SMALL ACCOUNTS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23340, 8 May 1939, Page 14

SMALL ACCOUNTS

DENIAL OF CLOSING MANUFACTURERS' REPLY SUPPLIES TO RETAIL FIRMS [by tiilegraph—muss association! WELLINGTON, Saturday A statement made at tlio deputation to the Prime Minister, Mr. Savage, yesterday that small retailers would suffer because New Zealand manufacturers would not. continue small accounts is denied in a statement issued by the Manufacturers' Federation to-day. The statement also points out that footwear manufacturers will not be required to supply an additional 2,000,000 pairs of footwear as was .mentioned, certain classes of footwear still being unrestricted, i. .

The statement says that very strong resentment has been aroused among manufacturers generally at statements made by the secretary of tho Employers' Federation, Mr. T. O. Bishop, and particularly to his assertion that they are closing small accounts and supplying only larger firms, because it is easier for them to conduct their business that way. This is given flat denial. In regard to footwear the real position is stated to be that there is no restriction on imports of children s shoes, sizes 0 to 9, as compared with last year. Secondly, imports of leather footwear, men's and women's, for the whole of 1938 were 520,932 pairs, only a quarter of the 2,000,000 stated at the deputation. Thore were more than 1,250,000 pairs of rubber and canvas shoes imported. They were not the concern of the New Zealand footwear industry, and the importation of these from the United Kingdom had not been restricted in any way compared with 1938. _ , „ The statement concludes: We fully realise, of course, that the misrepresentation, though gross, was not intentional."