Aviation: Quite a Mother-in-Law

Like a loving, wealthy mother with a homely daughter, Britain's Labor government for months has hinted at, prompted and hoped for a marriage between the forlorn British Aircraft Corp. and the airframe interests of the handsomely profitable Hawker Siddeley Group Ltd. BAC was shyly willing; Hawker Siddeley was reluctant. Whereupon the old lady—Her Majesty's government—stepped in, urged a sort of shotgun merger.

In proposing" (which in this case is a euphemism for ordering) the merger of the two to the House of Commons, Minister of Aviation Fred Mulley argued that the new, merged firm would put the ailing British aircraft industry right back into a "competitive position in world markets."

Just to help the marriage work out, the Labor government announced that it would take a "substantial minority interest"—perhaps as much as 33% of the merged company. All of which should make for quite a mother-in-law.