TRADING CONDITIONS

Evening Star, Issue 22382, 4 July 1936, Page 10

TRADING CONDITIONS

THE OTAGO DISTRICT WHOLESALE AND RETAIL IMPROVEMENT [Specivi. to the ‘ Star.’] WELLINGTON, July 4. Business conditions generally arc good in the Otago district at the present time, according to a statement issued by the Department of Industries and Commerce. A great number of manufacturing units, states the department, are working to capacity, in particular factories in the woollen, clothing, and footwear industries, and the demand for these products is much better than it was a few months ago. In the general wholesale trade sales are well above those for the corresponding periods last year. The sales tax, as an indicator of wholesale trade, shows that sales for April were the hignest for any month since the institution of the tax, with the exception-of a couple of months towards the end of last year, when the usual Christmas trade swelled the volume of sales.

Retail trade also shows a big improvement, and in some cases the turnover has almost completely recovered from the depression. The recent week of special displays, held under the auspices of the Manufacturing Association, drew more attention to the retail shops and gave valuable publicity to the products of New Zealand industries, and added impetus to the demand for locally-made articles. The baking and retailing of bread shows a degree of stability previously unheard of. This is, of course, due largely to the fixation of prices of flour and bread. Isolated complaints come to hand from time to time, but on the whole bakers and the public are well satisfied. Emphasis is now being laid on the quality, of the loaf, and it appears that those few bakers who are experiencing difficulties are not producing bread of the quality demanded. Dunedin has become an important 'centre for the disposal of rabbitskius, and sales are held regularly every fortnight. Prices have reached as much as 12s per lb, and the total value of skins offered at one auction was about £50,000. The distribution of this money is very welcome in the district, and country storekeepers state, that their trade has benefited considerably. The farming community in general has also the appearance of being better off than it was formerly, /and the general outlook of individual farmers is: more optimistic than has been the case for several years. The increasing activity in the building industry is indicated by the following figures showing the value of building permits issued in Dunedin during the months of February, March, and April, 1935. _ for the corresponding months of this year:—

Feb. March. April. 1935 ...£21,159 £23,341 £21,724 1936 ... 51,988 - 21,009 26,867 The figures for the three months of 1936 are more than 50 per cent, higher than those for 1935/ The weekly sales of lire stock indicate generally a fair demand, ; and good ■prices, are being obtained for the high quality ‘animal. Retail meat prices have risen somewhat in sympathy. '