Thread: VANISHING INDUSTRIES AND NATIONAL SECURITY

In 1965, when I started as a trainee technician with the Overseas Telecommunications Commission (trained by the Dept of Civil Aviation), we went on numerous "school" excursions to electronics manufacturing plants, e.g. IRH (International Resistor). AWA Semiconductor (Five Dock - near Bunnings (previously Peak Freans)) and valve manufacturing plants (Rydalmere), Philips Components (Rhodes), Thomas Electronics (CR Tubes), Ducon (capacitors), Rola (loudspeakers), etc.

Federal Govt. intervention has seen every one of those businesses close.

Originally Posted by Brian Hjelm

Not quite right, JD. There were substantial manufacturing industries in Australia before WWII. Even Queensland, where the economy was based on sugar, wool, wheat, beef, had large industrial operations, foundries, shipyards, heavy engineering, canneries, the state railway workshops. I can think of six firms in Brisbane that made internal combustion engines from small single cylinder units to quite substantial marine engines. There were others in Ipswich, Toowoomba, Maryborough and Cairns to my knowledge. Rapson & Dutton made diesel engines. Machine tools were made in Brisbane. I had an eight ton Mars lathe from the 1930's. Petrol bowsers were made in quantity in Brisbane. I note that almost none of these industries exist today.

During the war we were either cut off from our traditional suppliers or they were unable to supply us as well as their own needs. We had to turn around and make items here that would never have been except for the pressure cooker of war. BHP Whyalla and South Australian Railways made engineers cutting tools, taps and dies, etc. for the fledgling aircraft industry and for the USAAF. I have a collection of these. Sutton Bros. Die, Tool, and Gauge Room grew into Suttons Industries in this period.

Yes, I admit I was exaggerating, but my point is that under pressure of war, Australia managed to not only replace most imports, but to start entirely new (to Australia) high tech industries from scratch, in some cases in months. And I have no doubt that in an emergency it could be done again. A large part of it being possible was that just about everyone involved was really trying, not finding reasons why it could not be done.

John

At 63 yrs of age I to have seen the lose of all these manufacturing plants close or go off shore, I am not going to re list what Brian has so well covered in his above post .
But as for being able to re establish them in a hurry I dont think so as we no longer have the trademen with the required skills / or knowledge .

Hodgo

Hodgo is right. We used to have the capability to produce almost anything we needed in this country but so many of the old trades and skills have been lost.
I know that the industry I'm involved in (if you could call it that) is dying a very slow death with most skilled glassblowers either nearing retirement age or have retired or have passed away. 3 have died in the last 12 months, 2 others who are excellent craftsment are in their 70's and still working.
In a country where there are probably around 20 to 30 skilled people left in this trade, this is a very scary thing. I have been informed by the scientific glassblowers society that I am the youngest scientific glassblower in the country. I'm 35 years old.

Recently there were talks with the government about trying to secure funding for small operators to train up younger people in this feild. The govt deemed it not worthwhile, meanwhile alot of the work is being sent over seas to countries like India and China, along with the knowledge.
The government could care less. I'm a sole trader and I work 12-14 hours a day at a minimum to keep up with demand. I dont have the time or money to train anyone up.

What does an industry like this do to solve the problem?

Very sad.

Originally Posted by hodgo

....But as for being able to re establish them in a hurry I dont think so as we no longer have the trademen with the required skills / or knowledge .

Hodgo

We were able to do it in WW2, expanding our manufacturing base enormously in only a year or two without significant import of overseas tradesmen. As an example, my father (a school teacher turned poultry farmer) was trained as a fitter and turner in about six months in 1942 and by 1945 was working as a toolmaker in an aircraft engine factory.

There is no reason that I am aware of why this sort of thing could not be duplicated again.

John

Originally Posted by JDNSW

There is no reason that I am aware of why this sort of thing could not be duplicated again.

John

Actually there is a reason, it’s called money.

While I am sure if a long term national emergency occurred, we could develop the skills needed to meet our national needs, but to consider we would have a hope of doing this in the present climate of cheap imports is just not realistic.

Where are you going to find the capitol to develop these skills and more importantly, a market for products that are going to be much more expensive that the cheap imports?

The North American Free Trade Agreement caused the closure of many, many manufacturing plants in the USA, to be relocated just over the border in Mexico. Recent reports are that many of these Mexican ventures are now closed down. They found they can't sell their cheap goods to an unemployed American middle class whose jobs were exported.

Originally Posted by Lotz-A-Landies

I don't actually know although I do know that China has an active space programme and has put Chinese Astronauts into space in Chinese rockets launched from Chinese launch sites. So while they may not make parts for space shuttles, they do make manned spacecraft and the technology to launch and recover them. Space Today Online - Chinese astronauts called yuhangyuans fly in Shenzhou capsules

Diana

Correct me if I'm wrong but is'nt the chinese Shenzhou spacecraft just a modified copy of the Russian Soyuz spacecraft. I know it neither here nor there and the Chinese are making tremendous strides but they did not develop their space program from scratch.

They are also one of the worlds largest creditor nations and are very nervous about the amount of money owed to them by the good old US of A.