DOMINION'S FACTORIES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19780, 29 October 1927, Page 12

DOMINION'S FACTORIES.

!NEW RECORD ESTABLISHED. OUTPUT NEARLY £85,000,000. ITHE SECONDARY INDUSTRIES. EVIDENCE OF ADVANCEMENT. Substantial increases in several departments having overridden contractions in others, factory production in New Zealand in 1925-26 established a new record. The annual report by the Government Statistician, based on returns which have been compiled in the usual series of elaborate tabulated statements, reveals ui'iisual activity in the establishment of new factories; a record number of persons engaged in factories, mills, works, etc.; a record in value of products, m spits of a heavy decline in the value of the output from freezing and dairy factories; pnd a further record in the "added value"—the value created by the application of manufacturing processes to raw materials. The following summary of the principal statistics for 1924-25 and 1925-25 is given by the Statistician:— j j

The report explains that the increases fof 24.44 per cent, in the horse-power of engines and motors in use and of 18.19 per cent, in the value of land, buildings, plant and machinery (shown in the table as capital assets) are chiefly due to the enormons development of hydroelectric undertakings. Several large works, including Mangahao, were brought into operation m 1925-25, and appear in the returns for the first time. The relatively slight increase m the cost of materials used and the value of products is attributed to the fall in prices of primary products. Approximately £28,000,0 CX) of the raw materials and £34,000,000 of the value of products in the year's statistics are credited to butter and cheese and meat freezing industries. The Secondary Industries. As returns from these semi-primary industries obscure the position of the true secondary industries, the Statistician has prepared returns for the two years relating solely to the latter. From the general return given above, he has excluded meat freezing and preserving, ham and bacon cnripg, butter and cheese making, sausagecasMg manufacture, fellmongering ana ■wool scouring, boiling-down and manure making, and three .public-service industries —gas-making, electricity supply and electric tramways. The following data are representative of secondary industry:—

This return shows a fairly substantial general increase, particularly in capital assets, which have increased by 5.56 per cent., and in salaries and wages, which are higher by 8.15 per cent. An increase of 4.71 per cent, was recorded for added value, while the number of employees was 4.29 per cent, greater. Generally speaking, the Statistician remarks, these figures indicate advancement in the true £;eQondary industries. From various aspects of the statistics, it appears that the industries showing the greatest increase during the year have been printing and publishing, electric supply, motor-cycle engineering, manufacture of chemicals, biscuit and confectionery making, agricultural implements, clothing manufacture and furniture making. The Statistician remarks that the increases recorded for the printing and publishing, furniture and engineering industries are abnormally high, and indicate unusual activity in those- industries. The increase in the clothing industry affords tangible evidence that the 'depression which enveloped the clothing factories in recent years is being overcome. Coachbuilding has, since the event of the motor, been in a declining state, but the recent development of the motor-body building trade has seen a revival in this industry. Employees, Wages and Salaries. In 1921-22, the number of employees in all. factories was 70,316. The following return showed an increase of 3346, and the next an increase of 4000. In 1924-25, the number had again increased by 2666, and the latest return shows a further increase by 1373 to the record number. ■ The following table gives for 1925-26 the classification of proprietors actively engaged and of employees, together with salaries and wages:—

Women and girls comprised only 17.73 per cent of the t0ta1—14,486, as against 67.214 male employees. Summarising the statistics relating to mechanical power, the report states that in the last four years, there has been an increase from 52.56 to 74.92 in the average horsepower available per establishment, %vhile the average per employee has increased from 3.12 to 4.40 The Auckland Province. The geographical distribution of industrial output is shown by returns for the provincial districts, indicating that the Auckland province contains more than one-third of the total. The total value of "factory production in the province in 1925-26 was £28.017.766, or 33.04 per cent., of the total. This figure was slightly less ~han that for the previous year, the difference being £116.795, but £2.253.462 greater than in 1923-24. Wellington province followed with £17.289.082 or 20.39 per cent., the value showing a decline for the year of £134,327. Observing that the value added to raw materials bv manufacturing processes is the most reliable measure of industrial activity, the Statistician gives a return on that basis. the details for 1925 26 being as follows:

Just over 63 per cent, of the added Value was created in the North Island, as Bgainst 37 for the South Island.

1924-25 1925-26. Establishments 4,547 4,791 Employees 80,327 81.700 Salaries and wages £15.690,202 £16,876.881 Motive porer, h.p. 288,407 358,881 Materials used . . £ 52.161,420 £52.326.998 Value of products 84,101,313 84,792,434 Added value 31,939,893 32.465,436 Capital assets 49.97S.842 59.069.000

Employees . 1924-25. 1925-26. 60,298 63,002 Salaries and wages £ 11,507,318 £ 12,528,488 Motive power, h.p. 116,840 120,085 Materials used . . £17,654,652 £17,941,318 Value of products 39,586,941 40,925,184 Added value 21.902,289 22,983,866 Capital assets • . 22,322,137 23,637.555

Proprietors . . . . 2.599 £692,486 Managers, overs eers . . 4.623 1,818,314 Accountants, cle rks . . . 7^218 1 AOA Qia .Wage-earning en aployees . 67,254 Totals

Added value. Per cen Auckland £ 11.030.067 33.97 Wellington 6.921,450 21.32 Canterbury 5,258,774 ir,.-20 Ota co 3.855.547 11.88 Southland 1,333,240 4.1) Taranaki 1,289,353 3.97 Hawke's Bay . 1.241.859 3.83 "Westland S28.8f4 2,55 Nelson . . 517.701 1.59 ilarlborougli 188.581 0.58 Totals iS32.4G5.43R 100.00