Remarks visiting the North East ("a very much better year than last year")

Reporter, Tyne Tees TV

… Mrs Thatcher made a point of getting among the workers at Darlington and Simpson Rolling Mills, but it another success story—a firm which exports eighty per cent of its output. It is the most modern lightweight special section rolling mill in the world. So I asked Mrs Thatcher if she had any plans to return to the North East to see the problem areas?

MT

You see the problem areas almost wherever you go. Ah, because of course just as some companies are extremely good, yes, others have had a difficult time. But then they are pulling themselves up—streamlining their processes, they are getting the latest equipment in, and as you know this year in the North East has been a VERY much better year than last year. You have only got to look at the results of the companies—companies where their profits have gone up enormously in the last year. And I imagine that if you are in television or radio and dependent upon advertising revenue you've also had quite an increase in advertising. I'm told that some of the newspapers have had enormous increases in small ads in their newspapers. So it is much much better than last year and naturally we hope for further improvement next year. Yes, I shall return.