BADGERED EMPLOYERS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1028, 18 January 1911, Page 5

BADGERED EMPLOYERS.

(HOW ENTERPRISE IS BLIGHTED. 1 (By Telegraph—Press Association.) . Christchurch. January 17. In the court® of . his address at the guarterly meeting of the Employers' Association to-night the president (Mr. J. A. FrSstick) referred to the present position 9f: our industries. Mr. Frostick 'stated .hat, he did not usually adopt a pessimis-tic-attitude in these but, in his option, whoever was responsible for the .introduction of the theoretic and Utopian ideas contained in tho suggested new- legislation were not themselves possessed with even an elementary knowledge of the laws of production, which were and must always be, in harmony with the laws of supply and demand. Ho could go further,''.and say that no apparent effort had been made, by the framers of the recent amending Acts to ascertain w.liat effect tho suggested alterations in the law might havli upon our industries, more especially thosS' which represented classes of goods which had to face the competition of older ooantries. .. Ho was .trying io view the question from a national standpoint, and to claim that there were interests ccnaected with our industries which wero »f greater importance than those of merely either the employers or .workers who to-day engaged in those industries. I. hey nad a very unpleasant problem, bo- ■ jorfi'- theih, and however, unpalatable it Might be, it was the .duty of those who - understood the position to givc .it duo •publicity. The facts were obtainable by i Li lo desired to search for themselves, • afitt thoje should be no attempt to exP| a ?P. away those facts, or to find, excuses. If the figures which he would quote were correct, or even approximately correct, then .many ot our national assets were in danger of extinction, or,, at least, of driftini: into that condition which.would only give the workers intermittent employment, and that was one of the greatest evils winch could happen m.any community. Ho had selected, -sixteen Industries, all more or less.affected by the competition of imporrations, and it would bo seen that, during the,past four years, eleven had failed to keep paco with the increase of popiilation, two. had just held their own, while two.. had considerably improved viz paper mills and the lime and cement in' dustry. In one case no figures for comparison were available. The figures quoted were statistics showing tho advance or retrograde movement on tho part of 6everal of tho colony's industries. They expressed the number of population to each person employed in the industry. 1901. 1906. 1910 Biscuits and confec- ' tioliery Nil. Nil. 802 Biscuits,. including • bread Nil. 2G3 358 Tailoring Nil. 195 223 Woollen mills 458 574 568 Boots and slices 288 291 ' 355 Agricultural implements 1323 1211 14-16 Blacksmith and , coachbuilders Nil 233 343 Cycle and. motor - engineers 1936 1017 1363 Engineering 216 . 224 247 Furnishing; and cab- • ■ ; inetmaking ' 591 354 477 Soap and candles... 3341 3G90 3812 Brush.and broom ... 6056 6010 6510 Paper mills, etc. ... 4330 4238 3105 Rope and twine ... 4037 5705 5708 Lime and cement... 4212 3463 2766 Printing and book- ■ binding,stationery 247 267 287