PRICES OF FOOTWEAR ADVANCING

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 158, 30 March 1939, Page 8

PRICES OF FOOTWEAR ADVANCING

Many Factories Behind With Orders

RETAILERS ANXIOUS TO OBTAIN STOCKS Dominion Special Service. AUCKLAND, March 29. Many footwear factories in Auckland and other parts of the Dominion aie from two to five months behind with delivery of orders or expect such delays. An anxiety by retailers to acquire stock because of the restriction of supplies from overseas is one of (lie factors in the situation. Prices of footwear are almost generally advancing, several large New Zealand factories being in a position to advance the reason that, as they have increased wages, production costs are higher. Recent adjustments of factory price lists, affecting footwear yet undelivered in most instances, arc said by retailers to show increases from 71 to 10 per cent., this assessment being described by others as a very modest estimate.

Children's sandals are claimed, to have advanced by 9d. to 1/9 a pair in a year since heavy tariff protection was imposed on sizes below nine. One man said that some sizes were advanced by 9d. about October and another shilling has now been imposed. It was further explained that major advances appeared to be in the larger sizes of sandals but which were used by children. Instancing what lie described as a typical rise affecting vrtiat be called a “bread-and-butter line,’’ a trader produced invoices in February and March of last year showing S/G as the factory price for a woman's patent onebar shoe. Identifying of the listed number showed that during last year the price moved up by 9<1., and the rise on this class of shoe yet to be delivered brought the cost price up to 10/3. It is difficult in many cases to assess the extent of the rises because of changes made in manufacture, explained the retailer, but when manufacture is exceptionally brisk, as it is now, the public gets less opportunity to purchase some of the cheaper classes of footwear because they are often not produced. When factories are not very busy some turn attention to producing special low-priced lines.