WOOLWICH AND NORTH "HST KENT FACTORY CLOSURES from a Loughborough reader
In a recent statomont the secretary of Yoolwich Arsenal combined shop stewards' committee, lir, F. 13. Glasson, complained, "This is fast becoming a depressed area", Tho closure of tho loyal Ordinance Factory (i.e. most of “oolwich Arsenal) was announced in December. ltir, Glasson points out that one firm in Dartford has closod, and another will follow this year; Draby's modern factory at Crayford has become a G.P.0. stores depets on the north side of the Thames stands the empty factory which belonged to Henley's until it closed, and next to it is Standard Telephones which is transferring most of its activity to Basildon New Town; latchless Motors at Flumstsad may soon move to a more suitable site out of Londons and another local factory, Fraser and Chalmers, rocently announced some redundancies,
He says that transfors to R.0.F.s at Leeds and Nottingham havo boen offered, “This would mean,of course, if the offer was taken up, that men unestablished in these places would be discharged to make room for us. What a welcome tho local mon would give us — taking bread and butter jobs from them." Charging the Government with giving lucrative contracts to private enterprise, Mr, Glasson states "‘oolwich has suffered a takeover bid - not by R.O.F., Nottingham — who may well sharo our fate if the prosent trond continues, but by the private arms manufacturers — the really preferred source of the present Governnent."