STANDARDISED BOOTS.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16370, 15 November 1918, Page 2

STANDARDISED BOOTS.

UNIFORM PRICE FIXED. The members of the Board of Trade, Messrs W. G. McDonald, P. Hally, land J. R. Hart, and the Board's secretary, Mr J. "\Y. Collins, arrived from Wellington yesterday morning, en route for the A\ est Coast in connexion with the Board's enquiry into the coal industry. Mr C. J. Ward, the board's expert adviser in respect of footwear, was also of the party, and intended submitting samples of standardised boots to local manufacturers, but the prevalence of influenza interfered with this being done. Tho Board will to-day meet local boot retailers tor tho purposo of discussing boot prices with them. The scheme for the standardisation of boots and shoes, which was decided upon by the Board of Trade some time ago, fixes tho manufacturers' price and profit and also the price chargeable by retailers. All standardised footwear will be stamped with the price and the olficial mark. Arrangements are now complete for launching the scheme, the Board being in the position to announce that not only is it able to control the price to the public but also to ensure supplies of leather to the manufacturers. The boots and shoes put on the market will bo made of New Zealand hides which "have been tanned here. They will also be manufactured m their various processes throughout the Dominion itself. Their manufacture will be subject to local factory conditions, and no sweated labour will be employed. The public can therefore expect a substantial and well? made articlc for abuut the same price as is now paid for the same type of boot of inferior make and quality. The retail pricc, which will be marked, will be the same for a similar sample of boot throughout the whole of New Zealand, so tho town and country price -will be tho same. The range of samples in addition will cover tho ordinary requirements of the whole community. They will include 110 fancy designs, but will bo of up-to-date appearance. There will be nothing in outward appearance to show that they are a "war boot." In fact, quite a number of the splendid specimens of footwear exhibited in the display by the Woolston Tanneries, Ltd.. at the recent Metropolitan Show were similar to tho standardised patterns, both in shape and design. It is understood that this firm is shortlv showing samples of these types in the window of Beath and Co., Ltd. No trouble is anticipated in satisfying the demands of the public. The whole scheme should simply demonstrate in practical fashion the results which j follow from standardisation.