Industrial Diversity

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 526, 1 December 1928, Page 6

Industrial Diversity

NEW ZEALAND’S PROGRESS

Growth of Manufactures THE importance of secondary industries to New Zealand and tlie extent to which, they have been developed in the last few years, were stressed by Mr. J. W. Collins, Secretary to the Department of Industries and Commerce, when he replied to tho toast of “Industrial Progress” at the annual meeting of the Canterbury Manufacturers’ Association.

Mr. Collins traced tlie growth of secondary industries in the Dominion during the last few years and prophesied still greater growth in the future. In Canterbury during tlie last 11 years there had been very great progress. The number of people employed in secondary industries had increased by 30 per cent., the amount paid in wages by 158 per cent, and the value of the products by 70 per cent. The question of financing New Zealand Industries had been mentioned, but he thought that there would not be much difficulty in this. NITRATES FROM AIR Six and a-half millioms, he said, had already been raised to establish a new industry in the South Island. This was the production of nitrates from the air, and in five years, Sir Douglas Mawson had assured him, 2,000 people would be working in this industry in a district where now there w’as only bush. New industries were springing up all the time—some of them very important. The toba’cco industry, for instance, had meant £IOO,OOO to Nelson alone last year. The tobacco factory In Napier, employing 300 people, was as fine as anything he had seen in Australia, Canada and Lhe United States. One branch of industry which made special progress in Canterbury was the manufacture of electrical equipment. There was a factory in Christchurch where electric ovens were being made which would turn out many hundreds of loaves a day,

and the quality of tlie goods was equal to anything in the world. The glass industry was one which was comparatively new to New Zealand, but it was now right on its feet. “Many of the bottles containing cordials that you see in this city were made at Penrose,” said Mr. Collins. “The glass industry Is well established. I am glad to see that it is commencing operations in Ashburton, where there are tremendous supplies of some of the finest glass sand in the world MOVIE-PROJECTORS “I could tell you of a new carpet industry, which is winning a market in Australia. Then there are two young men who have begun the business of making moving-picture projectors. They have taken out patents of their own and their machines, selling pounds cheaper than the imported article, are giving ten times the satisfaction. “There is one thing that the officer, of my department are finding out just at present, when they are visiting every factory in New Zealand, and that is that you manufacturers are not specifying New Zealand-made goods for your own use. “You are not loyal to your neighbours. First start with yourselves, then your employees, and then appeal to the general public to buy New Zealand-made goods.” Mr. Collins quoted the case of Lever Brothers, soap manufacturers, on whose order forms were stamped the words, "This order must be filled with New Zealand-made goods.”