GOODS FROM ENGLAND.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 127, 1 June 1927, Page 11

GOODS FROM ENGLAND.

OBJECTIONS OF RETAIURS. "NO MATERIAL ADVANTAGE. • C.O.D. SYSTEM ANATHEMATISED. While a section of the buying public of the Dominion i≤ of opinion that goods may be bought in England on the cash-on-delivery system very much more cheaply than they can* be procured in .New Zealand, wholesalers and retailers 01 the Dominion have very decided opinions to the contrary. Only ye*teraa.. the Prime Minister received a" deputation representing the wholesale and retail traders, who renewed their attempts to have the C.O.D. svstem abolished. Speaking o n behalf of one of the largest retaii houses in Auckland, a business man told the Auckland -Stare" representative this morain? that those who bought in England on the system under review were usually prompted by the thought that they would get "greater value for their money, or. in some case* a particular line of "goods not available to the New Zealand purchasing public ""This isa fallacy." he s-aid. '-for the big firms of this country offer their tomers the choicest of British and foreign manufactures. No trader anywhere in the world is more discriminating man the New Zeaiander. and all the big firms throughout the country work on a highly-specialised system, so that the> buy only the highest quality stuff. Dominion Firms Eliminate Wholesalers. '"What is not generally known is that New Zealand retailers of any standing have the privilege of buying direct from the great 'manufacturing" houses of Great Britain. The wholesaler's profit is eliminated. This privilege is one that has long wen sought by the j majority of firms in Great Brita'in, but it is denied to all but a few of the most powerful organisations which control very large establishments. Now, the point i≤ this. A great many of the firms which send out catalogues of goods which may be bought C.OJ). are retail organisations. Most of the advertisements of English firms which reach this country are published by retailers, so that when a New Zeaiander purchases from such a house he has to pay a price which includes the English, wholesaler's profit. "Then there is the big question of quality. An article may be catalogued in such a way a-s to make it appear a highly desirable commodity, offered at a very low price, but when it reaches the purchaser it may be anything but what was expected. On the other hand, the person buying in New Zealand has the advantage of being able to handle and inspect the article required, and most firms give a guarantee which protects the purchaser. It is a fact well known to the trade that much shoddy staff comes into New Zealand per medium of the cash-on-delivery system. There is no means of checking it. We who import for direct sale to the purchaser are forbidden to buy shoddy goods, since there are very exacting regulations which protect the retailers." New Zealuders Well Served. Another opinion expressed was that New Zealarfders on the whole, very well served. The markets of the world i for. the- best, wares obtainable, and one could buy.in New Zealand practically anything that was offered tc the people of Gffeat Britain. A business man in touch -with an extensive mat order delivery system said that everj effort was made to bring the countrj buyer into touch with the activities o: his firm, and by means of a system oi advertising and special catalogues tht rural resident was afforded many of th< , advantages of the city shopper. Aj advisory service was at the disposal o OHt-of-town people, and they we* catered for by means of samples an< patterns, so that they were in a posi tion to know just what they were buy ( ing. This department did not pay, bu the firm desired to keep the patronag 1 of its back-country customers. "Most people who buy in Englan ' think they are very smart, and tha 1 they are getting something very muc ■ cheaper than could be obtained in Nei " J Zealand, but I am afraid they are d« 5 ceived in many instances," a big retaiU • said- "They have no guarantee as t • quality, and though they may have pai t less for a particular article than the > would have done had they bought : J here. I think a comparison with the con r modity offered by New Zealand retaile; , would convince them, very often, tha - they had gone to a lot of trouble witi out- gaining anything." Foreign Traders Creeping In. e At the root of the local traders" con - plaint is the feeling that those who bis n abroad are disloyal to the institutioi - which have been built up for their coi . venience. A business manager point* " out that if the C.O.D. system were 1 a be developed to its ultimate end. hu; e dreds of shop assistants and warehou employees would be thrown out of wor 0 the country would lose vast sums .. income tax. there would be an end ' f the construction of new buildings ' house goods intended for sale, and loc bodies would lo~e much money by ws of rates. One of the worst features the C.O.D. system, from the retailei point of view, was that foreign firn 1 were getting a foothold in New ZealaJ per medium of the opportunities [' offered. A Swiss firm, with a clearii '" house in London, had lately been sendii n goods to the Dominion on tne CO. svst-em, and goods, moreover, of a d !r scription similar to those manuiactur 5 by British firms.