Institute of Social and Economic Research, University of Alaska Anchorage

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CENT RE ,O'ETUDES · A RCT IQUES !ET IFI N NO - S CANDINAV E S fco LE PRATIQUE DES HALITES ETUDES VI• Sedion : Sciences Econo.miques et Sociales -. SOR BQ NN·E -FONDAT ION D ' ET U DES • F RA NC A I SE N O R D I Q U E $ ; __ CROUEN> . '-:· .... , _-- ·_:;. . . --. (. ·, ., · :.. . ~ . ·. : , '· ·-~,;vue·-de ,g.eograph_i~-.. . . ~ ec·onomique .-et _·polit_ique d6$ pBys -du ;Nord ) , ' . ' . . . S. E.V. P. E. N. CMlniatere de !'Education Nationale) · 13, rue du Four PARIS-VI• - - EXTRAIT -.~{tt'.(·t·· . ··.• .. ·' .. -"-;-:,--: • ,; l • • ... / ·, -- .. .,. ·:--. . . ' . . -.~·r. • .. ·, ' ~ ·- ...... " ', -· · ., · :--__ · . . :· , f. . . . , · . / ' '-. ,· MARS 1965 --n~ 7- 256 -range programs and projects to be carried out by federal and state agencies, .. - II -1962 SURVEY OF MANUFACTURING IN ALASKA In February 1964, the results of the u; s: Bureau of the Census 1962 survey of manufacture in the Pacific Coast states contained surnrnary data on such activities in Alaska. Together. with the data in earlier "census of manufactu.ring" reports, they present an outli-ne of trends in these industries. Alaska's economy is unique in that it leaped from a primitive fur and mining frontier stage into specialized manufacturing witl:out any significant phase of agricultural development and settlement. The reason lies primarily in the early and rapid development of sal-mon canning and the later broadening of this industry to include free-zing and processing of othe~ species: Bureau of the Census surveys indicate that manufacturing, in term~ of number of employees and production workers, reached an all-time peak in 1919 when 7,316 persons were employed as compared with only 4, 092 in 1954 (';r'able 3): This decline in total manufactu~ing employment follows the fortu-nes of the salmon canning industr¥, The addition of one petroleum refinery and two pulp mills, as well as miscellaneous establishments associated ..,vit~ expanding local markets (b.akeries, print shops, etc:) has started to offset the decline after 1954. Due to the large changes in the price level over the past several decades, statistics on pay-rolls and value of prodl:ction are of limited use in making direct comparisons over time. . One of the best measures for comparing the. relative economic importance of manufacturing among industries and geographic areas is "value added by manufacture". This is computed in the Bureau of the Census studies by subtracting from the total value of shipments from manufacturing establishments all costs of raw materials, semi-manufactured parts, supplies, fuels, electrical energy and contract work: In some cases, this is further adjusted to reflect the net chan-ge in finished· goods and work-in-process inventory between the first and last of the year and the value of merchandising. Measui-es of the 1958 and 1962 performance of manufacturing establishments in Alas-ka in comparison with the rest of the Pacific region states ('Washing-ton, Oregon, California, Hawaii) are given in Table 4: The generally favorable performance in Alaska probably is accounted for by the highly efficient and automated pulp industry which dominates forest products manufacturing, and the importance of the salmon canr:iing industry with its use of relatively unskilled and low-paid labor. Table 3 -Year .. GENERAL STATISTICS ON MANUFACTURING IN ALASKA 1899 - 1962 No. of Proprietors All Payroll Production and firm employees workers Value added in Establishment:s members .u ($ 1,000) .u Mfg ( $ 1 , 0 0 0) 1899 48 y y 1,492 2,260 2,432 1904 82 31 2,164 1,417 1,938 4,503 1909 152 135 3,479 2,328 3,099 6,220 1919 147 55 7,316 10,896 6,575 22,013 1939 230 151 5,467 8,032 4,816 17,899 1954 219 223 4,092 20,365 3,531 40,235 1958 245 y 4,807 26, 159 y 64,595 1961 y y 5,282 32,659 4,295 89,244 1962 y y 5,417. 34,917 4,416 91,508 l/ 1958 through 1962: employment data for payroll periods ending the 15th of March, May, August, November averaged. Seafoods - 12 months average. Earlier years : production workers = 12 month average; all employees = October, y Not available Source : Bureau of the Census, Alaska, 1954 Census of Manufacturing, Bul. MC 150, 1958 Census of Manufacturing, Bul. MC (P)-S50, 1962 Annual Survey of Manufacturers, Part 9 -Pacific, Bul, M62 (AS)-4. 9. ' ,'::::-~ ... • ::' .. :" ..,..,·:~"':"';7:· '"','::" ~,~<~T·-"":~'-"·.,".''~~ .. ~~ eh,,,,,:;.; ::z,, ..,,~···~"" •• -·.., ., At ...• • - ,, •. ;µ .... .,;..,,;,tnswuws:.ntA; •.. m,.umsww.:wm, .c::o...w;. ¥~,·$ """-""""""""'""""_"""_""'"'""""'""'============ 258 -Table 4 - COMPARATIVE PERFORMANCE OF MANUFACTURING FIRMS IN ALASKA AND THE PACIFIC STATES,. 1958 AND 1962 Value added in man uf a c tu ring Average payroll New capital expenditure 1958 Alaska $13,320 5,374 443 Pacific. States Alaska (per employee) $ 9,962 $16,893 5,548 6,459 657 1, 187 1962 Pacific States $11,610 6,520 698 Source : Computed from U. S, Bureau of the Census, 1958 Census of Manufacturing, Alaska MC (P}-S50; Statistical Abstract of the United States, 1961, Table 1089; 1962 Annual Survey of Ma-nufacturers, Part 9 - Pacific, M62 (AS)-4. 9, pp. 4-5, 20-21. 

1962 Survey of Manufacturing in Alaska

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1962 Survey of Manufacturing in Alaska

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