THE RETAILERS' VIEWS "NO NEED FOR RISE."

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 73, 27 March 1914, Page 8

THE RETAILERS' VIEWS " NO NEED FOR RISE."

Enquiries made among representative retailers in Wellington go to show that they are greatly perturbed at the an- ; nouncement that the^ trade in New Zealand ■ has. seen fit* to raise the price. There was no warrant for it, they allege ; it was done without any earthly reason. There is, they allege, no shortage of the leaf; there has been no rise "in ' the price of tin (which, might have affected tinned tobacco), which has been at normal for a long time. There have been ho labour troubles in England affecting the tobacco industry, nor has any .aing occurred in Australia which w <alcu!ated to affect the tobacco and cigarette trade with which the Commonwealth is connected. "They simply say, up goes the price, and the price goes up." Instances were given. Capstan tobacco was priced in bond at 3s 4d a lb. The price was suddenly jumped up by 9d a lb; Havelock was Zs/ZA, and in that case "also the price was bumped up by 9d a lb. Then, as to Golden Eagle : About ten years ago the price was Is lid per lb, and a pin-pricking rise of 2d broughtit up to 2s Id ; now it is 2s 3d, to which 3s 6d duty has to be added! That means a total loss to the retailer of 6d a lb, or something over £4 on a case. And yet it is impossible to raise the price of the to 7da which would be unfair to the public, and the retailer has to suffer, so that the larger his volume of trade the greater his loss. That, it was added, is what has been happening all along -the line — pin-pricking increases, which 'haye 1 to be paid by ihe retailer, and ' are not sufficiently large to be loaded on to the retailer. The same way with cigarettes. There is a rise of Is per 1000. The retailer can't get that back from the public, bat he has to pay it all the same. "What are you going to do about it?" was asked. "Well," was the reply, "we are beginning to feel that the thing has gone ' far enough, and retailers will have to put Up the prices. Then perhaps the pub- . lie ' will ■ begin to take notice and ask "".'Why?''- In that-jcase. thejf SS?-)^- 2*£?.

their pockets are touched, be sufficiently aroused to approach the Government with a request that the Monopoly Prevention Act be put in operation.