A LANGUISHING INDUSTRY

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 383, 7 May 1910, Page 5

A LANGUISHING INDUSTRY

THE IRON TRADE. By Telegraph—Press Association. Dunedin. Last Night. In discussing the condition of the iron industry to-day, Mr. W. C. Burt, of A. and T. Burt informer a reporter that in nearly every show wouJd be found valuable tools lying idle which in times fast gave employment to skilled mechanics and unskilled labor. It was practically impossible, seeing the wages at Home, for colonial manufacturers to compete. Continuing, Mr. Burt said: "We are handicapped to such an extent that we are importing thousands of pounds of goods which n few years ago were made in our works in Dunedin. Tt has always been the aim of our firm to manufacture and keep our factory em,ploved as fully as possible, but the conditions are such now that we have no recourse but to imnnrfc. We have endeavored, by continually adding the latest machines and methods, to keep race with the imported article, but we have ceased manufacturing to a very great extent. I think the time has arrived when the Government, the harbor boards and all local bodies and corporatuns should take into consideration the arivisaliilitv of specifying in all contracts that locally manufactured soods must be snnplied. and each article snnplied should be branded a.s made in the Dominion. We would have the satisfaction of knowing that even if the en«t is greater, the onlv "ionev thni- will n-o a! mad will be for raw nWri'il. and tho Tinlanop. bv far tho <ryp"tpv will Ur, ,i; s . trihiited amongst flip .imH-r.vs n „,i +| lr » cnnimunitv. Thero has iuaf bo"n laivled at the wharf from .Aumvim fiir> wt.olp of t ; h«> irnnwnrl: for t'<" Sim*over 'hri'lw. This ironwork could have bee" -procured fl. L anv of the loca 1 pii'trinnormnr works. The contractor endeavored to have it made hen>. but tV lr->al iii->nufa"tnrovs could not meot him in ivipn, ,An increase Of duties i« npnncenv- ,71 pnyH lr| lines, but what will snyvp hotter to build iin thf> industries !« an oi><i«o.'-or *o not the Oovernmont. th" lvirhov liot-,l<; Pll ,| the local hodi"s. et".. fV w\ use what can be mnnnfachivnii j n f],n Dominion.