PRICE OF SOFT GOODS

Grey River Argus, 22 November 1920, Page 4

PRICE OF SOFT GOODS

-♦ "" EEDUCTIONS ANTICIPATED. WELLINGTON, November 1J). Retailers in Wellington have begun to realise fho' changed conditions, &ad all the larger shops handling soft goods, and some of the boot shops, are offering their stocks at 15 per cent, discount. But the public is not rushing these sales. Imtned-'tte needs aro being satisfied, but beyond that there is little buying. It is recognised that with the accumulation of goods and th'a apparent strike on the part of the purchasing public, further reductions will be forced upon the retailers. At all events the position from the consumer's point of view is likely to be better during the first half of next year. Tho sharp decline in hides, and the report that the Australian bootmaking industry is quiet, should lead to some sharp reductions in footwear, because a good deal of New Zealand's 'requirements in boots and shoes have been met from Australia. . Housewives are in hopes that meat will soon be cheaper, and they appear justified in this opinion from the fact that freezing companies are offering 30d per lb for fat lambs in the Wairarapa, and £& per lb for fat wethers. It is believed that there will continue for a time at least to be a good demand for lamb in the United States, hence the higher bid for lamb. With wool, skins, and pelts depressed, it would be unwise to accept the above prices as being the minimum. On the contrary, it is likely that prices will go lower. It is also possible that some of the smaller sheep men will abandon sheep for dairying, and thus force into the market a large number of sheep. « DUNEDTN, November 19. An expert in the textile trade, interviewed this morning, gave substantial reasons for the opinion that any reduction in prices to the public will come about, not in n natural way by a lessened cost of production, but simply owing to merchants fiitl manufacturers competing r.ft/inst en oh other in an endeavour to '.onsen th« : ir heavy stocks, a state of .M'rairs which 'cannot last if business is to be nt all remunerative. He points out that in America' it is declared that 7o ]>er cent of. the cost is in the manufacturing, and that the English makers estimate the expense of mamifacurilgas 70 per cent. Accepting, dint position, the decrease in the price of wool by no means ensures cheaper goods. As to wool, if the ia\v naterial could be got for nothing, the difference in the cost of making indies' costume tweeds in the Old Country would be no ' more than 2s yer yard, say from 20s to 18s . As to cotton goods, taking a standard lino of longcioths, the Home njjmuf.ict.urers now announce a reduction an cuntmg to about 15 per cent, out from October of last year to February of t'u's year, the same makers increased the prices hy 50 per cent., and to day, the prices are as nearly as p< ■five times as ihuch as '.he jjrewar prices.

speaking in Par-lament recently in ;:uj>pprt of increased allowances for super-animated public servants, Mr. H. E. Holland M.P., said there were a number of these cases in his electorate — super-aivniated public ser-vn-it s who had the utmost difficulty in making both ends meet. He wished to suggest to the Government in all such cases that it would be a goc-d principle to endeavour to legislate so that the ssime standard of comfort would be- assured" to the veterans <>t industry that they used to enjoy whi-e they were working. Fairly good provision had been made for the veterans of the physical force battlefield, and there was no reason why the same provision should upt be made for the veterans of industry There were supera'.inuated railway workers, superannuated teachers, and other superannuated public servants, who had rendered great service, perhaps in, a'l )^" btrusive way, to the country and why were now living almost in semistarvation. He had a partcu'ar case in mmd — that of a railway worker who had served his apprenticeship io tho iron and steel moulding and w.iio not. long afterwards' lost the use of the right leg, while the left leg became affected. Undoubtedly, that' wnc; the result, of the work in which he was engaged. He was superannuated as medically unfit and now received £1 13s Id a month, or 8s 3d a week, on ( which he had to keep •"^elf, pay fo? medical attendance etc., and it went without saying that the man was utterly unable to provide for himself. O.i the list of superannuated public servants there were scores who were receiving ondy round about 10s or 15s a week, and some even below 10s. Many of these people could not engage in occupations that would bring them in suffic ient wages to keep them goiryx. Tt was a good thing to know tha«t the Government was taking steps to relieve the situation ; but Parliament most certainly ought not to rise unti it had made, ample provision; for the superannuated public servants who were now so adversely placed.

NEWCASTLE, November 21. ' Arrived Kauri; sailed, Kaikoui'a for Wellington. . MELBOURNE, November 21. Arrived Oanara from Wellington.