Films sell, despite rises

Press, 12 August 1980, Page 6

Films sell, despite rises

Film prices have been rising steadily over the last few years, but’this has riot reduced film sales .at most Christchurch camera shops.. Christchurch film wholesalers' have also hot noticed any - fall in trade, and have! put this down to buyers j being hardened to. price in-| creases generally. ■ i Camera sales are also.“reasonably healthy.” "Sales are really buoyant,” said the manager of Photographic Wholesalers (Mr T. Sosich).’ < Film prices have risen mainly because of the chaos on ':, tlie silver market. But< since’the; Budget the price of a roll of 24 exposures ofj colour film has dropped from, $4?98 to $4.65 in some, shops.! "A lot of people believet they have to pay more be- 1 ;

iicause of the Budget, but it is tjnot true,” said Mr J. B. Bel-j tSCher, of . Langwood’s Photo! t! Services. The Budget standardised ; the tax on roll■ and sheet [ifilm at 40 per cent, after .[being 50 per cent and 10 per [icent respectively. ■ I It also removed the tax rebate which could be had on ■ film, but which most people did not know of, or did not '{bother about getting. - ■I The cost of processing film has not remained ! static either. In the last year the cost of enlarging and printing paper has risen significantly because of the increasing* price of' silver. The manager of the Kodak :N.Z., Ltd, Christchurch shop •(Mr G. Hardy) gave examples iof how prices for printing ■and enlarging’have increased

fat his shop since April. The cost of processing has risen 'from 35c to 42c an exposure, while a standard reprint has increased from 42c to 50c. A standard enlargement has risen from $1 to $1.50 while the bigger enlargement now costs $3.75 instead of $2.50.