NATIONAL POOL

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 153, 24 March 1939, Page 11

NATIONAL POOL

Conclusions Of Chambers

Of Commerce

FIGURES CRITICIZED BY .MINISTER A reply to a statement issued recently by the Associated Chambers of Commerce dealing with the distribution of national production was made yesterday by the Minister in charge of census and statistics, Mr. Nash. Reference was made by the Minister to the figures used by the Associated Chambers of Commerce, and the conclusions drawn from them. Mr. Nash said the Associated Chambery of Commerce had taken two good sets of figures—the Government Statistician’s estimates of (1) the value ot production, and (2) the income from wages and salaries, and by deducting the latter from the former had arrived at a figure which was most misleadingly referred to as ‘'balance for all other costs; interest, depreciation, profits, etc.” This “balance” was given by the Associated Chambers as £41,700,000 in 1935-30, £50,200,000 in 1936-37, and only £37,000,000 in 1937-38, its share of the value of production being set down as 36.6 per cent., 36.9 per cent., and 27.3 per cent, in the respective years. In presenting his estimate of the value of production in the January Abstract of Statistics, the Government Statistician plainly says:—-“It should be noted that the valuations are made as near as possible to the point of production, So that tlie cost of transport to the consumer, and other accretions to the value of commodities between the stages of production and final consumption are represented in the statistics to only a small degree. Furthermore, production of material commodities only is taken into consideration, so that the figures do not to represent the total value of goods produced and services rendered during the year.” Wages And Salaries. “The figure used by the Associated •Chambers of Commerce in respect of wages and salaries covers all receipts during the year in respect of wages and salaries,.. including those earned in the distribution of locally-produced and imported commodities and in other services not taken into account .in the value of production,” said the Minister. “Income other than wages and salaries is also derived from these services. The ‘balance,’ however, not only does not take this income into account but is reduced through the wages and salaries in respect of services being deducted from an aggregate figure in which they are not included. “The relative proportions of wages and salaries and of other income (the latter including pensions and sustenance pay) can be ascertained from a study of the Government Statistician’s computation of the aggregate private income. The latest published figure relates to the year 1936-37, and the 1937-38 figure cannot be finally determined till the 1938-39 receipts in respect of employment promotion taxation on 1937-38 ‘other income’ become available about May next.” Ten months’ figures of receipts were, however, available and a preliminary estimate of aggregate private income for 1937-38 had been made by the Statistician. It compared as follows with the estimates for earlier years:—

Wages or Aggregate Salaries. Other Income. Private P.C. of p.c. or Year. Income. Amt. Total. Amt. Total. £m. £m. £m. 3S.9 1933-34 .. 100.0 01.1 61.1 38.9 1934-35 1933-36 .. 103.1. .. 120.0 G5.7 72.5 03.7 00.4 37.4. 47.5 36.3 39.6 1936-37 .. 150.3 85.9 57.1 64.4 42.9 1937-38* . 106.0 98.0 59.4 67.4 40.0 ’Preliminary.