THE BRUSH WAKE INDUSTRY.

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14658, 6 May 1913, Page 10

THE BRUSH WAKE INDUSTRY.

Christchurch is the centre of the brushwaro manufacturing industry, and although the number of linns here is few, the operations are extensive, and from the point of view of output, the industry is an important one. And the industry is expanding, but the manager of a leading Christohtirch firm declared that the industry would grow , to much greater proportions if it were not for the large quantity of goods that are imported, and he also explained that local manufacturers met with keen competition from .English, American and Gorman firms. Hβ advocated a higher protective tariff being; introduced. But these remarks only apply to domestic brushware, for the paint-brush side of the industry is in a particularly sound condition. The manufacture of this class of brushwaro

not only commenced in Christchurch five years ago, but this branch of the industry has expanded rapidly, and local manufacturers have had to establish special factories for this class of work alone. The importations of paintbrush lines is on the decrease, and tho support accorded the local goods is very gratifying, whilo the volume of importations of domestic brushware is becoming smaller as the local output increases, and local goods become more popular. The outlook for the future is reported to be very bright, and tho industry should expand further during the next few years.

The statistics dealing with the brushware industry show that it is not numerically strong. In 189G there were 15 factories in .New Zealand, three of which were in Canterbury, and the employees in these three lactones consisted of lo males and six females. There were only two businesses in Canterbury in 19(>G, employing 3<> males and 20 females, while the same number of firms in 1911 employed 15 males and 54 females. The value of the output from all the factories in the .Dominion was in IS9O. £:«.:«•> in 1901, and C3.3.M03 in IJHI, and it is estimated that about a half of the annual output i=! manufactured in Canterbury.