OUR LOCAL INDUSTRIES.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 9023, 8 February 1895, Page 5

OUR LOCAL INDUSTRIES.

ARR THEY PROPERLY SUPPORTED? AN IMPARTIAL ENQUIRY.

{BY OCB SPECIAL BEPOEXEK.) No. XL—THE SOAP INDUSTRY. Like several of the othei industries which have been dealt with in the coarse of these articles, the local soap manufacturers have driven out the imported aiticle. That is. as will be explained later on, except the finer sorts of toilet soaps. The interviews appended were with Mr Hubbard, of Hubbard and Hall, from the importers' aide; with Mr Gibbs, representing the Produce and Provision Company, the manufacturers of the now well-known "Silkstone" soap, and with Mr A. H. Hancock, of the Excelsior Soap Works, Sydenham. The industry is a very important and growing one, and it is satisfactory to be able to cay that it is in so flourishing a condition. THE IMPORTERS , SIDS. " In connection wiih the importation of soap," said Mr Hubbard, «• the only sort outside of toilet soap which has any fooling in the market is Sunlight. "This ie a class of soap which is a speciality, and is not now, nor is hkely to be, manufactured in the colony. T»o Sunlight is equal to some of the best toilot soaps which are imported, ■nd at the same time is sold at a price uot exceeding that of ordinary household so.ip. This, combined with tho "enoimoua extent of the works and the, large demand all ovei the world, seems 10 n> , to point lo tho conclusion that tho local manufacturers will never be able to shut out this soap. When I tell you "hat tho output for this provincial district alone is 3000 cases of lewt each you will get aomo idea of the euormous demand for this soap, and tho probability that its importation will go on. In three hours' work of the factory they turn out 129.0C0 tablets. The importation of this soap has rapidly increased since its first introduction into ihe colony. This was at the Dunedin Exhibition in 1888 The imports to Canterbury then umouuted to about 500 cases, so that you will soe die increase which has taken place since then by reference to tho Ggures I have quoted as to tho present output. The iucrease I thiuk is due in T a large measure to the liberal policy pursued by the firm in the matter of pushing r,ho soap by advertising, &c. We are, as , you know, now just issuing a series of vine-years books on various subjects, which are well printed aud full of information. These are given as a fiee gift to tho purchasers of the soap. There are two other soaps which come into the market, viz., Venus and Titau, bub there ia not much importation of these compared with Sunlight. As I have said, the principal import i 3 in toilet soaps. These are the more expensive, such as Pear's, Cleaver's, Hodgson and Simpson. The latter is the wellknown bnwn Windsor. Then there are the finer descriptions of French and German soaps, imported by chemists ami such establishments as 1>.1.C, Strange and Co., and UalUntyno and Co." WHAT LOCAL MAKE US ARE DOING. " It is not difficult!," said Mr Gibbs, who was the first one interviewed, " to see that the importation of soap aud soda crystals must stop, because the local article is ao good ami is supplied at such a pries that Very fow imported lines can compete with iit,.:'-There was, however, as j-ou know, a time whrn nothivg but tho imported article was sold, and Htiose who buughb at ilr t time had to pay an enormous- price f r a very inferior article. Colonial enterprise, however, stepped in and soon made rtaelf felt. -With regard to soap the impor's ere "rapidly diminishing aud except, as in tho biscuit industry referred to in your column's in regard to- Aulsebrook and:; Co., a few fancy high-priced lines which people will still huy r ihe colouial article has the market and caunofc be beat. Fully-50 per cent, in ordinary cases aii'lia others from 100 r to 15Q per cent, more is paid for the fancy got-up imported article than for the local production, though I α-n iprepared~to pjove; as gPgd, Take our- beat ebap whibhis twenty-eight bars to the cwt., and compare that butli iv weight and quality wfyb tho imported article and aeo tiie difference in favour of tho local soap. Auy right-thinking person will see at once how important an iudustry this is, and how much it deserves the euppokb of every one who his the interest of tlic colony at heart. There are a large number of men employed, and we encourage oilier local industries by the quantity of tallow, coal, timber, fee., that we use. In tact, evet'y branch of local industry benefits by the increase of our output. Tho present industry,woe begun about twentythree years ago at Belfast, and foe years about two tons per week was the total output. The soap after it was made was graded into, tnrec classes—first, second, and third quality. These grades were sold at £23, £26, .and £24 per ton -respectively, Very