Manufacturers income down

Press, 21 July 1986, Page 28

Manufacturers income down

PA Wellington Manufacturers’ total sales and other income for the quarter ended March decreased by 1 per cent to $6724.8 million compared with the 1985 March quarter total, the Government Statistician said.

This contrasts with an increase of 17.8 per cent between the March, 1984, and March, 1985, quarters.

Not all manufacturing groups displayed decreases in income, however.

Increases in sales and other income between the March, 1985, and March, 1986, quarters were recorded by non-metallic mineral product manufacturers (up 16.7 per cent to $237.5 million), textile and clothing (up 7.9 per cent to $634.6 million), non-primary food (up 7.7 per cent to $846.3 million), paper and printing (up 4.9 per cent to $822.1 million) and wood and furniture manufacturers (up 0.6 per cent to $417.2 million).

Decreased sales and other income were reported by basic metal manufacturers (down 18.9 per cent to $230 million), primary foods (down 12.4 per cent to $1246.8 million), fabricated metal products (down 1.5 per cent to $1462.9 million) and chemical manufacturers (down 0.2 per cent to $748.1 million).

The value of stocks of finished goods held by all manufacturers at March 31 stood at $2133.2 million, compared with $1901.8 million at March 31, 1985. All industries except primary food, other food and basic metal reported increases, the largest being in the chemical industry (up $81.2 million to $335.1 million) and in the fabricated metal industry (up $89.5 million to $610.6 million). When compared with the same period last year, hours worked by paid employees decreased 5.1 per cent to 125,992,000, while salaries and wages paid increased by 6.1 per cent to $1282.3 million.