Hi—44.

5. Sauce, Pickle, and Vinegar Making. Official statistics— 1934-35. 1935-36. 1936-37. 1937-38. Establishments (number) .. 18 18 16 17 Employees (number) .. 236 250 254 272 Salaries and wages paid .. £38,345 £41,583 £47,263 £51,372 Value of output .. .. £192,219 £217,209 £222,264 £232,095 Value added by manufacture £108,125 £120,920 £127,231 £132,913 Sales have remained steady at a satisfactory level. Girl-labour has been an acute problem, particularly in view of the fact that some work is seasonal. 6. Soap and Candle Making. Official statistics— 1934-35. 1935-36. 1936-37. 1937-38. Establishments (number) .. 23 23 22 20 Employees (number) .. 513 492 553 552 Salaries and wages paid .. £86,817 £89,187 £107,259 £107,727 Value of output .. .. £536,235 £574,191 £578,569 £565,871 Value added by manufacture £299,695 £296,128 £279,091 £256,999 Business has been very steady throughout the year and factories have been kept busy. Sales of bar soap have been very satisfactory, but not so with toilet-soaps. Import control has altered this position, however, and the variety of toilet-soap has been considerably increased. The output of toothpastes and shaving-soaps has shown further increase, and New-Zealand-made goods now supply the bulk of the market. Soap-powder sales continue to expand rapidly, but partly at the expense of bar-soap sales. Further expansion of the soap industry is confidently expected. 7. Coach and Motor-body Building and Cycle-works. Official statistics— 1934-35. 1935-36. 1936-37. 1937-38. Establishments (number) .. 1,077 1,150 1,218 1,307 Employees (number) .. .. 5,473 6,731 8,185 9,909 Salaries and wages paid .. £889,439 £1,138,974 £1,600,730 £2,120,280 Value of output .. .. £2,570,963 £3,222,626 £4,334,236 £5,588,433 Value added by manufacture .. £1,453,249 £2,002,383 £2,776,311 £3,773,436 Production has been at maximum capacity during the year, several units having extended their premises. Skilled labour has been almost unprocurable. The demand is expected to continue. 8. Biscuits and Confectionery Making. Official statistics— 1934-35. 1935-36. 1936-37. 1937-38. Establishments (number) .. 57 60 60 52 Employees (number) .. .. 2,591 2,862 3,127 3,208 Salaries and wages paid .. £273,078 £314,717 £392,606 £428,585 Value of output .. .. £1,481,575 £1,688,191 £1,964,130 £1,921,314 Value added by manufacture .. £734,421 £813,122 £992,743 £812,571 The drop of 2 per cent, shown for the value of products is explained by the fact that the value of products for years prior to 1937-38 included, in the case of some returns received, an unknown amount of selling and distributing charges. These charges were definitely excluded from the totals returned for 1937-38. The apparent decline of 18 per cent, in " added value " is to a large extent due to the same cause. Business has been steady and returns satisfactory. Of importance to confectionery-manufacturers is the influence of departmental stores, who are doing excellent business. The Import Regulations are expected to be very beneficial to the industry, and factories are working to full capacity at the moment. Scarcity of female labour has made itself felt in this industry also. 9. Furniture and Cabinet Making. Official statistics— 1934-35. 1935-36. 1936-37. 1937-38. Establishments (number) .. 285 308 338 381 Employees (number) .. .. 1,874 2,262 2,807 3,145 Salaries and wages paid .. £285,081 £376,261 £528,567 £626,628 Value of output .. .. £773,810 £1,029,948 £1,380,492 £1,659,391 Value added by manufacture .. £414,012 £539,765 £731,251 £866,121 Trade has been fairly quiet throughout the year. Import Regulations will not give any marked stimulus to furniture-manufacture locally, as little imported furniture is purchased to-day. 10. Ham and Bacon Factories. Official statistics— 1934-35. 1935-36. 1936-37. 1937-38. Establishments (number) .. 43 49 52 51 Employees (number) .. .. 395 450 506 521 Salaries and wages paid .. £79,993 £92,444 £112,014 £129,432 Value of output .." .. £805,113 £918,500 £1,183,507 £1,257,411 Value added by manufacture .. £228,608 £281,963 £294,519 £328,148 Conditions have remained fairly stable in this industry, sales and employment being maintained. Prices of pigs have been high as a result of the activities of exporters.

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