FACTORY STATISTICS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 53, Issue 133, 17 March 1933, Page 3

FACTORY STATISTICS

BIG DECREASE IN EMPLOYEES. MILLING AND FREEZING WORKS. The annual statistical returns for factory and building production in the Dominion for 1931-32 show that 68,697 persons, including working proprietors, found employment in factories, mills and works during the year. This total showed a decrease of 9217 persons in employment on the previous year. Compared with 1931, the annual salaries and wages bill showed a decrease of £2,974,117, or 19 per cent. In 1931 the aggregate bill was £12,642,935, while that of 1930 was £15,617,502. The total value of products, £67,813,394, showed the big decrease of £11,402,022, or 14.4 per cent., compared with 1931. The greatest absolute decrease was in the sawmilling and meat-freezing industries, 'winch were respectively £1,348,924 (39.4 per cent.) and £1,995,432 (15.4 per cent). Other notable declines were: Printing £737,463 (16.4 per cent), coachbuilding and motor engineering £635,925 (24 per cent), engineering £530,240 (31.3 per cent), furniture £429,717 (37.2 per cent.) and clothing £444,461 (17.1 per cent.). "The value of products is not always a satisfactory measure of either the absolute or the relative importance of a given industry," states the report,, "for the reason that only part of this value is actually created by the ,manufacturing processes carried on in the industry. From the industrial standpoint the best measure of the importance of an industry is the value created by the manufacturing operations carried on within the industry. Added Value. "This value is obtained by deducting the cost of materials used from the gross value of the products, and is referred to as the ' added value.' The added "added value for 1931-32 shows a big dec1ine—£5,286,744, or 17.2 per cent., compared with the previous year. The industry chiefly contributing to this decline was sawmilling, with a drop of £1,091,185, or 44.4 per, cent. The only appreciable increase was in the meat-killing industry, which advanced by £194,298, or 8.4 per cent." The total cost of materials used is shown to be £6,115,278 less during the year when compared with 1931, a decrease of 12.6 per cent. The industries showing the greatest decreases in the cost of materials were: Meat-freez-ing £2,189,730, clothing £274,936, sawmilling £257,739, grain-milling £234,990, furniture £197,736, printing and publishing £189,779, and butter and cheese £189,375. . Referring to employees, the report states that women and girls are not employed to any great extent in New Zealand factories, though a steady increase has been recorded in recent years both in numbers and in the'proportion which females represent among the total figures. Women and girls are found chiefly in the following industries :—Clothes-making 5952, printing and publishing 1432, biscuit and confectionery manufacture 1343, woollenmilling 1300. The sex composition of the employees recorded during the last five years is as follows:

Hours of Employment. Up to March 31, 1932, 1,110,258 hours of overtime were worked in all industires furnishing returns, male workers contributing 933,700 hours overtime and female workers 176,558 hours. Altogether, 4,998,983 hours short time were worked. "In other words, it would take 2250 men, working 44 hours a week, just over a year to make up the deficiency in time. Male employees contributed 3,789,056 hours short time, while females recorded 1,209,927 hours short. These figures respectively represented increases of 1,056,782 hours and of 487,104 hours on the 1931 figures. 'The following summary gives the principal statistics for the year:—

Males. Females. Total. 1927-28 .. .... 62,913 15,707 78,620 1928-29 . 64,161 16,457 80,618 1929-30 .. 65,554 17,307 82,861 1930-31 61,094 16,820 77,914 1931-32 .. .... 52,922 15,775 68,697

1930-31.* 1931-32. Establishments 5,194 4,969 Persons engaged (no.) 77,914 68,697 Salaries and wages paid (£) lo,617,052 12,642,935 Motive power (h.p.) 523,649 533,788 Cost of materials used (£) 48,458,356 42,343,078 Value of products, including repairs (£.) 79,215,416 67,813,394 Added value (£.) 30,757,060 25,470,316 Value of land, buildings, plant and machinery .(£•) Overtime (hours) 66,818,150 65,907,018 1,328,707 1,110,258 Short t im e 3,446,097 4,998,983