NONE THIS SUMMER

Dominion, Volume 38, Issue 6, 2 October 1944, Page 4

NONE THIS SUMMER

Half-Inch Garden < Hose \ From inquiries made on Saturday, it would appear that no supplies of new garden hose will be available this summer, Wellington retailers have no half-inch hose in stock and their prospects of obtaining any are not bright. Gardeners who had intended to buy new hose this summer would have to rely on watering cans and buckets, it was stated. One Wellington retailer said on Saturday that all the firms had a little, three-quarter-inch hose in stock, but it was not suitable for domestic garden use. It was fairly expensive and very heavy to handle. Designed primarily for industrial use and for market gardens, it would not lit the standard connexions unless adjustable fittings were used. Another retailer said that as far as he could find out. there was no likelihood of obtaining half-inch hose from England or Canada this season. Because it knew that supplies could not be obtained, the Government was not prepared to sponsor any orders before the end of this year. The difficulties of obtaining supplies through the New Zealand Ministry of Supply were increased by the fact that the British authorities had reduced the export of hose to 50 per cent, of last year’s figure; A considerable amount of solid rubber hose, which had no fabric reinforcement, was sold in Wellington last summer. It had been imported for emergency purposes after Japan’s entry into the war and was later released by the Government for domestic purposes. This year there are apparently no reserves of that nature in New Zealand and retailers said on Saturday that they would not be sorry if none of that type of hose came on the market again. The quality varied greatly, they said. Cracks developed, the hose would not* stand any considerable pressure of water and was liable to break or burst in a very short time. Endless complaints from purchasers had resulted.