The Pamphlet Collection of Sir Robert Stout: Volume 68
Note
Note.
Since much misapprehension exists respecting the manufacturing industries of New Zealand as compared with those of Victoria, I append some tables to illustrate their position. The "Comparison of Manufactures and Imports goes to show that we are proportionately, whatever the reason may be, less dependent on foreign countries than Victoria is, The table of "Manufactures and Corresponding Imports" gives some idea of the variety of our productions and of their possible extension, supposing outside competition to be absent. The industries given are all those of which we have special statistics, except iron and brass, which I cannot compare owing to difficulty in deciding what is to be considered raw material, &c. Iron and brass manufactories produce to the value of £351,739, but the imports are considerably greater. Printing does not figure in the imports, because im- page 22 ported books cannot be said to come into competition with local printing to any appreciable extent. The: value of earthenware imported is not included.
New Zealand. | Victoria. | |
---|---|---|
Imports | £7,479,921 | £18,530,575 |
Manufactures | 6,713,000 | 15,041,000 |
Excess of imports | £766,921 | £3,489,575 |
[The figures respecting New Zealand are for 1885, those respecting Victoria for 1886; the produce of manufactures being estimated on Mr Hayter's basis—"Year Book," p. 481.]
Products. | Imposts. | |
---|---|---|
1885. | 1886. | |
Printing | £273,886 | __ |
Agricultural implements | 111,823 | *£10,954 |
Coach and waggon building | 128,346 | 3,195 |
Ships and boats | 47,116 | 10,546 |
Woollens | 194,311 | 104.993 |
Boots and shoes | 276,725 | 157,445 |
Clothing | 237,781 | 208,852 |
Furniture and upholstery | 162,375 | 46,635 |
Cheese and butter | 43,094 | 865 |
Flax | 20,059 | __ |
Cordage and twine | 56,413 | 8,924 |
Cured and tinned fish | 12,182 | 32,061 |
Malt | 96,015 | 262 |
Coal | 255,326 | 123,345 |
Flour and meal | 754,830 | 17,277 |
Preserved fruit and jam | 32,292 | 18,635 |
Beer | 325,182 | 74,942 |
Candles | 54,593 | 42,117 |
Soap | 74,570 | 5,511 |
Saw milling, sashes, doors | 1,177,713 | 50,662 |
Brick, tile, and pottery | 91,797 | 615 |
Boiling down and meat preserving | 543,878 | 1,334 |
Tanning and scouring | 634,915 | 55,5,974 |
Aerated waters | 94,098 | 2,875 |
Total | £5,698,720 | £978,010 |
In the next table manufacturing hands are compared first with the total population, and secondly with population, less "Domestic Class." The very material difference in the result is caused by the larger proportion of children in New Zealand. The table shows that according to the return of manufactories (excluding mines) we have a larger proportion of workers engaged in this branch of production than Victoria has. The returns for New Zealand are those of the census year 1886. Those for Victoria are the last obtainable—viz, for 1887. The population of Victoria is that of December 18, 1886.
— | Hands. | Total population. | Population less domestic class. | Hands per cent of total population. | Hands per cent of population, less domestic classes. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
New Zealand | 22,102 | 578,482 | 205,759 | 3.8 | 10.7 |
Victoria | 45,773 | 1,003,043 | 468,332 | 4.5 | 9.7 |
The next table shows that, whether or not our manufactures are of the same high class as those of of Victoria, they have certainly been progressing faster, for it can hardly be supposed that our officials have been continually making fictitious additions to the number of hands.
New Zealand. | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
At the Census of | Hands. | Population. | Hands per cent of | Hands in Population. |
1881 | 15,644 | 489,933 | 3.1 | 1 in 31 |
1886 | 22,102 | 578,482 | 3.8 | 1 in 26 |
Year ended March. | Hands. | Mean Population. | Hands percent of Population. | Hands in Population. |
---|---|---|---|---|
1882 | 43,209 | 890,470 | 4.8 | l in 20 |
1886 | 19,297 | 987,094 | 4.9 | 1 in 20 |
1887 | 44,773 | 1,018,988 | 4.5 | 1 in 20 |
In this table the population of Victoria is estimated for the middle of the year. The proportion of hands per cent of population is actually under 4.5, if we take the mean population, but closer to it than to 4.4
The next table shows the proportion of the various industrial classes to the effective workers (population less domestic class). The comparison is made for the year 1881. The industrial class includes workers in manufactories and all artisans, but not common labourers. The numbers of this class had increased slightly more than in proportion to population in New Zealand at the census of 1886.
Occupations. | Numbers. | Percentage. | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
New Zealand. | Victoria. | New Zealand. | Victoria. | |
Engaged in— | ||||
Art and mechanic production | 18,692 | 28,065 | 9.7 | 7.2 |
Textile fabrics, dressand fibrous materials | 11,930 | 34,548 | 6.2 | 8.8 |
Food and drinks | 7,063 | 15/277 | 3.6 | 3.9 |
Animal and vegetable substances | 4,872 | 8,272 | 2.5 | 2.1 |
42.557 | 86,162 | 22.0 | 22 0 |
Caxton Steam Printing Company, Manse Street, Dundin.