little progress was made with, the industry uulil the Government put a email duty on tho imported article. Then a little, advance,woß made in the business, but up till about ten years ago uo great progress, was achieved in what I thiuk you Will now say has becomo a most important local industry. Siuoo then it has gone ahead by leaps and bounds. This I attribute in no email degree to the fact that we have spared no expenso in the direction of the importation of tho latest and most improved machinery, co as to cuable us to turn out the beat article at> the lowest price. Taat wo have done this is, I think, proved by the fuet that ourgoods aio now sold throughout New Zealand, from Auckland to the Bluff, atto thero is an increase of business every month. Our works, are capable of turning out 200 tons per month, and if everyone in tho coiony would use the local article anil noue other, we should soon be turning out aoap to the utmost capacity of our work?. Aβ I have told you, the output at the starting of the works in 1872 was about 172 tons per annum of three grades. For the year ending March, 1894, onr output was over 600 toua of eight different grades. With reference to tne output of the fancy high* priced kinds of soap, I may cay that if we received any measuro of encouragement by the public for the colonially made toilet soap we would add this also to our other linet. If this were douo we would bo prepared to. produce fancy aoapa of all kinds quite equal in quality. to the imported article. If this wero done the latter would be entirely shir out, as we hava closed the market to tho importer as tho hqjisehold soaps. All that is needed is tho patriotic support; of the public for locally made high class soaps, I s guarantee wo are able to produce quite as good as the impprtcd. ■■ * • ; _: • OTHER INDUSTRIES. "In addition to tho manufacture of soap wo also m?.ko soda .crystals. Some six years ago the firm began this branch of their business. At this time all or nearly all the soda crystals used' to be imported, ftow our business in the manufacture of the article has so largely increased that, we hava completely stopped the import of soda crystals. We have imported the plant for the mauufactore of the crystals, and so far the result of our enterprise has been most satisfactory. , The price of tho article has been reduced to the consumer by the starting of the industry, and though there is at present only a very small duty, we have succeeded, as I have told you, in shutting o*fc the imported "article. The manufacture of chemical manures is another industry recently taken up by the firm, the Belfast ChemicaU Works having been recently purchased by as. The season of 1834----95 has been a very heavy one—the manufacture of superphosphate being the -principal line at present. Hundreds of tone of this have been manufactured- and seuc out during the lost few months, in addition to bone doit and other special manures and -sulphuric acid. All that is wanted is help for onr local industries on the part of the public by purchasing the products, »nd there will be no more unemployed. If in our case we bad sufficient encouragement we conld employ at least 100 men in our works." ■ ANOTHER MANUFACTURER'S STATEMENT. \ *' It fie now," eaid Mr A. H. Hancock, "over a quarter of a century since my father started tne manufacture of soap in a primitive fashion by hand power at the works now kaowo m Hancock end Co.'* Excelsior doop Werke, Sydenham. Wβ now iukve, tt

yon see, the very latest improvements in machinery, ic., and wo turn out a soap which has entirely, and on its own merits, driven the imported article out of the market. \vo make the,bar soap up in five different Qualities and in various sizes to meet the requirements of tho trade. Wha r < the drapers call * our leading line* Is the soap branded * Excelsior,' which is the best soap and is retailed at 9<l per bar of four pounds. It is a pure and delicately scented soap, which is now, I may say, beiug tartly used for toilet purposes, and is taking the place of the imported and inferior toilet soaps. Our other soaps range down in price to * The Jubiiee,' a strong, useful soap retailed at 3d per bar, so that there is no lactei of range of a choice so far as the buyer is concerned. There is also a large demand for soap for wool scouring, which the trade now fin>i more efficient and economical thau the imported soft soaps or anything that thej can make for themselves. At our works at Middletou we utilise our steam power to cut and manufacture all the boxes and casks used by us. We render down all the fat into tallow and ship to London what we do not require for soap-inakiug. We do not require any protection for the industry. What we would like to see would be reciprocity with Australia. Thi9 we should welcome because it would give us extended scope for our manufacture."