TARIFFS AND OVERHEAD

Taranaki Daily News, 3 September 1934, Page 7

TARIFFS AND OVERHEAD

GREATER EFFICIENCY REQUIRED. VIEWS OF FARMERS’ UNION GIVEN. It was contended by the Fanners’ Union that factory overhead expenses would be considerably reduced through the removal of protective tariffs, and their necessarily accruing costs in manufacture, said the union’s president, Mr. W. J. Polson, M.P., in an address at Feilding on Friday. If secondary industries were overhauled and rationalised, and their output specialised and standardised, there would be no need for protection other than that of distance from the British manufacturer. From data supplied by the New Zealand Goverment Statistician’s Office the union had compiled the following table of index figures for manufactured articles in 1932: — United Kingdom: 67 (base 1924 equals 100). U.S.A.: 101.4 (base 1913 equals 100). . Canada: 108.5 (base 1913 equals 100). Germany: 117.9 (base 1913 equals 100). New Zealand: 132.7 (base 1913 equals

100). ■ The union maintained that this high index figure for New Zealand was largely due to: — (a) Multiplicity of factories producing similar goods; e.g., 244 clothing and waterproof. factories, 72 boot and shoe factories, 23 hosiery factories, and 12 woollen mills. (b) Want of efficiency, due to wide range of manufacture in the same industry; e.g., most woollen mills manufactured all kinds of woollen goods, from blankets to socks.