INDUSTRIAL FIGURES
TANNERIES & WOOL-SCOURING,
(Special to the Herald,)
WELLINGTON, this day. The gradual decline in the demand for leather in the sadijery and harness business, due to the increasing use of mqtqfs in preference to the horse, "is oaejof "the reasons given by the Goyenunent Statistician in explanation of the constant drop in the activities of the tanning industry of the Dominion. Th© year end-, ed March 31 last was regarded by tanners as a particular trying period in their business, and they are unanimously of opinion that continuance of present conditions would see a serious decline in a few years. Other reasons given for slackness are the increased importation of boots and shoes, and also leather goods and bags, and the displacement of cheaper lines of bags by articles in which leather substitutes are used. There are 16 tanneries in the country, and thflir employees, 495 in number, have dropped by 12 per cent in three years. This industry utilised materials valued at £443,372 during the vear, and the finished, value added £173,220. This represented an added value per employee of £350. though this figure was £370 in 1923-24. "These figures ar e very significant," remarks the Government Static tician, "as they substantiate the statement by many, tanners that their works have bee.n, working at far below ttorrqtl capacity; and that many employees have not been fully engaged." The wool-scouring industry varies with the condition of the market, and it seems to have encountered conditions similar to those in the tanning industry, for its employees have dropped from 732 to" 466 in three years. Thera are 41; of these establishments in the country, and thev dealt with material valued at £1,797,000 and the added value per employee being assessed at £740, tha Statistician commenting that the inctustry has, so far as its employees are concerned, quickly adapted itself to, the. changing conditions brought about by the fall in wool prices. .
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/PBH19261208.2.57
Bibliographic details
Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LII, Issue 16211, 8 December 1926, Page 7
Word Count
321INDUSTRIAL FIGURES Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LII, Issue 16211, 8 December 1926, Page 7
Using This Item
The Gisborne Herald Company is the copyright owner for the Poverty Bay Herald. You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International licence (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of the Gisborne Herald Company. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.
Log in