WANTED: MORE UP-TO-DATE STATISTICS.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLIII, Issue 20862, 19 October 1937, Page 6

WANTED: MORE UP-TO-DATE STATISTICS.

Because of the national importance of the issues raised iq the controversy on tfie boot and shoe manufacturing industry, most enact official statistical information right up to flute should be readily available to the public. Statements have been made in the House of Representatives that seem to paint the gloomiest picture of the Industry under discussion, with the most unpromising outlook for the future. Comparative statements revealing the condition of the industry on October 1 compared with July 1, have been given Dominion-wide publicity, and the impression lias been created that the manufacturers associated with the footwear industry are becoming alarmed at the unfavourable prospects. By way of reply, the Minister of Labour has stated that the boot and shoe manufacturing industry is enjoying a peak of prosperity and employment is being provided at full throttle. The representatives of the manufacturers, on their part, have replied by saying that the Minister of Labour has based his conclusions on out-of-date statistics. Not unnaturally, then, the inquiring mind would turn to The Monthly Abstract of Statistics, compiled by the Census and Statistics Pepartment, Wellington, and issued under Governmental authority. But what do inquiries unearth? In the issue of this Government publication for September 27, the statement is made under “Boot and Shoe Industry,’’ that “great activity characterised the operations of the boot and shoe industry during the year 1936-37, which established a new record high level for the physical value of production,” and we read further that “though the number of boot and shoe factories reporting operations during 1936-37 was four less than in 1935-36, the number of persons engaged and the salaries and wages paid showed increases of 11 per cent, and 21 per cent, respectively.” Discussing employment The Abstract of Statistics says that “during each month of the year ended March 1937, the number of wage earners, both male and female, was (except in the month of April, 1936, for males) in excess of that shown for the corresponding month of the previous year. The lowest number of employees was recorded in April for both sexes, while the peak occurred in March 1937 for both males and females.” Until a closer scrutiny of this review is made an altogether wrong impression is created; indeed some official explanation ought to be forthcoming because the official staistics do not yet take into consideration conditions prevailing in the industry, whereas during the past three or four months the industry has passed through a crisis of the first magnitude, although as has been pointed out in the House of Representatives the unfavourable turn in the fortunes of the footwear industry began to make its appearance three months ago. These statistics seem to have led the Minister of Labour into difficulties. Under the heading “Boot and Shoe Industry,” the information displayed in the last number of The Abstract of Monthly Statistics is so out of date as to be valueless; indeed, the responsible department ought to realise that in these days when it has become the fashion for rival groups of Parliamentarians t® bombard one another with statistics, some, times reduced to the decimal of a penny, a Government publication issued on September 27 containing information on an important industry up to March months put of date —is worse than useless.