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Furniture and Cabinet Making. Official statistics, year ended 31st March— 1935. 1936. 1937. Establishments (number) .. . . 285 308 338 Employees (number) .. .. 1,874 2,262 2,807 Salaries and wages paid .. .. £285,081 £376,261 £528,567 Value of output .. .. .. £773,810 £1,029,948 £1,380,492 Value added by manufacture .. £414,012 £539,765 £731,251 In Wellington, trade was considerably better than that in previous years. Other centres report that at the commencement of the year conditions were good, but towards the end of the period business slackened somewhat. Over the whole of the year turnovers showed some increase. Ham and Bacon Factories. Official statistics, year ended 31st March— 1935. 1936. 1937. Establishments (number) .. . . 43 49 52 Employees (number) .. . . 395 450 506 Salaries and wages paid .. .. £79,993 £92,444 £112,014 Value of output .. .. .. £805,113 £918,500 £1,183,507 Value added by manufacture .. £228,608 £281,963 £294,519 Conditions have been good, in some cases excellent, with increased turnovers generally prevailing. Employment has been maintained, and in certain instances, owing to the seasonal nature of the trade, skilled men have been difficult to procure. Prospects are favourable. Bricks, Pipes, Tiles, and Pottery Making. Official statistics, year ended 31st March— 1935. 1936. 1937. Establishments (number) . . .. 54 58 ' 62 Employees (number) .. .. 618 777 772 Salaries and wages paid .. .. £111,988 £142,242 £190,038 Value of output .. .. .. £285,164 £347,562 £429,891 Value added by manufacture .. £264,729 £320,554 £394,311 The continued activity in the building and allied industries has permitted stefidy conditions in the brick and tile industry, and the year's trade should compare reasonably well with that for the previous year. In the South the concrete-pipe industry has continued to improve, following upon the elimination of certain difficulties which had been experienced previously. The manufacture of pottery, which is a relatively small branch of the above industry, has not disclosed any marked improvement, and sales have been difficult. Flaxmilling. Official statistics, year ended 31st March— 1935. 1936. 1937. Establishments (number) . . . . 21 29 32 Employees (number) . . . . 316 506 540 Salaries and wages paid .. .. £42,160 £69,367 £92,202 Value of output .. .. .. £80,711 £138,336 £179,323 Value added by manufacture .. £68,911 £118,430 £160,656 Conditions obtaining in the flaxmilling industry are referred to in an earlier section of this report. Rope and Twine Making. Official statistics, year ended 31st March— 1935. 1936. 1937, Establishments (number) .... 6 8 7 Employees (number) . . .. 228 243 243 Salaries and wages paid .. .. £36,052 £39,747 £44,118 Value of output .. .. .. £128,506 £159,925 £180'796 Value added by manufacture .. £69,668 £87,362 £91,214 Reports indicate that business during the past year in relation to rope and twine was fair, with normal employment prevailing in this section of the industry. The output of shop twines and soft fibre goods appears to have shown some increase, but some recession is noticeable in binder-twines. Clothing. Official statistics, year ended 31st March — 1935. 1936. 1 937 Establishments (number) .. .. 290 318 336 Employees (number) .. .. 9,394 10,296 11,828 Salaries and wages paid .. .. £952,844 £1,025,510 £1,322,388 Value of output .. .. .. £2,958,508 £3,090,027 £3,663,107 Value added by manufacture .. £1,391,877 £1,508,550 £1,823,727 Imports, calendar years : Apparel and readymade clothing .. .. ..£1,101,887 £1,261,804 £1,814,116 During the early part of the year the conditions of the industry were considered good and increased sales were the general result of better spending-power, with some increase in the demand for better-quality goods. Later on it was ascertained that orders placed overseas earlier in the year

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