THE BOOT TRADE.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1142, 1 June 1911, Page 3

THE BOOT TRADE.

PRICE AND QUALITY.

IBy Tdeeraph.-EDccial Correspondent.)

Christchurch, May 31. _ Speaking to a "Press" reporter regarding the allegations made at a conference held on Monday night between the boot r-apaiTcrs and representative? of the Bcot Operatives' Union that shoddy boots had a large sale in the city, Mr. J. A. Frostick. said ho would ?av this much for the statements made on Monday nifht, thaithere could bo no better ■ judges and none better qualified.to offer an opinion upon the boots.than the men whose work it was to repair them. So long as the public demands boots to be provided for it at prices that were not commensurate with the prices of good material and the cost of labour, it would be safe to say that materials of poor class would bo used in the making of the article. The demand was made by the public, so it had little reason to grumble at its bein;* met. A few years ago ladies' ovenin?'shoes sold retail in thousands at the price of 2s. lid. per pair. Could those who paid such a price complain if the article they got w.as n ot of the best class?

Asked as to whether the speakers of Monday evening had been justified in stating that the recent increase in the tariff had done no good, Mr.-Frostick said that it was true that the position now was no better than it had been before. Tho tariff was revised.. The rise in the price of leather ' had been unavoidable ho thought. At present the price of hides was nearly as high as the price of leather was fifteen years ago. The proprietor of a large city boot shop said to his mint! "shoddy" was rather a bogey. He had talked the matter over with a. man who knew the English trade in that class of article, and had been told that Riven fine weather a boot, portions of which were made from paper, would give a certain amount of wear. If a man would not or could not pay the price charged for a thoroughly reliable boot, should he have none at all?