£500,000 WORTH OF MINK SKINS!

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21437, 1 April 1935, Page 21

£500,000 WORTH OF MINK SKINS!

INTKKESTI N(i O VIC It ME A S OBSERVATIONS HY \.Z. El'K EXPERT Mr R. T. Simpson, who handles a large share of New Zealand's skin exports. returned yesterday after completing an overseas buying trip on behalf of the Pattison Ede Company, Ltd., of which lirm he is a director. In America Vic visited New York, # St. Louis, and St. Paul, the three main fur centres in the United States, and thus developed connexions with the best sources of supply in tlie American continent. While in New York he was commissioned by an American buying house to buy Australian and New Zealand skins at the London sales, which he was on his way to attend. The main object of Mr Simpson's overseas trip was to bid on behalf of the Pattison Ede Company, Ltd., at the world famous Hudson Bay Company's sale rooms in London. Mr Simpson states that London is still the hub of the fur trade, and its position in this respect is not seriously challenged. It. was at the Hudson Bay Company's premises that Mr Simpson saw something to delight the heart of any woman, ana that was a consignment o! raw mink skins valued at half a million sterling The sale was a very interesting experience, and was attended by no fewer than' one thousand buyers from all over the world. This unusually large attendance indicated the universally keen demand for f.irs, and other sißiu have since been apparent to indicate 1 hat furs are going to be more pormlar than ever. One of these indications has been the firming tendency o. ihe market. At the January sales where Mr Simpson was able to make vurv satisfactory purchases, tne German buyers were operating, under a restriction in mirsuance of the German policy of restrietim: imports. They were not allowed to SDond moi o In tin the equivalent of £150.000 on this occasion. Air Travel Commonplace Mr Simpson visited Scotland and Ireland bv air, which to-day in the Old Countrv has lost its thrills, and is re"arded as an evervday means of transport. Me stated that it was a delightful experience to fly across England well above the clouds at 5000 feet in glorious sunshine. On one occasion he onauit-ed of the pilot how he was going" to find Croydon, as no landmarks were visible. He was informed that the aeroplane was in direct communication by radio Iho whole of the time, and he was very much imurcssed with the very high stale of efficiency attained bv the British air services. On the Continent. Mr Simnson paid a business visit to Paris and also to Milan, where he purchased a quantity of Italian mole pelts. He was very much impressed with 1 lie? progress Italy was making under the Mussolini regime. The Italian railway system in particular excited admiration. He was mildly shocked, however, when required to pay the equivalent of 25s 4d nosfa"e on a narcel which in New Zealand 'wo!l'd be c'ispafchcd for two or three shillings. Various taxes seemed to be applied in a number of vnys. For instance, Mr Simpson noticed that on various advertising matter stamps were affixed denoting some form of tax. An amusing incident occurred in Naples, where Mr Simpson gave a porter a tin for carrying his luggage a few yards to a taxi. As the taxi pulled away the donor of the tip was extremely puzzled at the antic? of the porter and his confreres. The porter was wiidlv gesticulating to his departing benefactor from the midst of a group of excited and also wildly gesticulating porters. To this day _ MrSimpson, who is a Scot, and resides in Dunedin, cannot decide whether his Caledonian instinct or his unfamiliaritv with Italian currency was responsible for creating the excite:.lent. While in' England Mr Simpson visited a number of silver fox farms which have been established in Surrey and Kent by retired, army officers, who he was glad to state appeared, tc be doing excellently in this newly •established industry. Confident Tone in Britain Like other New Zealanders who have returned from the Old Country, Mr Simpson was able to state that Britain was making very steady headway, and that a confident tone was everywhere apparent. Feminine interest will be evinced in Mr Simpson's statement that although he closely observed fashion trends, he could say-that generally speaking New Zealand was well abreast of the latest styles, particularly in regard to furs Mr Simpson concluded his remarks by Mating that the enterprise of his firm had been well rewarded, and he slroivly advocated that wherever possible New Zealand firms who arc in a position to benefit by direct overseas coniact. should not hesitate to send a representative abroad.