CORRESPONDENCE

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 34, 9 August 1934, Page 12

CORRESPONDENCE

COEEUGATED lEON AND

BATHS

MR- POLSON'S REPLY

(To the Editor.)

Sir, —I regret that I have delayed answering Mr. Mander's letter of a few days ago, but I have many other things to do.

Mr. Mander quotes from the "Ironmonger" of April 22, 1934. I naturally tried to procure a copy of tho journal mentioned, but I was informed that I must have mistaken the date, as April 22 was a Sunday. However, I discovered that thcro was a copy dated April 21, and I presume that is really the one referred to. Mr. Mandor's quotation read as follows: —"British manufacturers continue to quote f.o.b. £.10 10s for other markets and £11 for New Zealand." After a diligent search the only paragraph that seemed to correspond read as follows:—"Galvanised sheets: A slightly better demand has made itself felt in % this market, but the volume of business is well below normal. Indian business has been disappointing. Quotations are un--changed at £16 10s less 2s 6d rebate to merchants c.i.f. India for 24-gauge corrugated sheets in bundles, £11 5s f.o.b. elsewhere, excepting Scandinavia, which is a free .market." ..'" How Mr. Mander could contort this paragraph into anything resembling his quotation is a completo mystery. The only thing I can suppose is that Mr. Mander never having had any experience of business, has got confused between iron shipped iv "bundles" and iron shipped in "crates." Nearly all iron coming to New Zealand is shipped in "crates," and au additional charge of 12s 6d per ton is charged for iron shipped in sewt skeleton cases. This would bring tho New Zealand, price to £.11 17s 6d f.0.b., that is supposing the £11 5s quote was for bundles, which is unlikely. . Tho next item in Mr..Mandcr's letter that engaged my attention was with regard to enamelled baths. Mr. JJander writes as follows:—"The New Zealand industry producing porcelain enamelled baths was started in 1926; Following aro the f.o.b. prices charged for cor,responding imported baths since that date: 1926, £4 12s 6d; 1927, £4 0s lOd; 1929, £3 14s Od; 1930, £3 10s 9d; 1932, 42 12s 6d. To completo the picture, it is necessary to noto that there has been no corresponding drop in the price of baths in England; in other words, it is not accounted for by any corresponding fall in world pricos. It has, in fact, been brought about by the competition of a protected industry in New Zealand." How Mr. Mander dare make such a, statement passes my comprehension. I have inspected the price lists of the three largest manufacturers in Great Britain. These prico lists trero produced within ten minutes of my agent entering thoir offices, and were '' printed lists." Tho following is an average covering tho throe firms mentioned:— Helling price Current domestic to N.Z. merchants • value In f.o.b. U.K. ports, currency of U.K. • £ s. d. £ s. d.----l»2(i 4 12 0 i n G 1!>2( 4 0 10 4 0 10 1029 3 14 !) 3 14 9 Jan., 1030 i 310 i) ■ SlO !) Jmic, 3081 .... 3 .1 G S 5 0 Dec, 1031 3 0 0 2 10 0 Marcli, 1032 .... 211 « 2 12 fi I was informed that "the current domestic value" is tho price certified by tiio manufacturers at which the same baths are sold to the United Kingdom homo trade, and is the valuo on which tlio New Zealand Customs Department assess • duty. The current domestic values are periodically cheeked by the London representatives of the New Zealand Customs, and have been accepted as correct. These figures completely disprove Mr. Mander's statement that there was no corresponding drop in tho prieo of baths in England. Tho U.K. domestic market during tho years mentioned was being flooded with baths from Germany, and this was the cause of tho considerable reduction in price. Tho New Zealand market was also receiving the attention of the German manufacturers of baths. Prior to and during the" year 1929 and until early 1930, Gorman baths were landing in Now Zealand at lower .prices than ■ either the U.K; baths or New Zealand-made baths. Early in 1930 Gorman baths wero being sold to merchants in London at 50s delivered into store. Mr. Mander's statement that the causo of tho drop in price was the competition of tho Now Zealand industry. is the most absoluto nonsense. I have not had time to investigate tho other questions raised by Mr. Mander, but I will do so as opportunity occurs, and I havo not tho slightest doubt that I shall find them just as unreliable as the ones I havo dealt with.— I am, etc.,

W. J. POLSON.