EFFECT ON T^ADE.

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14823, 14 November 1913, Page 10

EFFECT ON T^ADE.

SALES IN WELLINGTON FALLING OFF. (special to "the fress.") WELLINGTON, November 13.

Enquiries , that have been made as to tho extent to which trade has been touched by tho backwash of the, strike havo produced varying* results. All tho warehouses were found to be suffering, firstly because they are unable to get their goods away to places that can only be reached by steamers, and secondly because. of tho sudden and almost complete cessation of orders both from the city and country dealers. The bulk of tho West Coast trade is in tho hands of tho Wellington wholesale houses, and sinco the steamors stopped orders that were on hand, and travellers' orders which have sinco arrived, cannot be despatched.

Experiences of r.etail houses vary in the drapery trade as a whole. Howover, tho direct effects of tho strike are not so marked in all cases. Enquiries made from the heads of a number of firms showed that tho shops at the ends of tho town,, particularly the smaller ones doing a cash business, were, suffering most. ■- Big firms'in the centre of the town, and especially those dealing in the ; highest quality goods and more or less booking trade, had not. bo much to complain of. ,: One manager, whose business may be said to lie between, the two extremes, thought 10 per cent, would cover the fall in the returns. Another firm doing a big business with the labouring classes, said that their loss of trade was muck more -than this. Some of the smaller shops ;hayo shortened their staffs pending a revival of trade, and others have taken advantage of the slackness to commence the annual leave given to their employees. There is also • reported to be a lull in the retail grocery trade, duo largely .to shortage of-stocks. • Some of.the smaller shops and milkmen are still giving credit to strike customers. "Are we feeling ft?" said a city butcher in response to the .usual enquiry; "I.should think we wore. There has been a. very serious, falling off, in sales, particularly: in-over the counter cash sales; during the past week. I don't suppose tho people havo really got the money to spend; but they are certainly saving -on butcher's I'm not the only one—we're all in the same boat." -

Building contractors are being seriously hampered by the strike of drivers, and on more than, one job in town work has ■ had to be suspended,. and. bricklayers havo been thrown out of work through contractors being unable to get drivers to cart bricks and cement to thp different iobs. To-morrow will be the third "pay day" for waterside workers, and there will bo no pay. As the Union Company's, wages bill for this class of work alono amounts to nn'sivorage of £1500 a week, there will be that much less to go- into circulation, although there will bo, of course, a. slight diversion of the stream of wages to the arbitration workers. . As they are living on board the Mararoa in the harbour, and are being kept, they are not yet distributing the. money- they earn among the shops, as the original watersiders would have done. ..-•.''■ .■■•'- ! With regard to wholesale business, especially in the. soft goods trade, matters are but little advanced since the strike. There are new goods on the ships:awaiting discharge, and storekeepers, would, in the ordinary course, be clamouring for them for the-Christ-mas trade. At present the stores that dp not import direct are not in a particular hurry fbr them. There is an important financial aspect of the business, however, and that is with regard to the payment of milk suppliers. The 00-ooerativo concerns aro paying out half, the usual price for bntter-fafc at, present, until the butter is on board and the bills of lading* can be drawn upon. "With privatoly-owned factories, however.'the position is likely to beoomo more acute, unless the situation improves with regard to getting butter and cheese .away on board the ships. The banks, it is understood, arc .doing their utmost to render all possible assistance to producers and exporters in the present crisis.