THE MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY.

THE progress of the manufacturing industry in Australasia has been

somewhat irregular, even in the most advanced states; and although the tabular statement given below shows an increase since 1885 of 94,752 hands in the Commonwealth and 26,623 in New Zealand, a growth proportionately much greater than that of the population, by far the greater part of this extension has taken place during the last seven years. The population of the continent at the present time is not sufficient to maintain industries on an extensive scale, and in past years the field was still further limited by intercolonial tariffs. Now that these barriers have been swept away, and the Australian market secured to a certain extent to the local manufacturer, more rapid progress may reasonably be expected in the manufacturing industry.

The majority of the manufactories of Australasia may be classified as domestic industries-that is to say, industries naturally arising from the circumstances of the population, or connected with the treatment of perishable products; but there are nevertheless a fair number of firmly established industries of a more complex character. A statement of the number of establishments and of the hands employed in Australasia is given below for various years since 1885. The information is obtained annually in the states of the Commonwealth, but only once in every five years in New Zealand :

It is interesting to note the extent to which the employment of female labour has increased during late years. In 1897, the females

engaged in the manufactories of the states which comprise the Commonwealth numbered only 26,837 and represented 17.7 per cent. of the total hands employed; in 1902 their number had increased to 45,242 and the proportion to 22.6 per cent. In New Zealand the experience has been similar, from 4,391 in 1895 the number of females increased to 10,624 in 1900, and their proportion to the total hands employed rose from 16.1 per cent. to 21.8 per cent. The increase may have been slightly prejudiced by the fact that the returns for the states were not all compiled on the same basis; still there is sufficient evidence that the employment of female labour is extending, a result borne out also by the information obtained at the Census of 1901 and published in part "Employment and Production" of this volume. The proportion of females employed is largest in Victoria, where there were 23,405 out of a total of 73,063 persons, equal to 32 per cent.; South Australia followed with 19-20 per cent., and Western Australia had the lowest proportion with 11.11 per cent. The following table shows the number of males and females employed in the Commonwealth in each year since 1897:

Victoria was the state which first displayed activity in the manu facturing industries. In 1885 there were employed in factories, properly so called, 49,297 hands, and in 1889 there were 57,432 hands; but the number fell away to 41,729 in 1893. Since that year there has been an increase to the extent of 31,334 hands. Of the 73,063 workers employed in 1902, 3,711 may be said to have found occupation in connection with domestic industries for the treatment of perishable produce for immediate use; 32,617 in other industries dependent

upon the natural resources of the country, and 36,735 in industries the production from which comes into competition with imported goods:

The number of factories and industrial establishments of various sizes, with the number of hands employed in each class, during 1902, will be found below:

MANUFACTORIES OF NEW SOUTH WALES.

The manufacturing industries of New South Wales do not cover so wide a field as those of Victoria, nor do they afford employment for as many persons. For the year 1902 the two states compare as follows:

In Victoria, therefore, there were employed 11,462 females more than in New South Wales, and 4,668 fewer males. In order to trace the progress of the manufacturing industry in New South Wales during the last eleven years, it is necessary to adjust the figures for the five years 1891-95, because in 1896 a change was made in the scope of the returns by the inclusion of dressmakers and milliners who were not previously counted as factory hands. Certain other small changes were made, the object of which was to secure uniformity with Victoria. Making the necessary adjustments, the figures since 1891 are as follows:

Up to the year 1891 there had been a fairly regular increase in the employment afforded by the factories of the state; in the following year, owing to causes already discussed in another part of this volume, there was a decrease in the number of persons employed, and, from 50,879 in 1891, the number had fallen to 42,057 in 1893-the year of the bank failures. In the following years there was a rapid recovery, so that the employment in 1897 was greater than in 1891, and the year 1902 showed an improvement of 15,390 during the eleven years since 1891, and an increase of 24,212 over the figures of 1893.

Of the 66,269 workers employed in 1902, 31,693 found employment in connection with industries the products from which come into competition with imported goods, 3,855 were engaged in domestic industries for the treatment of perishable produce required for immediate use, and 30,721 in other industries called into existence by the natural resources of the state.

The number of factories and industrial establishments of various sizes, with the number of hands employed in each class during 1902, were as follows:

:

In Queensland systematic statistics relating to manufactories have been taken only since 1892. Until the year 1900, no details were available with reference to the employment of males and females, and the numbers for previous years have therefore been estimated. The figures for the last ten years are as follows:

The value of materials used in Queensland industries in 1902 was £4,180,000, the wages paid £1,598,400, and the value of production £7,417,000; the value added to materials in the process of manufacture