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41. The radio industry produced 60,000 radio sets in the past year. Although certain components have been in short supply, it is believed that, as soon as the initial high demand has been met, the trade will be able to cope satisfactorily with future New Zealand requirements, and provide a wider range of models. (Ib) Electrical Engineering (Year 1943-44) Number of units engaged . . . . . . . . 99 Number of persons engaged . . .. • • 1 > 395 Annual value of salaries, wages, and drawings .. £389,810 Annual value of production .. .. .. £1,426,409 (i) Electric-power Distribution Transformers 42. This item is vitally essential for domestic and industrial power reticulation. Two companies are now manufacturing, and another is commencing towards the end of this year. Productive capacity is influenced to an extent by the availability of raw materials. (ii) Insulated Cables 43. A range of insulated flexible 230 volt and other types of electric cables is manufactured in New Zealand. This industry has been developing, and a satisfactory grade of cable is being produced. It is anticipated that another manufacturing unit will be established in Christchurch as soon as conditions permit. (iii) Domestic Electric Ranges 44. A total of over 20,000 domestic electric ranges was produced in 1946, showing a substantial increase over the output for the previous year. There is now no acute shortage of ranges, and five different brands are available to the public in reasonable quantities. (iv) Refrigerators, Domestic 45. There are twelve manufacturing or assembling units engaged in the production of domestic-type refrigerators in New Zealand, while additional firms are considering entering this field. Output during 1946 was hampered by shortage of raw materials and by post-war dislocation, and production was limited to some 1,000 units. However, it isanticipated that this figure will be expanded in 1947 to an estimated 10,000 units. (v) Washing-machines 46. The manufacture of commercial types of washing-machines ceased in New Zealand at the outbreak of war, and has not yet been resumed, but the production of domestic units is making steady progress. The ten operating manufacturers produced some 4,000 machines in 1946, and anticipate expanding to approximately 15,000 in the current year. (c) Engineering, Iron and Brass Founding, and Boilermaking (Year 1943-44) Number of units engaged .. .. .. .. 327 Number of persons engaged .. .. .. 8,409 • Annual value of salaries, wages, and drawings .. £2,872,829 Annual value of production .. .. .. £7,735,790 47. Considerable progress has been made, as a result of wartime experiences, in the application of welding techniques to the fabrication of a wide variety of metals. New rods and fluxes have been developed overseas which enable metals like aluminium and zinc alloys to be welded as readily as steel. This facilitates the repair and maintenance of plant and machinery in this country. Engineering industries generally have experienced difficulty in procuring sufficient metal supplies. Iron-foundries, in particular, have been hampered in their output through lack of pig iron, bright bar, and black bar steel. Non-ferrous metals, pig lead, antimony, copper, zinc, ingot tin, and tinplate are also difficult to procure.

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