The Press. Friday, May 24, 1918. Our Secondary Industries.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16220, 24 May 1918, Page 6

The Press. Friday, May 24, 1918. Our Secondary Industries.

Jfost people are agreed that after the war those countries which wish to make sound progress must face and solve problems in social, political, and industrial reconstruction or readjustment. New Zealand will have its own problems, and although economically it most for many years rely upon its primary industries, yet it must Bee to it that its secondary industries are kept/ moving forward. The Government have >6en so much occupied with the immeliate problems of the war that they have not yet given any consideration to this matter, as may be gathered from the purely general terms in which the Hon. Mr Myers replied on "Wednesday to the deputation from the Wellington Industrial Association. Exactly what the Association desires is not entirely clear, except on ono point, iiamcly, the setting up of a special department of State ''to deal with matters relating to '' industry, in exactly the same manner " as that in which the Agricultural Do- " partment deals with agricultural mat"tera." This is a proposal easier to approve than any suggestion that our secondary industries, already very substantially protected,- should be further assisted through the tariff. Some months ago we discussed this matter, apropos of a suggestion by Mr Frostick that the secondary industries wore being neglected while the primary industries were highly "protected" by the State. We argued then that equal treatment would consist of State action vbich, leaving the tariff alone, would put the secondary industries in the way of attaining to greater efficiency in production. As a matter of fact, our secondary industries are not doing so badly. The first volume of the tables of the 191G census, which has just been issued, contains very full particulars of the nation's manufactures. The general growth of industry can be seen in the following table: —

to certain works not included in tho given totals for the other Tears. Actually in 1916 there were 4670 factories, employing 57,823 hands and paying out £6,654.504 i n wages. Making the samo exclusion, we have tho following figure,? for the growth of production in value : — Cost of materials Value of all used or manufactures operated on. and products. Census £ £ 1001 ... 7.39''.60S 17.141,149 1906 ... 12.631,358 122,422.720 191) ... 1f1.037.803 29.534,012 1916 ... 30,254,120 43,036,040 ■\Vhon these two tables, are read together, it will be seen that the value of tlio products of industry does not ac all vary as the number of hand.s employed. The chief item in the total of manufactured products is, of course, the output of the meat freezing and preserving works, which was £12,013,571 in 191516, and the bxitter aud cheese output, which was £7,52-1,004, eomes next. The only large industry whose output w.r.s substantially less in 1010 than in earlier years was that of tho sawmills, sash and door factories. Tho check in this case was obviously a result of the war, for tho earlier censuses told a story of large growth, The output <?f the iron and brass foundries and engineering works, too, was a little less in 1916 than in 1911, being £1,008,367, as compared with £1,125,640. but this latter figure was £300,000 greater than in 19CG. The growth, in iiie decado of some of the moro important industries may be seen in the following figures showing tho value of manufactured products:— £ £ 1905-6. 1915-16. Grain mills ... 1,058.186 1,976,914 Sawmills, sasli and door factories... 1,898,526 2,128,706 Gasworks ... 336,920 804,414 Iron and brass foundries, engineering, etc. 813.563 1,008,367 Printing works... 1.007,827 1,607,831 CoaehLuilding ... 1:1'1,818 487,824 Agricultural Machinery ... 100,741 266,256 Tannery, wool scouring, etc. ... 1.833.310 2,755,281! Furniture making 323,185 578,WK! Woollen mills ... 397,318 717,633 Clothing factories 303,943 908,117 Boot factories ... 501,065 801,572 Flaxmills ... 557,808 470,774 In some cases the number of works and the number of hands employod lias decreased. • The census returns as a whole indicate a quite healthy growth in our secondary industries, but one cannot suppose that there may not be ample room for increased production, moro efficient methods of production, and research that will open up the way to new processes and new industries. This is by no means the least of the matters that must engage tho attention of the Government when the world is free to go about its business peacefully once more.

_ No. of Hands Wages works, employed. paid. Census £ 1901 ... 3163 41,7*26 3,098,561 1906 ... 3475 49,806 4,103,536 1911 ... 3519 45,965 4,705,305 1916 ... 3079 48,399 5,750,254 '.In this table there are excluded ftom 1916 fijpuree &e relating