South Yorkshire Times January 3, 1959
District Industrial Leaders Look Ahead Confidently
Mexborough Area’s 1959 Outlook
Swinton Firm Has Set On 200 Workers in Last Two Months
While many firms throughout the country are finding it necessary to dismiss workers because of a general falling off in orders, concerns in the Mexborough area appear to be effectively holding their own. Extensive enquiries by the “South Yorkshire Times” on New Year’s Eve revealed that the majority of local concerns are looking forward optimistically — admittedly with due caution—to 1959.
Most encouraging report came came from the General Electric Company’s Swinton cooker plant where jobs have been found for 200 workers in the past two months. A number of workers became redundant earlier in the year, but all who wished to return to the Company’s employment have now done so.
Queen’s Foundry, Swinton
Queen’s Foundry, Swinton, looks forward to 1959 with great optimism. The easing of the credit squeeze by the Government may mean that more local authorities will re-open their suspended house, building schemes which have provided an important market for the company’s famous fire grates. The Managing Director, Mr F Young, said the production of fire grates had been cut because of the suspension of housing ,schemes this year, but orders for the company’s engineering castings had been good.
“We have had no redundancy and we have worked a five-day week.” he said. “But, of course, things have not been as good as in previous years.”
D.R. England Ltd., Goldthorpe
“A very good year in 1958 and high hopes of 1959” was the report from the burling and mending department of Messrs D. R. England, Goldthorpe, Ltd. Manageress, Miss E. C. Taylor, said there had been plenty of work for the 50 girls employed there with no redundancy or short time working.
Alexandre Ltd., Mexborough
A fair amount of optimism after a good year without short time or redundancy was reported at the Mexborough clothing factory of Alexandre. Ltd. “We are fairly optimlstic, but it is always difficult to see too far ahead in the clothing trade” was the answer to enquiries about the firms prospects for 1959.
General Electric Co., Swinton
The report from the General Electric Company’s cooker plant at Swinton is an excellent one. During the past two months, employment has been found for 200 people, including those made redundant earlier in the year and the company’s prospects for the New Year were stated to be “quite bright.” The situation has been helped considerably by the cut in hire purchase restrictions.
XL Crisps Ltd., Conisborough
The poor summer resulted in a poor potato crop — but 1958 proved to be a normal year for the X.L. Crisp Company Ltd., at Conisbro’. The New Year wish of Managing Director. Mr. K. Gaffney — “bigger, better and cheaper potatoes.”
Viner’s Ltd., Wath
“We have had a very good year with plenty of work and maximum employment for our 100 girls” said Mr. R. Kay, manager of Messrs. Viners Ltd., Cutlers, Wath. “There has been no redundancy or short time working and the prospects for 1959 are very bright.”
Waterstone Glassware Ltd., Wath
The management of Waterstone glassworks, Wath, found that trade tended to quieten during the year and a cut had to be made in overtime working. Short time was not necessary. However. Managing Director, Mr T. T. Seago told us that 1959 had every appearance of being much brighter than for some time and that orders were corning in well. “We are opening the year on a much busier note than before” he added.
- Booth & Sons Ltd., Conisbrough
The light edge tool manufacturing company of Messrs. George Booth and Sons. Conisbrough, report: “The past year, although not a boom year, has been satisfactory We have had no redundancy or short time working, and we do not expect there to be any in 1959. We are optimistic and think it may be a better year.”
Champion Scissors Ltd. Mexborough
Another firm giving a good report is Messrs. Champion Scissors Ltd., Mexborough. where. according to Director, and General Manager, Mr. D V. Prior, the year has been better than anticipated. The concern embarked on the manufacture of contemporary cutlery during the year and reports indicate the move to have been highly successful. Looking forward to 1959, Mr. Prior said a lot would depend on the European Common Market but he thought the year would be as good as 1958: He added that there might be slight redundancy e in the early part of the year but. , he said, this was a seasonal difficulty.
Baker & Bessemer Ltd., Kilnhurst
After a boom year — “the best e we have ever had” — with an abundance of orders and higher, profits, the Kilnhurst steelworks of, Messrs. John Baker and Bessemer Ltd., are unable to look to 1959 with the same optimism. Their year ended in September and since then a falling off in orders — following the national trend in the industry – of has necessitated the inauguration of a four-day week. But, we were told, there is no redundancy although the plant is working at 75 cent capacity•
The Company reported: “It is no good being optimistic about the next six months. And what happens after that is anyone’s guess.”
Dale Brown & Co. Ltd., Swinton
The glass bottle manufacturing company of Messrs Dale Brown Ltd., Swinton, reported that the demand for their products during 1958 had been, on the whole, below normal. This they said, was due to various factors such as the very poor summer, credit restrictions and a general shortage of money. “We are expecting an improvement in 1959 but, of course much depends on the weather” they said.
National Coal Board
In a New Year message to the readers of the “South Yorkshire Times,” the Chairman of the North Eastern Division of the National Coal Board, Mr. W. H. Swales, says: “I welcome the opportunity of wishing your readers a happy and prosperous new year. The coal mining industry in Yorkshire looks forward with confidence to tackling the problems of 1959. Substantial steps forward have been made this year. To continue to pull together to make further developments is the best all-round insurance for 1959.”