High Standard of Craftsmanship in Dominion Factories

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21647, 13 November 1933, Page 47 (Supplement)

High Standard of Craftsmanship in Dominion Factories

jI.KAMIXOr wheels that spin to .. the { rhythmic Hick of belting, (lie restless thrust, of rain and piston, ingenious cams that give to lifeless steel a magic mot ion, noise ami the smell I of hoi oil, ami over all an air of pent vitality straining to burst its bonds. 'l'!" s IS " IK> s ' ( '° the complete New Zealand picture not seen hv those who concentrate solely on the peaceful pastoral scene, and the pigments for its painting come in la most part from the Auckland Province. So important to the Dominion are the primary industries in themselves that the extent anil variety of the country's manufacturing pursuits are not readily realised. The great part they play in the scheme of things is revealed, however, in tll ° briefest survey, which shows that thousands .of people are employed in Now Zealand factories, day in and day out, that millions of pounds a year are paid in wages to factory employees, and that millions of pounds are invested in factory buildings and machinery. Of all this organisation of capital and skill one third is concentrated within Auckland provincial ho uularies. The latest figures show that O-S.tjl'" persons are engaged in manufacturing in Vy< ' u Zealand, both primary and secondary, and that the wages paid to them total a year. The value of land, building machinery and plant is if>.->.W7,015, the vcirly output being valued at MTW.m. These are substantial figures considering the Youth of the country "aiul in view of world economic conditions, yet

in more? prosperous times thov have boon eclipsed. In 'point of wages distributed the peak was reached in 102fl-.'tt), when £17,621,40-1 was paid in wage's to factory employees. Justifying the pounds, shillings and pence of their wages and their employment in hundreds and thousands is the skill of the New Zealand craftsman. As

a mechanical engineer lie ranks with the world's best and tlie more adventuresome of his kind are to be found in all the odd corners of the earth, where ability to make do with the implements at hand counts for more than aptitude in a fully-equipped machine shop. His products, most notably gold and tin dredges, set a world standard. A youth with the recommendation of anv New Zealand manufacturing establishment of "standing to support him is generally sure of employment wherever he goes. But the skilled craftsman is not confined to engineering, lake printing us another instance of highly-developed abilitv and the Christmas Number of the Ai'ckWND* AVkkki.v Nkws as a case particularly in point. The cover, with its kingfishef in flight and revealing all the glorious hues of the feathers is a masterpiece comparable with anything of a like nature produced anywhere in the world. Experts in lands where printing has been reduced to one of the fine arts are unanimous in their tributes to this„annual production of the Hkkai.l> Office.

Auckland's share in the industrial effort is thrown into sharp relief when the factory statistics are dissected. Taking again the most recent figures, the £12,612,1*35 distributed in one

inr! as ? nf f S to oni I ), '>yoos in the inanufiiffll "xlustnos was apportioned principally as _Ca"t«'rbiir.v, £2,109,901; Ot»go, £1,oOJ,610; Hawko s Bay, £.-»:»7,G60. Tin- „„t_ J'-'t, value! at £O7 813,.mi, was the product, tho main, of the following provincesAuckland, 124,990.77-1; Wellington, £IM 907 S"(JJ antcibury, £9,826,209; Otago. £t> 2!f5 <i7'>' laranaki, £4.55-j,G9:I. Of the" <3B,G97'~persous engaged tlio iollowing districts accounted lor i, c '" ,l|<n ; i , t . v: —Aucldan.!, 22.912; Wellington, U i l anter " h " , T ) 11,-12-1 j Otago, 91(;;{; Hawlco's Hav, 2709. l'ew indeed are the needs of the average New . alaiuler for which the industries established in the Dominion do not cater. To every phase —tood, clothing, shelter, education and' amusement—tho resources of local manufacture have been applied, and as new needs arise the New Zealand inaiiiilaclurer turns his enterprise toward meeting them. It is inevitable and logical that in a primary producing country some of the manufacturing eneig\ should be devoted to the treatment of primary products, and this is so in New Zea-

land. There is in the Dominion, however, an amazing diversity of manufacturing activity not directly connected with the product of field and pasture, and many of the community's needs, which in the past could be met only by importation, are now catered for by NewZealand manufacturing enterprise. There are also factories in which New Zealand labour is employed in the fashioning of imported materials. A survey of manufacturing industries connected with the primary industries of New Zealand or with imported primary products shows an interesting position. Of the JU12,6f2,!K}0 wages bill previously quoted, the sum of £1,1(37 was paid to 6010 persons engaged in the meat freezing and preserving industry, while .'JWI people engaged in butter, cheese and condensed milk manufacture were paid 171). Biscuit and confectionery-making was responsible for a substantial share of the total, the sum of £315,664 being paid to 2~>2.'l employees in this industry. Brewing and malting provided a direct livelihood for 870 employees, L'22N,Si;} being distributed to them in wages. The woollen milling industry gave work to 2216 employees, who were paid £300,.'5 < J9.

