U.S. Investment in Scotland

lar with U.S. investors and to find out why one has ee ey which appeared in the Financial Tines, of November lste Part of a special 20-page insert on Scotland, the article explained that "On average American firms coming to Scotland since 1945-have trebled — original planned capacitye U.S. companies (excluding those set up as join Scottish ventures) now employ 48,°c0 people, or 1% of the labovr force in manufacturing industry north of the border, Investment in these companies 4s worth £106 million. Annual output reached nearly £165 million last yeareseeee" It is also very profitable because “for every dollar North American companies have invested invScotland they have earned nearly another dollar or its equivalent in overseas currency last year." Why is there this high rate of profit? "Low costs were one reason for this growthe The latest figures produced by the National Industrial Conference Board of New York from an internationd survey of American firms with manufacturing plant overseas indicate that their total unit costs in Britain were 15% lower than in the U.S. Unit costs in the Common Market were only 4% lower than in the U.SeeeeeWhile Government pressure may have had a bearing on the choice of a Scottish site rather than elsewhere in Britain, no American companies have pulled out once the plunge has been takenees."