DEARER FOOTWEAR

Auckland Star, Volume XLVIII, Issue 147, 21 June 1917, Page 8

DEARER FOOTWEAR

SHARP RISE IX AMERICA,

The entry of the United States into the European war on the side of the Allies must necessarily have an effect on lines of goods that hitherto have been imported from America. One line already affected is footwear. This is more serious than it would have been under normal conditions, because ownig to the high cost and difficulty in getting deliveries from England, more orders have been going to the United States of late. Last November "advice was received from the United States that all boots had advanced from 50 cents to one dollar per pair. A cable bus now been received by a local firm notifying another advance of 45 per cent. It is almost needless to add that orders sent over are now being cancelled.

In addition to this some lines of boots that used to be imported from Switzerland have also advanced 50 per cent, and those orders likewise have been cancelled.

To give some idea of the way prices have risen in the United States it may be stated boots that formerly cost 25/(1 per pair wholesale have advanced to 35/. To this has to be added freight, insurance, and other charges, including the tariff, which is about double as much as that charged for goods from Great Britain. This works out at close on 70 per cent, and makes the landed cost wholesale of that particular line, under present conditions, no less than 59/ per

Advice has also been received of another rise in the cost of English goods, boots, glace 2/ per pair, and box 1/(1. This works out at about practically 10 per cent. In the case of one line that before the war cost 14/8 wholesale in Britain, the rate to-day is now 25/. to which has to be added freight, insurance, and other charges, which amount to about from 45 to .NO per cent, as against 35 per cent to .57 per cent before the war. Another line that cost 18/0 in February. 1!)17. is now up to 23/ it. There has also been a big rise in the cost of cases in which the boots are sent from Knglaml. Before the war these were charged at the rate of 0/, but now the charge is CI 17/1 each.

One effect of these advances should be to increase the demand for locallyniniiiifactured boots and shoes.