INDUSTRIAL BRAKE

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 57, Issue 248, 31 July 1937, Page 12

INDUSTRIAL BRAKE

MANUFACTURERS’ DIFFICULTIES. REPLY TO THE MINISTER. (Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, July 20. “The New Zealand Manufacturers’ Federation appreciates the difficulties of the Hon. 1). G. Sullivan as Minister for Industries and Commerce in the period following the recent legislation’’ said Mr Rocke O’Shea (general secretary of the Federation), replying to Mr Sullivan’s statement. “We recognise that he has the interests of New Zealand manufacturers at heart, and that it is his desire to foster them to the utmost extent. “Notwithstanding, industry is now in the unfortunate situation that the brakes have been put upon it by the higher costs resulting from the Government legislation. The Federation deplores that its plain statement of the position shpuld be classed as political action. It is now a matter for the Government to admit the facts, and take the urgent action necessary to correct the position. “The manufacturing industries of New Zealand feel that all they can do is to make their present position known. Idle cases quoted in the first statement are typical of the general position. Yesterday the head of a large footwear factory came to the Federation offices and made the following statement : “An English shoe, of which the warehouse price in New Zealand was already known to the Department of Industries and Commerce, was taken as an example. We made an identical shoe. We costed it on the basis of before the recent industrial legislation, and we costed it also under present conditions. The new cost price was almost exactly as much above the English as the old cost price was under it. This information was given to the Department of Industries and Commerce, and to the Customs Department. That was in response to the Department’s request for definite evidence as to the effect of (recent legislation. “We gave them several other instances, where our travellers reported that customers, usually good buyers, did not buy up to their usual requirements, and in some cases did not buy at ally informing our travellers that they were importing instead. We supplied the Department with the actual names of the customers. “Our firm employs more than 300 hands, and is recognised as one of the most efficient in the industry. Other manufacturers in this industry in various parts of the Dominion tell me that they qre being compelled to work short time, and also to dispense with labour.”