NEW ZEALAND-MADE TENNIS BALLS.

Evening Star, Issue 23237, 10 April 1939, Page 3

NEW ZEALAND-MADE TENNIS BALLS.

TO. THE EDITOR. Sir.—Onr South Island representative has sent us a cutting from the ‘ Star’ about' March 28, 1939. The writer 1 was astounded to read the unfair comments contained in the. last ' few lines, and fears that you are not conversant with the true facts.I «m personally- hopjng that the unfair and incorrect comments referred to crept in without your knowledge, and although I had considered sending these to the Bureau of Industries and for investigation, as 1 consider it’ is largely due to propaganda' froon agents for overseas manufacturers, it i? only fair to osk yon for your views oh the matter. ; We do hot pretend that , our tennis halls, which are more or less a new line with us, are perfect, but such criticism is very harmful to our New Zealand industry, and although we are used to propaganda, of this kind, it is not usually taken up by the newspaners. . <lt may interest you ■ to know that we recently sent some balls to a leading Australian firm of tennis ball manufacturers who are friendly disposed to uS, .asking them to .have the balls tested by some of the best tennis • players in Australia. Their report, copy of which is attached, speaks for itself, especially since this firm says that the ball is eijnal to or better than its own, for which it has some of the .best in the Commonwealth. Some reasons why we get criticism for the “ Reidrnbber ball are due to (1) Prejudice. Tennis players as well as. golf players get a preference for a particular make of ball, and usually criticise other makes. (2) We frequently find that traders give ns an opening order for tennis balls, and because the public do not know them well enough to ask for them they leave them lying oh their shelves until'the end of the season 1 , after haring had them in stock for five or, six months, and when they find they are not moving they set out to sell ’them, when, of course, they have deteriorated in compression, as all ®ak«s of tennis balls must do. This.is our greatest problem in marketing. It may further interest you to know , that we have received the Canterbury adoption of the “ Reidrubber ” tennis ball for their Easter tournament, also the West Coast, the Franklin Lawn Tennis Association, Cambridge,, and others; also’from opinions of leading Auckland players we have a very good chance of getting the 1039-40 adoption for . the Auckland Lawn Tennis Association. Jn view of this you will no doubt appreciate that we are disturbed to find your paper inserting, not only harmful, unfair criticism of our products, but also criticism which is damaging to New Zealand industry generally.—Yours faithfully.

Rbid Naw Zealand Runnm Mills Ltd G. d. W. Reid. ; . Managing Director. Auckland, April o. f Report from Australian firm enclosed, which- leaves nothing to be desired.—Ed. B.S.] :