STATEMENT DISPUTED

Evening Star, Issue 23492, 5 February 1940, Page 8

STATEMENT DISPUTED

SPOUTS COODS SUPPLIES NO NEED FOR GLOOM The statement made by a sports goods importer recently ns to the outlook locally concerning the shortage of sports material and the increase in price is disputed by another member of the trade, who informed the ‘ Star ’ that his experience was that business was as brisk as ever it had been and that sporting devotees need have no fear as to any shortage of material in the very near future. Ho declared that there had been no increase in the price of such important items as tennis rackets, badminton rackets, golf clubs, and suchlike. Tennis balls had risen in price by 4J per cent., and golf balls by 5,1-3 per cent, (first grade only). For next season there will be an increase in the price of cricket bats of 15 per cent., and while there has been a cut of 50 per cent, on imported cricket bats and balls from England and 55 per cent, from India, he stated that there were sufficient imported cricket bats in stock to cope with a normal season’s requirements. “ There is,” he stated. “ a total prohibition of golf clubs, tennis rackets, and badminton rackets from the United Kingdom, but these are made very satisfactorily in New Zealand, and two of the largest manufacturers of sporting goods in the world have factories in New Zealand and are supplying to the Dominion market articles the equivalent to any imported.” It was worthy of mention that at the recent New Zealand championship golf tournament in Wellington the open and amateur champion, J. P. Hornabrook, used New Zealand-made golf club's. For some time past the New Zealand badminton champion, P. Hawksworth, has also used New Zealand-made rackets. This dealer expressed the opinion that any immediate rise in price would be so "slight that it would have little effect upon individual adherents to sport or to clubs. .