COST OP COTTON GOODS.

Northern Advocate, 17 June 1920, Page 5

COST OP COTTON GOODS.

A DISQUIETING PREDICTION

100 PER CENT. RISE

WELLINGTON, June 16,

The foilowing letter, from an English correspondent, appears in tho "New Zealand Times ": —

"A considerable quantity of manufactured goods come into this country from Canada. The enclosed extract is from a letter from a large factory, whoso goods before the war and during the war, were always able to compete successfully in the matter of price with similar goods, quality i'or quality, from any country: —'I must first tell you that there is no such thing as counting on deliveries just now. Cotton and steel are still the worst offenders. We have had four bad cotton crops in succession until cotton, such as we use, is not to bo bought. Some people have paid as high as 1.50 dol. 6s 3d) a pound for very small quantities of 1-3/16 cotton. Staple cotton mills have a fair stock of it, but you can see how they arc averaging their purchases every day and constantly putting up the prices of their goods taking advantage of the great scarcity of same. The United States mills have had troubles, including labour, of all sorts, with the result that not a single house has anything to sell. Conditions, in a general way, aro far from being improved. Latest 'reports go to show that high prices have only now started; and it is quite on the boards that present prices will be .100 per cent, higher before this time next year. The cause of all this is the industrial unrest, the extreme demands both in wages and working hours, and scarcity of both materials and labour. We are not, however, pessfmistic as regards the future; these extremely hard conditions make it impossible for any other but, well-organised factories to cany on.' "There is an impression abroad that prices are about to come down. The wish is father to tho thought in all our minds, but the facts do not indicate such recession. "In the matter of cotton goods the very opposite seems more likely in the fact of such, a statement from such a source. If and. when such 100 per cent, increase occurs, it is to be hoped the public will not be led to believe it is the retail draper profiteering, for ho will be forced to accept, less than a fair profit to market such goods, as in hot a few cases he is already doing to-day, and has been doing before any anti-profit-eering machinery was set up."