TOPICS FOR TRADESMEN

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXIV, Issue 16326, 23 August 1913, Page 15

TOPICS FOR TRADESMEN

[From Our Correspondent.] LONDON, July 5. JEWELLERS AND PLATE LICENSES. The system upon which is based licenses for dealing in “plate” is not altogether satisfactory, according to some jewellers- There are two licenses, ono at a reasonable charge under which dealings in plate are restricted to 2oz of gold, and a few ounces of silver in the case of any one transaction, while a second license, payable at a much higher rate, allows unrestricted trading in plate. This, it is contended, is unfair to the smaller jeweller, who, while as a general rule trading in only small amounts of plate, may occasionally have to make a transaction involving an amount of plate in excess of the licensed amount, and consequently, simply for those individual cases, has to pay the higher license fee. To tho jeweller doing a big business tho higher fee is comparatively of no account, and traders suggest that for the small man paying the smaller fee tho weight of gold should be increased to five ounces at least, and silvev to fifty ounces. Other jewellers think that there should be a graduated 6calo, the fees rising from ono guinea up to five, so that thoso who X’ocoived an order, say, for a tea service of fifty to sixty ounces, would have to tako out a five guinea license. Others, again, urge that the whole system needs revision, and that tho license should bo extended to cover all articles mounted in silver or gold, which at present are sold by all and sundry without restriction. _ The. question is now under the consideration of the Jewellers’ Association. RISKS AND PRICES.

It would appear from an incident which came before me this week that in selling footwear there are shopkeepers who fail to realise tne necessity of securing a sufficient margin when dealing with goods which are other than ordinary “bread and cheese lines.” Goods which are the fashion for the moment, but which may at any time go out of favour, or footwear of which the material is risky in character, should obviously carry a social profit in compensation for risks. The incident to which I rofer above was as follows :—A suburban shoeman sold to a customer a pair of patent leather shoes at an ordinary price carrying his general margin of profit. He, of course, told tho customer that the goods were not guaranteed, following in this the examplo of the manufacturer who refused to warrant such goods on account of tlicir liability to crack. In a few days tiie customer returned the shoes with tho vamp wrinkled and broken and the shoes quite unwearable. As the customer does a considerable amount of business with the trader ho felt lie could not rely wholly upon his disclaimer of a guarantee, and so instead of losing his customer he has to 6tnnd tho whole loss himself; the manufacturers, naturally, refusing to indemnify him for the loss. This case should bo a warning to others. UNEVEN TRADE EDUCATION.

Mr H. R. Clissold, a Chicago baker, now on a visit to this country, is much interested with the high standard of. technical education in his trado on this side. British bakers, lie says, are far ahead in this regard of those ill the United States. Mr Clissold has tried to induce men who have had the advantages of tho courses here to cross tho j Atlantic and teach in America, but so j far has failed in his efforts. Tho J bakery trade is not alone in popularising technical education in the United : Kingdom. A recent report of the In- j stitute of Grocers’ national examination records that each year sees keener , competition; also that candidates come to London from all parts of Britain, j The last full pass list included twenty | successful candidates who had previous- j ly qualified by passing two examinations I of progressive difficulty. Again, in | some of the smaller industries good j progress is made. For example, tho j furriers’ classes at the Northampton ■ Polytechnic in Clerkenwell were well at- 1 tended last session, and tho strides made in furriery during the past few years I must be ascribed in a measuro to tho increase in technical education. But other businesses lag behind. Last year, I in spite of the not unsubstantial prizes I offored, the examinations for ironmongers’ assistants were abandoned owing to the paucity of candidates. Several trades have not as yet even taken tho matter up, although with the disuse of the apprenticeship system a duty lies upon the emnloyer to encourage tho efficient training of his young men. LIBELS ON AGRICULTURAL TRADERS.

Probably no class has been more grossly libelled and slandered in the past than those traders who sell manures and feeding stuffs. It really would seem as if whenever certain people are at want for a topic to write or converse upon they turn to the alleged sins in adulteration of the agricultural dealer. An up-to-date answer to these charges will be found in the report just issued by the Board of Agriculture of the working of ilio Fertilisers and Feeding Stuffs Act in England and Wales during the past year. This shows that, arising out of tho 956 samples taken in the twelve months, the local authorities considered that thirty-three prosecutions should be undertaken. The Board of Agriculture, however, on investigation held that in eighteen only of the cases was there pntna facie evidence of fraud or gross negligence. But oven if the thirty-three are admitted as actual contraventions of the Act, this onlv works out at 3.'15 per cent, as against 8.33 per rent, adulteration of samples of human food taken in the same year under tho Sale of Food and Drugs Act. And yet there

are persons who firmly believe that all sellers of manure and feeding 6tuffs aro wicked rogues. CHEMISTS AND POACHING. A chemist suggests that members of his calling do not 6liow sufficient fighting spirit in resisting encroachments made by other traders upon chemists’ business. He quotes the fact , that where as the sale or use of spirits or spirituous liquors (not wines) in tho preparation of medicines is properly restricted to physicians, apothecaries, surgeons or chemists, in effect other people than those offer for sale homeopathic mixtures and tinctures, and the excise authorities take no notice. This chemist urges that qualified men should act in concert to make the authorities move in this matter 60 as to retain to the licensed chemists their own business. “WATERPROOFS” AND “ SHOWERPROOFS.” Friction with customers continually arises from outfitters selling “ showerproof ” ooats as “mackintoshes” or even as “ waterproofs.” It is improbable that there is fraud in the misdescription ; it is done in ignorance, but men who have been soaked in heavy rain through the mistake are nevertheless enraged. The shopkeepers pass along the complaints to thoso who supply them, and one manufacturer has now issued a kind of educational circular as regards the matter. It is explained that “showerproofs” are chemically treated, and are intended to turn only showers or light rain. On the other hand, “waterproofs” have had tho fabric proofed with rubber or oil, and should be absolutely waterproof. So much harm has been done to tho wet-re-sisting overwear trade by “ showerproofs,” which, bought as “waterproofs,” let in heavy rain. at the sliouldors or wherever there is friction, that some makers now describe their “ showerproofs ” as “ raincoats ” or “ weatherproofs.” The above remarks only apply to high-class goods for ■which a fair price is paid. There is a great deal of lower grade so-called “ waterproofs ” on the market, which are about os useful for their purpose as a newspaper would be.