Other formats

    Adobe Portable Document Format file (facsimile images)   TEI XML file   ePub eBook file  

Connect

    mail icontwitter iconBlogspot iconrss icon

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.

Comparison of total Manufactures with Total Imports.
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.]

Value of Products of Principal Manufactures and of Corresponding Imports.
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
page 23

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.

The Proportion of Manufacturing Hands to Population.
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.

Proportion of Hands to Population at Successive Periods.
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
page 24
victoria.
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.

Proportion of Industrial Class to Effective Population.
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.