DEARER FOOTWEAR

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3118, 23 June 1917, Page 6

DEARER FOOTWEAR

SHARP RISE IN AMERICA. The ontry of tho United States into the European war on the sido of tho Allies must! necessarily have an offect on lines of goods tliat hitherto have been imported from Aimorica. Ona lino already affected is footwear. This is moro serious than it would have boon undor normal conditions, because owing to the high cost and difficulty in getting deliveries from England, more orders have been going to the United States of late. Last November advice was received from the United States that all boots had advanced from 50 cents to one dollar per pair. A cablegram has now been received by a local firm notifying another odvance of 45 per cent. It is almost needless to add that orders sent over are now being cancelled. In addition to this some lines of boots that used to bo imported from Switzerland have also advanced 50 per cont., and those orders likewise have been cancelled.

To give some idea of the way prices have risen in the United States it may be stated boots that formerly cost 235. fid, per pair wholesalo have advanced to 355. To this has to bo added freight, insurance, and other charges, including the tariff, which is about double as much as that charged for goods from Great Britain. This ivories out at close on 70 per cent., and makes the landed cost wholesale of that particular lino, under present conditions, no less than 595. per pair. Advice has also boon received of enother rise in the cost of English goods, boots, glace 2s. per pair, and , bos Is. Gd. This works out at about practically 10 por cent. In the case of one lino that before the war cost 14s. 3d. wholesale in Britain, the rate to-day is now 255., to which has to be added freight, insnr-. ance, and other charges, which amount to about from 45 to 50 per cent., as against 35 por cent, to 37 per cent, before the war. Another line tnat cost 18s. 9d. in February, 1917, is now up to 235. 9d. There has also been a big rise in the cost of cases in which the boots are sent from England. Before the war these were charged at the rate of 95., bnt now the charge is 17s. Id. each.—Auckland "Star."