STANDARDISED PRICES

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 206, 1 September 1941, Page 8

STANDARDISED PRICES

GROCERIES, CLOTHING, FUEIi

Many hundreds of items of woollen and knitted underwear are affected by the operation of retail price fixing in , the drapery trade, which came into operation in New Zealand to-day, and detailed schedules for the guidance of traders will be issued as soon as the necessary information is received from the Government. It was estimated this morning that about 1000 lines in the soft goods trade would be included in the schedule, but it was stated that no shops or stores stocked all these lines, and the majority of stores were interested in only a limited number.

In the control of prices of groceries and meat, traders have been kept regularly informed through their organisations of all price movements authorised by the Price Tribunal over the past two years, and in this way the interests of both traders and the public have been protected. The effect of the price stabilisation policy now being extended is to increase ithe total number of commodities subject to direct control.

The range of items of which the prices are being stabilised at the present level are:—

Foodstuffs. — Meat, flour, milk, sugar, bacon, cheese, honey, bread, eggs, butter, coffee, condensed milk, tea, rolled oats, oatmeal, baking powder, salt.

New Zealand-made Clothing and Footwear.—Men's, women's, boys' and girls' shoes (New Zealand leather in each case), men's all-wool underwear, women's woollen underwear, boys' all-wool underwear, boys' allwool jerseys, girls' all-wool under- , wear, men's woollen socks, boys' school hose, woollen piece goods, knitting wools, blankets, suitings (from New Zealand wools), shoe repairs.

Public Services, Fuel and Light.Tram fares, electric light, gas, coa coke.

The secretary of the New Zealand Grocers' Federation and of the Auckland Provincial Drapers and Allied Retailers' Association, Mr. Reg M. Barker, will leave for Wellington by to-night's express to discuss details of the new price standardisation with the authorities.