that there are few such foundries as this to be found outside of
North America itself and I gather from the information you've been
good enough to supply to me, that not only will this new and valuable
equipment be able to supply your needs here in Australia, but that
you have a market for its products already with your Vauxhall plants
in the United Kingdom, and that the crankshafts manufactured here
will go to supplement the other automotive parts which already are
being sent to the United Kingdom from Australia. A quite remarkable
achievement in itself.
It is, of course well known to all Australians that the
manufacturing industries of this country have been playing a growing
part in our prosperous development. There are just on 60', 00
factories in Australia; more than double the number we had at the
beginning of World War II and the employment in those factories
represents an increase of 125% on the number engaged in manufacturing
in 1959. It now aosorbs through the range of manufactures around
Australia, just on 28% of our work force and when we look at the
number of migrants whom we must place in employment if they are
to build a satisfactory new life in this country, the percentage
would be even higher and certainly in this automotive industry,
it would rank among the Aighest proportions of any section of
Australian industry.
The automotive industry has become the biggest single
employer in Australia today. It absorbs, iether in production or
in repair, just on one in ' ten of ill those employed in manufacturing
industries and, thanks largely to this domestic manufacturing
capacity of automotive parts and asseaoled cars, we rank now amongst
the third or fourth motorized nation per capita in the world. I
like to think we rank third. I'm told there is a uit of an argument
whether we or New Zealand rank third, but if you talk about modern
up-to-date cars, I've no doubt that we compare more than favourably
with our sister Commonwealth country '. hich I have visited so
pleasurably so recently. And so I'm here to claim that we rank
third in the world, falling behind only the United States . and Canada.
A pretty remarkable circumstance in a country whose manufacturing
history is of such comparatively recent origin, certainly so far as
this phase of it is concerned. There is at the nresent time, as we
are all made rather uncomfortably aware as we go about our daily
occasions or our weekend excursions, a car for just on every four
men, women and children in this country and the proportion of cars
to people is tending all the time to increase.
One of the encouraging features of the growing and
diversified manufacturing capacity of the country is the expanding
success we have achieved in placing our manufactured exports aoroad
and just on 12% now in value of our total exports is made up of the
products of our manufacturing ildustries and that percentage is
tending all the time to increase. . e not only make the goods but we
are increasingly capable of placing them competitively with other parts
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of the world and some products which formerly we imported, we
are now exporting to the countries from which they came. For
example, we are exporting now, as Sir Ian McLennan would be happy
to confirm, steel to the United States and to the United Kingdom.
And I have already mentioned one of the basic components of the
motor car, the crankshaft, is to " o from this country to one of
the -reat automotive centres of tEe world, the United Kingdom, as
an illustration of how competitive we have become.
Now, undoubtably, one of the leading contributors to
Australia's success in the automotive field has been the General
Motors-Holden's organisation. They not only helped and indeed
were largely responsible in the pioneering stage for establishing
in Australia the techniques and the knowhow of the equipment and
the large scale production necessary for successful manufacturing,
but they have gone on rapidly and steadily with this process of
innovation with the kind of research and development which is
carried out in the technical area which I had the pleasure of
opening less than three years ago.
Every now and then, somebody takes a poke at General
Motors, feeling that there could be room for some Australian
equity participation and I subscrioe of course in principle to
this concept, but it would be quite a mistaken belief to imagine
that there is not a very sustantial Australian equity in suostance
in the profitable conduct of this mighty and vast organisation
here in Australia. It now has ten plants, taking on something over 20,000
employees. Through the sub contracting and supply that it
receives from other Australian owned and operated factories there
is employment given prooably to another 30 000 people, and I was
aware when I was Treasurer of the country ow much this company
contributed by way of our revenue receipts to the well being of
the Australian nation. I've ueen doing a little research on that
subject not, I haster to assure you, with the connivance of the
Commissioner of Taxes who, of course is bound to secrecy on these
matters, but I have it direct from the stable itself that since
1948 the company has paid either in company tax or customs duties
or matters of that sort a total of 357,000,000 to the revenue
of the Commonwealth and sales tax on its products has brought
us in another 0700,000,000. Now that is think you'll agree, a
very substantial equity contrioutinI to the funds availaole for
defence, social welfare or the manifold circumstances that modern
Governments have to take to themselves. And so I speak in
appreciative vein here today for the contribution which this great
company has made to the prosperous growth of Australia to the
well-oeing of our people and to the strengthening of the nation's
industrial face.
e are these days producin a widely exnanding and diversified
range of nroducts. I had to record quite recently a little talk for
the 1967 Canadian Exposition. Somebody thought out the bright idea
that unfortunate people visiting the Australian pavilion who are
looking for a little rest and relaxation, would sit in some of the
" talking chairs" we will provide. They will immediately be addressed by so."
notable public figure or an expert in his particular field. They
asked me if I would talk about our manufactures. And this is how I
happen to be so well equipped with all the statistics I have been
rattling off to you. But 1 myself was interested to learn that
included now in the range of more sophisticated products are radio
telephone equipment tr . nsistorized airways beacons, the pilotless
jet aircraft we call Jindiviks the anit-submarine guided missile
Ikara, and the anti-tank guided weapon Halkara and all of these
items have found markets abroad including the United Kingdom and
the United States. It's good I repeat, to feel that not only can
we do the job but we can to it on the basis that is sufficiently
competitive and attractive for these products to find their way into
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markets even in industrialised countries, with highly sophisticated
manufactures themselves.
Now this nodular foundry is as you've said a comparatively
rare oeing in the areas of the worlA outside of North America and
it speaks volumes for the confidence your company has in the future
of Australia and for its capacity to export a ' rowing proportion of
its manufactures to other parts of the world that you should have
established the foundry here, that you should have been capable of
doing this with Australian designers, Australian technicians and
workmen and to have produced such an impressive result as we see
around us here today. I am certain that you look forward to a
successful life for the foundry.
I understand that one of my more hazardous tasks is to press
a green button. I've never been mechanically minded, nor mechanically
efficient, and if anything goes wrong following the pressing of the
button it will be a case of human error not through any fault in the
equipment itself. And so formally declaring open, as now do, this
nodular iron foundry, wishing you and your company continued success
hoping that you in your turn will one of these days become a succe; sful
ambassador abroad for Australia, joining that select company which
includes Sarl Daum Harlow Jsae and David Hegland, I now have pleasure
in pressing the button and hoping to hell that the thing works.