GENERAL MERCHANDISE.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17271, 8 October 1921, Page 8

GENERAL MERCHANDISE.

'CHBOOBBIES, Etc. . . There id practically * clew shed at the tailway; arri'vala of vessels' •&. port with' goods bising. exceptionally few during the paisf week.' ■'.■ • '• >:.<■; ;. A consignment of 2000 packages of .tea; will arrive by the 'Wanaka, du& at this erjwj • ofc.ricxt week. v - f* "... '.■ ..'A small consignment of' sugar per-lSie Kanna was delivered yesterdiar.. . It is understood that the 'next delivery .of icolonial 'sugar will be Howards-, the middle >pf N^vembw. The.recent nubstantial Java - delivery w?U; ..it;is exf>eoted, uriyi.tfcen. ■ HABDWABE 'v ' - - The'. satisfactory.. position ,■ iecorded last webk continues.; The past'inonth'has wit-' . neaseia. i»n amount of business equal. ,*to; fiat, of the corresponding "month last year* aii indications are that the' immediate future will ee.». this position substantially -maintained. ' The helpful xains of the. past few days sot Calculated to. instil 'a;>fdeling of optimist atii'ongßt' the .farnmgwjnmunity, who, in the lbng run,» comprise^-the bulk of prospective buyers. , Price* continue firm at last week's -qbota*' tisns, but there are indicationsthat a general; reduction will eventuate 'early in. 19# Up . till then, however,' a continuance of present prices,; if not an increase in some lines,, will be expected. > . ... v local retaJ toade maintains a'steady ■idvanoe in the amount of business, and moat ' lines arevselling freely. ; i . . ' JC-largo'mamifacttlrer or. iron and , steol, writing from England during the month of AUgUBt, throws some light on the developments suggested . ia-a> foregoing paragraph. ; "It has.cf course," _he states, been a very '• trying and difficult time for us, and has cost us a lot 'of money I ,' but we are pleased to see the prospect of a. restoration of » most reasonable level .in prices towards the end ~of Shis -year. "W# sympathise very much ••'.■with'our : merchanfc .friends in the Dominion, ' who find it exceedingly difficult to get stocks 'dlfcra withbut incurring heavy losses. . . . 'Bit our advice.is that no losses should be made, as prices cannot fall before the time already seated." ' >'; The same letter further states: "You will 'have lead iu the papers of the disastrous coal strike,' which has- held our works idle tor twelve weeks. As it has only auoftijr toen settled, vre ftro in the act of re-opetutig, ' ' and have adjusted prices to tlis ■iblo level in the hope ,of restarting business ■under reasonably stable oonditions. The price anticipates «11 fall in . coat, and should, therefore, we think, be rnainr ' tainW'fcr some time." ' , „ It is noticeaole that most English iiard- ■: manufacturers are 1 circularising, all <• Merchants. .This indicates a desire .to reestablish business connexions, and shows T that'manufacturers are prepared to accept and execute orders within a Reasonable time. The position pointa to' thein' striving to Successfully compete with .other, countries and '■ at the eame time employment lor the .already . ■ over-stockc4 • unemployment market.