NEW ZEALAND GOODS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17257, 5 September 1919, Page 9

NEW ZEALAND GOODS.

NO ACTUAL PREJUDICE.

LACK OF ENCOURAGEMENT.

THE WOMAN'S VIEWPOINT.

The question as to the existence of any actual prejudice against goods made in New Zealand, which was referred to in the Parliamentary Industries Committee's report, was put yesterday to a number of well-known Auckland women, who all expressed the opinion that there was no actual prejudice against home-manufac-tured articles, mit that the importance of encouraging Dominion industries was not yet sufficiently recognised by women. One woman, who directs not only a large household, but who also has a controlling voice in the direction of one of Auckland s leading manufacturing firms, stated emphatically that if loca-lly-made articles were as good a* those imported their purchase should receive public support but if not, the public should not be expected to buy them in preference to outside goods.

"This & not merely my opinion as one interested in local manufactures," she said, "but my conviction as to the only right basis on which Dominion industries can be satisfactorily built up. This is my direction to the firm I am connected with:— 'Don't you dare put on the market anything not so good as the imported article!' This has always been the firm's policy, and if it were the policy of all firms I think we should hear very little of prejudice against local manufactures. At the same time, it must be admitted that it is often a very difficult matter to introduce a new article to compete with the imported one which housewives have long been using. They get into a groove, and don't like getting, out-of it One particular instance which occurs to me is in connection with starch For many many years a certain brand of British-made starch was used exelusivelv in hew Zealand. One day it occurred to an Aucklander that it could be manufactured just as well here. He investigated the matter thoroughly, with the result that a most excellent article was placed on the market. It took a long time to convince housewives that the local manufacture was every bin as good as the higher-priced imported starch, but they were eventually convinced, and the trade was successfully established."

Dress Goods and Footwear. On one point, with regard to woollen dress goods, all those interviewed were in entire agreement, namely, that so far from there being a prejudice against Dominionmade tweed, women made a practice of asking for it in preference to imported goods. "Women have come to recognise that the New Zealand woollen dress goods are the equal of anything of the kind in the world," said another woman authority. "Our only trouble is that there does not seem to be enough of it to meet the demand. We have not had opportunity for making comparison with regard to any other dress goods, but all New Zealand woollen underwear is also very popular." Upon the local manufacture of boots there was some slight difference of opinion, although all those interviewed agreed that the prejudice in favour of American and Uritish goods had practically died out. Years ago the quality and fit of locally-made boots and shoes could not compare with those imported, but now that the most up-to-date lasts, are used, and the finest materials employed, the shoe made in Auckland compares very favourably indeed with the high-grade wear imported from overseas. "New Zealand-made boots and shoes are never i criticised now," remarked one woman. "We have found them to be just as stylish and well-nude as the others, arid buy them without question. Another opinion expressed was that Australia leads New Zealand in this direction, the : former producing footwear that equalled or even, excelled the very best British- ■ made goods. A third woman said the l only point in which the New Zealand , article was not quite equal to imported footwear was in regard to the stiff sole leather used. This was very trying to women with tender feet, who suffered in i the heat of summer from the inflexibility > of the soles. Personally, although she had tried her utmost to be patriotic in this respect, she had had to give up j wearing New Zealand-made shoes in favour of Australian, and many of her acquaintances had had a similar experience. Sweets and Dainties. As regarded sweets and dainties, such as high-grade confectionery, biscuits, ! preserves, etc.. it was acknowledged that' there was a distinct preference for imported goods. Locally-made goods had greatly improved in recent years, but in the matter of attractive packing, as well as in quality, they had not yet reached the standard of British or American deli- J cacies. The making of high-grade sweets j was becoming quite an industry among , New Zealand women, but all material i was so expensive that this class of goods could not be sold at less than 7s 6d per ! pound, which prohibited the manufacture ! becoming a popular one. j Lines in Universal Use. I If one comes to consider a lift of arti- j cles of domestic use, it will be seen that many New Zealand lines are in universal use. This is particularly the case with regard to brush-ware, brooms, scrubbing-' brushes, clothes-brushes. and similar locally-made articles dominating the market, and no good housewife would think of asking for a broom made in : Japan, or America, or elsewhere, when j one of loi.a-1 make is procurable. "And 1 ] don t see why we shouldn't make our i own hair-brushes and tooth-brushes as . well," declared one enthusiastic supporter of local industries. "We can make an I article as good as any in the world in j one class—why not in the other too''" I Another line of goods in which there j is little competition was stated to be : canned meats and jams. New Zealand canned meats were held to be superior to anvthing imported, although it was ad- . mitted that in regard to fruit the Cali- I fotjnan article enjoyed greater popularity ' on account of its undeniably fuller flavour. : "However, let our fruitgrowers study the , j matter." said one woman, "and go in for ; j the very highest quality, instead of ap- | pearance. Then we shall get peaches and ' ! other fruits more .like that which our : I grandfathers used to buy from the Maoris j I in the early days." j Need For Increased Interest. j Summing up the situation generally, i there was unanimous agreement among ' those interviewed that greater effort ! should be made to rouse the interest of | the women, who were the real purchasers. lin New Zealand-made goods. There had i never been any definite, campaign to I arouse women to a sense of their respon- ( sibilities in the matter, and until this was done, and a regular effort made to I convince the housewives of the Dominion ! of the sound policy of purchasing homeI made goods, local' industries would be | working under a handicap, and manufacturers deprived of Lie main incentive to bring their products up to a standard of quality equal in every respect to the imported article.