WOOLLEN GOODS IN BRITAIN

Press, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 26528, 17 September 1951, Page 7

WOOLLEN GOODS IN BRITAIN

Retailers’ Comment On Prices

(Rec. 7 p.m.) LONDON, Sept. 15. British industrialists and retailers reacted strongly to-day to a speech yesterday by Dr. Hugh Dalton, Minister of Local Government and Planning, advising housewives not to buy clothing and textile goods until prices fell. Dr. Dalton’s advice came as a result of the fall in wool prices. Mr Eric Gamage, chairman of a big department store, described the speech as thoroughly misleading. Mr Gamage said: "As the Minister should know, as regards the three classes of merchandise which he particularly mentions, carpets, blankets and knitting wool—and the same is true of other goods—the responsibility for fixing all price schedules rests entirely tfith his own department, the Board of Trade, and the Central Price Regulation Committee.” Mr Gamage said the blame for high wool prices should be put on “the Ineffective control of the Board of Trade and the Central Price Regulation Committee, in addition to the enormous profits which the Government itself has made in wool, cotton and other raw materials.”

Mr H. Morton, president of the Hand-knitting Yam Association, called Dr. Dalton's advice ill-informed and ill-timed. He added: “Unless British housewives take a realistic view and disregard Dr. Dalton’s advice completely, the repercussions in the trade will probably be severe.” The secretary of the Wholesale Textile Association (Mr W. T. Cave) said such reckless statements shook the confidence, not only of the consumer, but of all sections of the textile trade. Mr Cave said: “If orders don’t reach the producers, the mills must become idle. Not only will this produce unemployment, but it will mean sooner or later there will again be a shortage of goods.” Dr. Dalton had said he hoped that the price of wool would continue to fall, because the Government was holding off the market and doing less stockpiling. Cotton prices were also falling.