AUCKLAND'S FACTORIES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13796, 8 July 1908, Page 4

AUCKLAND'S FACTORIES.

.;'. - » . ' ■ : AN INDUSTRIAL CENTRE. HIGH QUALITY OF LOCAL ARTICLE. ,".'• ■ -v- .-.:■. ■"■ v-//--.' _■' ' " ; ; , ■ ~ _ There are 885 "manufacturing businesses being" carried on in the factories of Auck- • land province, exclusive of mines and quarries, and . when one comes to investigate . the trade, ,the astonishing thing is not so ) much the variety of article turned out as , the enormous output of the factories as a I Y whole. u The quality of the goods manufac- j : - tured here is of ..such high standard that j those really "in; the know"- will take no other, but, curiously; enough, the general public seems strangely ignorant of r tha * merit of the local article, and of the variety : of -manufacturing industries carried on in this city. If the average Aucklander went {;-{ to Australia, and was .met by some friends , interested in manufactures, one might; ex-• pect a conversation something like this : — "Is Auckland a. manufacturing centre?'' "Well, I don't know that you'd call it thai.'"You 'see its the great country behind the city that is making it advance so rapidly." '' "But, surely you do manufacture something over there?" - "Oh, yes. There's a woollen .mill, shipbuilding; yards, bootmaking factories, • a few foundries, brick kilns, sawmills, and furniture establishments, and lollies and : biscuits are made there, but I don't think there's much beyond that." "How many factories have you?" " Probably a dozen or so." ' And just 60 -with the average housewife. She purchases goods with a London trade mark, and won't have the local article, remarking,"perhaps, to a sister shopper: — | - : ." "Asl ' tell mv :grocer, I;must : have the ; beet." ' Yet it is known to the grocer;and to many other tradesmen, that the Auckland - made article -is very often the best procurable-; here, and some; lines of locallymade goods are selling well because of their ' quality/* but * they - bear " labels indicating or ■ suggesting : that < they were manufactured abroad. If they didn't bear those labels,,or trade marks, : they would scarcely sell" at all. i"; The one thing needful is . to•■ educate • New,' Zealand people .to; the true ■•{{. worth of New Zealand manufactures, and {/..to show them what is really being made in New Zealand. ; To that= end : the industrial associations are'holding exhibitions of New i Zealand i manufactures and the { Auckland display will be staged" in shop windows Q ,: early "in August. * The displays-- in Christ- •.,-, church and j Wellington "have led ■ to - an enormous increase in the sale of New Zea- {/{..{ land-made goods, and the exhibition here will undoubtedly lead to the same 'good result. K The fact of th* matter is that, generally { speaking, if New /> Zealand k people really /■ : ;.. knew the worth of the manufactures of the :: Dominion, they would look { for 4 them always, and even pay more for. them.; Sound work is put into the products of local factories, and the general average quality is of.a verv high standard. It is surely ; a {{; backward state of affairs 'when { our/ rimmifacturers have to disguise the fact that ;{■{ their goods " are made{ locally. Auckland lias the second largest number of factories ::: in the Dominion, Otago ; heading the list with 889, Wellington follows Auckland's 885 with k total ; of / 846, 1 and Canterbury comes next with 696. . HEAD OF THE LIST. Taking the more important industries, however, Auckland 1 easily heads the list, and in these it has more operatives employcl 1 than ' any other centre. ■/ On a basis of number of handc employed, the largest industry is that carried on by sawmills and sash and door factories, and the > value of output of these milts in', Auckland is about oneand'a-hnU million pounds per annum, Wellington coming,next with under half a million, and Otago next with . under £300,000. Throughout New Zealand, the manufacturing I industries} employ upwards of 56,000 hands,; and the wages per annum total ; about;£4,soo,ooo.;-:. The horse-power used in running the machinery ■• is • about -'60,553, an increase of 21,222 since 1901. And these figures do not include the Government ,i:auway workshops or. printing office, nor do they/, include mines or: quarries or fisheries. The value of land- used : for purposes of the factories is £5.264,862, against £1.980,428 in 1901, fand. the value of . the" machinery S has / gone y * up .» from £3,852.457 in 190*1,' to £5,392.522 in 1906, while the value of all manufactures or produce sent out from the factories totalled £25,444,255 in 1905, an", increase of £5,591,102 in five years. Two clothing factories in Auckland keep over 350 sewing machines each in full operation. " On every side the local factories are . installing new machinery, and "some are experiencing difficulty in ( procuring labour. There is an immense variety of industries in Auckland, goods are being sold daily . that th« general public scarcely ever knows are being made Really. , . Heel and toe plates for boots, fishing rods,, hockey sticks and cricket bats, bucket* and other kitchen and dairy utensils, soaps, candles, iron bedsteads, leadlights, marine engines, articles of jewellery, pottery, drugs and chemicals, baking v nowder, baskets { and wickerwork, marine requisites, incandescent gas mantles, "•■■■_ oil and steam engines, manures, toys, coffee and spices, 'tobacco, sauces, pickles, and ■>. ■■ vinegar, glue, sausage skins, ; barrels, cooking ranges and stoves; spouting arid ridging, musical instrrments,»corks"{{alls descriptions, billiard tables, brushes and brooms, whip thongs, tin trunks "and portmanteaux, pumps, { oilskins,.; Venetian blinds, mattresses and .'bags /arid sacks are all eurned out in Auckland, to say 'nothing of the better known local manufactures. "The manufactures turned out in Auckland are undoubtedly of a very high quality," said Mr. J. H. Mackie, secretary , to the : Industrial Association, when » speaking to a Hkbai.d representative yesterday, " Our manufacturers are putting -good, honest work and material into their wares, but it is' surprising to note the ignorance prevailing °generally in regard to ; local industries. -"■ The association hopes to dispel a lot of misconception by the display to be made in August. {'; We "only want,to get our manufactures better known, and ths result" will be all right. The J; forthcoming ; '" display will astonish not ; a ■ few people who ; regard themselves as even /quitey well informed in this ; connection. 7 For instance, few people know what is really being dor« in the ; manufacture of shirts of all descriptions in Auckland, or really, what is being ■■■:-:. turned out by the saddlery/ and I harness . makers 01*.the boot ■:. factories or th«; biscuit ; and confectionery establishments.". BUSY FACTORIES. .'-And., are all trades busy?" ••-•■-- " They -are,"? replied. Mr. - Mackie. ;.','] ; know; of ; a • number of trades so busy thai they are actually refusing orders from lh< South: There is one firm of confectionery y / ; makers laying down £8000 worth of nev ;.;•,'..*; "'■' machinery,: and on all sides ; manufacturer: ' are- extending both premises and plant Factories are being driven to putting u more and more., labour-saving machinery because they are unable to get the hand they want. It seems to me the Harbou Board will have to provide more accommc d at ion at an early, date for the shipbuild ers. Orders are being sent out of th country for small steamers that could b better made here./ ; The Harbour / Boar and other such bodies and the; Governmen should give more'opportunity/to: New Zea land manufactusrers, who turn out work good as any made. by any oversea firm* If the big orders are sent out of the coui try, there is no • encouragement to exten either plant or .premises. Railway truck and carriages could easily be made by loci firms, and yet the Government states ths its own workshops / cannot cope with th pressure of -work. An interesting exhib during Industries Week will be a pair < twin screw, marine engines made in"Aucl land,- of a value of about £1500, v and thes< in the opinion of , experts, : will bear 'con • -panson with any .imported engines':* both design and -work." ; . '■' ■■ ■■■-■■■■ Asked how be regarded the proepectf, b fore local manufacturers, . Mr. Mackie m , it seemed to him that they would have specialise. The tendency in every line " business now w„s :^ towards . BjxjciaHftatio T?trms that covered everything pertaini ,;y;A«« l * ; ' , *V':