AUCKLAND'S INDUSTRIAL LEAD

I lie eminence of Auckland in the manufacture <il primary products is illustrated forcibly in the case- of factories dealing with butter, cheese, dried milk, sugar of milk, casein arid condensed milk. Of a total Dominion output of these commodities, valued at JL'lB,4Bl ,582, lactories in the Auckland Province produced i1'.1,8/8 worth. Taranaki was next with an output valued at £3,150,805. tJuttcr was responsible for £8,5!t51,007 of Auckland's total. In the freezing and preserving of meat, and the production of by-products, Auckland's output was valued at £2,0 ( .)0,10'2, compared with the Dominion total of {.'10,5>74,5)52. In view of the fact that by far the larger part of New Zealand's grain crops are grown in Canterbury, it is striking that there should be such a concentration of grain milling in Auckland. Of the lit milling establishments in New Zealand listed for statistical purposes, 21 arc grouped in Canterbury, .Marlborough and Nelson, 21 of them being in Canterbury itself. Against this there are only four mills in the Auekland-Taranaki group, in which Auckland accounts for three, yet the output of this group is valued at £812,0-1">, compared with

£1,126,501 in the case of tlie southern group. 'I lie figure for the Dominion as a whole is £2,71(j,C7.'>. Brewing and malting, which provides direct employment for nearly 900 New Zealanders, is an industry in which Auckland takes a large and growing part. The value of land, buildings, machinery and plant devoted to this activity in New Zealand is £XOO,O4G, of which the Auckland portion is £'2-1-1,551. The latest official survey of the industry showed the total annual value of production to he £ 1,029,8.°57, to which the five Auckland establishments contributed 1. Compared with this was a production valued at £510,220 by the six establishments comprising the OLago-Southland statistical group. (ireat as the development- has been in the factory treatment of the more staple commodities, a rapid pace has been maintained in the manufacture from primary products of goods more akin to luxury lines, lu this avenue of activity Auckland again has taken a foremost part. Of the 57 biscuit, confectionery and sugar-boiling works operating in the Dominion 21 are in the Auckland provincial district. The output of the Auckland establishments, added

to the output of two similar factories in Hawke's May, is more than one third of tlio total Dominion output, being valued at compared with the New Zealand total ot L1,:t27,01.{. Kngaged iu the same industry, and next in order in point of output, are 11 factories, spread over Otago and Southland. The annual output from this group at the latest survey win \ allied at L.'to t,BBB, a figure nearly reached by I lie nine factories in Canterbury, which produced (roods worth i."•'{()(},(327. Last on the list came the Wellington-Nelson group. Although the number of factories in this group total 11, of which J.'s are in the Wellington Province, thev produced an output valued at only 17.5,"> I'.'. Of the 202U persons engaged in this industry, 822 are employed by the Aucklandllawkc's Bay group.

Fruit preserving and j nm-makit><j; is n natural outlet for the surplus from New Zealand's abundaiit orchards, and tliis is an industry which has increased ils activity in a marked manner. It is one which, moreover, Auckland and the rich fruiturowinn province «>f Nelson share almost entirely beUveen thems(;lves, being together responsible tor an output valued at ;L27.'i,581, as against a Dominion output valued at L•">()•">,SI>8. There are live of these factories in Auckland and two in Nelson. Canterbury and Olajro have two factories each, making; a New Zealand total ot 11.

An industry that, is well distributed throughout New Zealand i;i that devoted to the manufacture of aerated water and cordials. Hero again Auckland is in the lead, with 'l2 factories producing £05,580 worth of products, Wellington being next with 22 factories, with an output valued at £55,1 18. The total number of factories in the Dominion is 12-'s, the annual value of the output being £2/56,185). There are 1!) factories in Canterbury and 10 each in llawke's Bay and Taranaki. Of surprising dimensions is one of New Zealand's lesser industries, that of ice cream manufacture. The total value of land, buildings, plant and machinery devoted to the making of ice cream is £'255,00'!, the output from the 22 establishments engaged being valued at £ll-1,9.'55. The output in tlio

North Island is more than double that of the South Island, a position doubtless resulting from conditions of climate. The six factories in Auckland and the one in Hawke's Bay together produce ice cream valued at £42,579, while the value of the output from Taranaki and Wellington factories is £.'56,508. The South Island output is valued at £.'55,818. Other manufacturing industries there are allied to the primary industries such as sugar refining, fish curing and preserving, and tlio making of sauce and pickles, in them Auckland plays a prominent or the only part. What has been done demonstrates that Auckland has builded well upon the foundations laid by its tillers of the soil. It. is a promise of what the future holds. Whether New Zealand will become a more closely-settled country carrying an industrial population on the same scale as the older world is a question upon which there is room for differences of opinion. But no matter the view may be held, there is the one certain point that, whatever manufacturing industry becomes established on these shores. New Zealand men will be able to fill its ranks and provide products which will meet ready acceptance by the people of the Dominion, and more than bear comparison with the best wares of other countries.