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27. Good progress has continued to be made in this field, and the introduction of modern plastic containers in place of the wartime austerity packs has added to the appeal of many lines. This industry provides considerable demand for allied productsin the engineering, printing, plastic, cardboard, and glass industries. (6) Apple-juice 28. Five additional units have been licensed in this industry, and it is expected that approximately 400,000 gallons per annum of concentrated non-fermented juice will be available when full production is reached. Some inquiries from overseas indicate the possibility of development of an export trade. (c) Soap and Candlemaking (Year 1945-46) Number of units engaged .. .. .. .. • 24 Number of persons engaged .. .. .. .. 704 Annual value of salaries, wages, and drawings .. £205,740 Annual value of production .. .. .. £1,157,983 29. All manufacturers have been working below full capacity in the latter half of the past year, due mainly to shortages of alkalis, but output continues to be sufficient to meet domestic demand. Supplies have been made available to the Government of Burma and NAAFI, in fulfilment of war contracts, and to certain of the Pacific Islands, (d) Rubber Goods and Vulcanizing (Year 1943-44) Number of units engaged .. .. .. .. 59 Number of persons engaged .. .. .. .. 701 Annual value of salaries, wages, and drawings .. .. £204,075 Annual value of production .. .. .. .. £831,529 30. The output of all types of rubber products has shown a steady increase during the period under review. Plantation rubber has become freely available from Malaya, although liquid latex and crepe rubber has been in short supply. Synthetic rubbers are not being used to any large extent in New Zealand, the main raw material being Malayan smoked sheet rubber. Our manufacturers are keeping abreast of advances in rubber research overseas, and the competition from synthetic and plastic materials has stimulated new activity in the industry. 31. The three licensed manufacturers of rubber tires have been proceeding with the erection of their factories, but, due to supply difficulties, it is not anticipated that theunits will be in production until 1948. (e) Whale-oil 32. The past season saw a record catch of 110 whales, and approximately four-fifths-of the oil produced was exported to Australia for processing. An interesting development year was the canning of whale-meat in fulfilment of contracts for UNRRA, and the possibility of developing production of other by-products such as leather, glue, casings,, jelly, hormones, and vitamins is also being studied. (/) Paint and Varnish Manufacture (Year 1943-44) Number of units engaged •.. . .. .. .. 25 Number of persons engaged .. .. .. 445 Annual value of salaries, wages, and drawings .. £141,556 Annual value of production .. .. .. £1,385,026

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