GOODS SHORTAGE IN BRITAIN

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25083, 15 January 1947, Page 8

GOODS SHORTAGE IN BRITAIN

IMPRESSIONS OF N.Z. MANUFACTURER “The Press" Special Service.

AUCKLAND, January 14. One of the main industrial difficulties in Britain appeared to be that people were tired of having to save their money because there were not sufficient goods on which to spend it, said Mr G. Newey, a Dunedin manufacturer of leather goods, who returned to New Zealand in the Largs Bay after a 10 months’ bsuiness trip to England, Ireland, Scotland, and BelL 'mf Newey, ‘who made the trip to obtain supplies and to renew business contacts which were lost because of the war, said that deliveries of goods from Britain would take some time, and it did not seem that there would be any improvement in the immediate future. , . The British people were working hard, but they would be happier in their jobs if they had more on which to spend their money, said Mr Newey. One manufacturer had told him that if he could dangle a frock in front of a female worker instead of two or three pounds he would get more work out of her.

Factories all over Britain were particularly busy, but were hampered by shortages of staff, he said. Many were very far behind with their orders, and some were not yet back to full production.

“From the short visit I made to Belgium it appears to me that that country has made a great recovery from the war and is well on the way to prosperity,” said Mr Newey. “The shops seem to be well stocked, and the people are better off than those in Britain, where food rations are very small. From what I saw, British women were showing the effects of the meagre food ration more than the men.” '