LOCAL INDUSTRY.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 19941, 30 May 1930, Page 19

LOCAL INDUSTRY.

TO THE EDITOR OF THB. PRESS Sir,—Regarding your correspondent " Practical's" proposal in your Thursday's issue that we should help unemployment by starting distilleries in New Zealand. It is interesting to know that the late Lord Dewar's estate was valued for duty at £4,575,000, and many of us share your correspondent's wonder how much New Zealand contributed to this gigantic sum. Not so many share his rosy estimates of a distillery trade as reducing unemployment here. Not long ago Manchester business men went viry fully into the matter of drink and unemployment, and signed a communication for the "Manchester Guardian" on their findings. For every £1,000,000 output, only 542 workers were required In malting and brewing, while fewer still were needed for distilling. On the other hand, fifteen other avenues of industry, covering ship-building, house-building, production of clothing, production of food, firing, and general manufacture? of necessaries averaged 5770, or over ten times those employees producing alcohol for drinking. The Dewar millions and the unemployment deficit do indeed suggest reflection, but not any solution as to introducing distilling into any country at present free from it.—Tours, etc.,

JESSIE MACKAT, Cashmere Hills, May 29th, 1930.