HOSIERY PRODUCTION

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIX, Issue 100, 30 April 1945, Page 6

HOSIERY PRODUCTION

"MISLEADING FIGURE"

Two New Zealand hosiery factories produce between them 71,000 dozen pairs of full-fashioned rayon stockings annually, said the managing director of Prestige (N.Z.), Ltd. (Mr. W. Thorpe), when referring today to the statement published in the "Evening Post" on Saturday that the total New Zealand production of this type of stocking was 20,000 dozen pairs a year, and that supplies would be imported this year from America. This statement was supplied by the Economic Information Service, on information from the Ministry of Supply. "On Saturday there was published a statement under the heading of 'Stockings from U.S.A.,' which gave a figure of 20,000 dozen, pairs as the quantity of full-fashioned rayon stockings produced annually in the Dominion," said Mr. Thorpe. "This figure is quite misleading, and I wish to state that the production in Wellington alone for the year ended March 31 was approximately 71,000 dozen pairs, of which 41,000 dozen pairs were manufactured by Prestige (N.Z.), Ltd., and 30,000 dozen pairs by Bonds Hosiery Mills (N.Z.), Ltd. In addition, Prestige (N.Z.), Ltd.. produced approximately 21,000 dozen pairs of full-fashioned lisle stockings, a good proportion of which went to the Armed Forces. Both these companies also make circular hosiery, and their combined production of circular hosiery for the year was approximately 70.000 dozen pairs. "From these figures you will note that the total production in Wellington alone of full-fashioned hosiery was approximately 92,000 dozen, and we would like to point out that this has been achieved in spite of the very serious shortage of labour necessitating our factories working at only about 66 per cent, capacity. Given the necessary labour our two factories could produce another 46,000 dozen pairs a year, thus obviating any; necessity to import expensive and inferior hosiery from the U.S.A. j •

"In addition to the two factories quoted there are other hosiery mills in New Zealand, one in Christchurch and one in Auckland, both of which manufacture ' full-fashioned and circular hosiery, so that the total annual New Zealand production today would be well over 100,000 dozen full-fashioned and 100,000 dozen circular." '