H.—44.

14

STATISTICS RELATING TO MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES. In many respects the manufacturing industries of New Zealand continue to expand, but it is regretted that, taken as a whole, the progress expected has not been realized. This lack of progress is exemplified from a study of the official statistics for the years 1926-27 and for those of 1927-28. There has been a reduction of 164 in the number of employees engaged, explainable, no doubt, by the depression in the sawmilling, footwear, and woollen industries. The wages paid were also down by £171,000; but perhaps the most surprising unfavourable difference occurs in the item " Added value " —i.e., the difference between the cost of materials and the value of products—which stood at £32,421,285 in 1927-28 against £32,799,021 in 1926-27. The following table, showing certain summarized statistics of all the Dominion's factories, indicates the general growth during the past year : —

In the following table a summary is given of the position of industry, under three main headings, in each of the four provinces indicated. It will be noted that Auckland and Wellington run very closely so far as value of production is concerned, and that in both of these provinces the figures exceed the value of products of both Canterbury and its allied districts and of Otago and Southland. This is mainly due, of course, to the high value of output from the semi-primary, dairying, and allied industries in the North Island. In the purely manufacturing field both the Canterbury and neighbouring districts, and Otago and Southland, occupy a very important place.

Summary by Districts.

Year ended 31st March, Differences, 1927-28. 1927. 1928. Absolute. Relative per Cent. Establishments (number) .. .. 5,088 5,166 78 1-53 Persons engaged — Males (number) .. .. .. 66,976 65,995 —981 —1-46 Females (number) .. .. .. 14,928 15,745 817 5-47 Total .. .. .. 81,904 81,740 -164 -0-20 Salaries and wages paid- — £ £ £ £ To males .. .. .. .. 15,534,622 15,299,985 -234,637 -1-51 To females 1,513,101 1,575,890 62,789 4-15 Total .. .. .. 17,047,723 16,875,878 -171,845 —1-01 Motive power (h.p.) .. .. .. 408,739 417,105 8,366 2-05 £ £ £ £ Cost of materials used .. .. 50,213,482 55,308,197 5,094,715 10*15 Value of products .. .. .. 83,012,503 87,729,482 4,716,979 5-68 Added value .. .. .. 32,799,021 32,421,285 -377,736 —1-15 £ £ £ £ Value of land and buildings .. .. 22,875,447 23,301,449 426,002 1-86 Value of plant and machinery .. 39,847,678 41,372,701 1,525,023 3-83 Total .. .. .. 62,723,125 64,674,150 1,951,025 3 11 Note. —The minus sign ( —) denotes decrease.

Persons engaged. Salaries and Wages. Value of Products. £ £ Auckland .. .. .. .. 26,815 5,682,534 30,780,743 Hawke's Bay, Taranaki, Wellington .. 23,386 5,032,582 28,345,219 Marlborough, Nelson, Westland, Canterbury 17,478 3,492,945 16,864,705 Otago, Southland .. .. .. 14,077 2,669,717 11,741,336 Totals .. .. .. 81,756 16,877,778 87,732,003