A to F, and so trade would drift into cer- - tain lines, and the result would be a great ; saving of labour and material. %; One manufacturer c had told him the other day that if the factories could get more men to turn : out larger quantities of goods, the demand was ready to hand, and /they could; ignore - the tariffs; if the labour was forthcoming for : specialisation, many manufacturers would be practically independent of the tariffs. • There was a great demand .for building material, r and ; the call • for brick* was practically ; never satisfied. tie J8 lieved that a great trade would; spring up yet in concrete building blocks, , and w pumico' concrete blocks. < An ;' imponant point was that outside firms, • which hud hitherto been content to do business in Auckland through agents, were now establishing works here as rapidly as possible. It had long '* been a belief that New. Zealand boot factories could only turn out a good heavy article, but they were turning out now certain lines of light goods equal to any from any other country m the world. •'■* The tramcars made locally were far better than the imported article, and so it was in every case where goods had to be mado to suit particular requirements. ; 1 THE IMPORTED ARTICLE. When the subject of English labels on Auckland-made goods was mentioned,; Mr. Mackie instanced several cases, and he went on to say. that it was a most peculiar idea that the" imported article must always bo the best, but that idea undoubtedly did prevail, and unionist workers, the very people who ought to support local industry, were as great sinners in this. respect as anyone. People actually expressed astonishment, after rising an; article for some time, and having purchased it in the belief that it was imported, at finding it was of colonial manufacture. Some ladies, taking afternoon tea, were; enthusiastic in ■ praise of 6ome particularly dainty confections served - to them, arid one remarked, "How beautifully these English arid Continental makers , do -turn out their goods." Another who happened to know, however,, remarked that the confections were actually ■ made, not a mile away," in Auckland, and sagely added, : "Of course, if evervone knew, they might not be as fashionable as they are now." "When "the; public inspects the exhibits , during Industries Week," said Mr. Mackie, in conclusion, " it will receive an education that • should result in a wonderful impetus tc the manufacturing industries of Auckland." " • " ' ,