DR. SUTCH’S ADVICE TO MANUFACTURERS

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28414, 22 October 1957, Page 12

DR. SUTCH’S ADVICE TO MANUFACTURERS

Canterbury manufacturers were advised last evening to interest themselves in ' town planning; to try to develop forms of planning which would prevent housing and traffic problems and which would not mean a sprawl of the cities across the countryside.

Their adviser was Dr. \V. B. Sutch, an assistantsecretary of the Department of Industries and Commerce. In a talk to the council of the Canterbury Manufacturers’ Association he outlined some of the work the department was doing, in particular the work of industrial development in which he was engaged.

Predictions could easily be upset, particularly by a fall in prices received for exports, Dr Sutch said, but Canterbury, with a mature manufacturing industry, seemed assured of further development.

In support of that, he said, there were reasonably good power prospects. Mr H. C. Urlwin: Oh. no. Haven’t you heard of the cable to the north? Second. Dr. Sutch said, the cost of building in the South Island was lower than in the North. Third, the labour force was more stable. There was less absenteeism and a smaller staff turnover in Canterbury than in some other centres, which he preferred not to name. South Island Survey Dr. Sutch said that his department was engaged on a survey of the whole of the South Island. It was not yet complete, but the prospect was that by 1975 Canterbury would have a population of 405.000. Canterbury was a well-deve-loped area, he said. Its development had begun many years ago. Tn Waikato, as an example, development had only really begun in the 1920'5. Aerial top-dressing would speed up the development of areas, and newly-developed areas would show a greater rise in production than those established for some time. Canterbury was a mature province. Dr. Sutch continued. It had mechanised its farms more than any other province, and the workers had been absorbed primarily in manufacturing. Comparing the Auckland employment district— mainly the Auckland metropolitan area—with the Canterbury employment district, which includes Ashburton and Timaru. Dr. Sutch said that each had seven factories employing more than 500 workers. In the 200 to 500 employees group, there were 15 factories in Auckland and 17 in Canterbury. In the 100 to 200 group. Auckland had

27 and Canterbury 25. Factories employing 50 to 100 numbered 103 in Auckland and 38 in Canterbury. In 30 years up to 1955, the increase in factory employment in Otago was 15 per cent., he said. In Southland it was 30 per cent.; in Canterbury 89 per cent. Christchurch had more than its share, on a population basis, of some industries, Dr. Sutch said. That indicated that there was some sort of specialisation, which was a good thing, for it provided a diversified employment in factory work. After mentioning Christchurch’s other advantages. Dr. Sutch said that Christchurch had space. But going out to the country with factories meant taking out houses, sewers, telephones, elecfricity, and all the other things demanded by New Zealand’s standard of living. That added to the cost of goods. That was where manufacturers would have to examine the cost on top of other costs: where they would have to look to town planning.