STOCKING FAMINE

New Zealand Herald, Volume 78, Issue 24102, 22 October 1941, Page 6

STOCKING FAMINE

SOME BELIEF LIKELY INCREASE IN IMPORTS SUPPLIES FROM BRITAIN Prospects of relieving to some extent the shortage of women's stockings in New Zealand by obtaining supplies from the United Kingdom are held out by an announcement made yesterday by the Minister of Customs, the Hon. W. Nash. The Minister is visiting Auckland.

"Licences," said the Minister, "will be granted for imports from the United Kingdom of full-length stockings of cotton, silk, or artificial silk for amounts equivalent to 100 per cent of the value of applicants' imports of similar goods from that source during 1938. Allocations in respect of full-length stockings of wool have also been increased from 50 per cent to 100 per cent of 19-11 licences."

Mr. Nash said that applications for quantities in excess of 1938 imports from the United Kingdom, accompanied by evidence of the availability of supplies, might be submitted to any collector of customs for reference to the Comptroller of Customs, Wellington, from where the issue of licences for extra quantities would be determined. ' The Dominion imported from the United Kingdom in 1938 a total of 7113 dozen pairs of full-length silk stockings, valued at £11,423; 12,557 dozen pairs of artificial silk, valued at £10,608; and 24,072 dozen pairs of cotton, valued at £17,038. The country's total imports for that year of the three classes from all sources were 132,544 dozen pairs of silk, 48,165 dozen pairs of artificial silk, and 25,486 dozen pairs of cotton stockings.