CHRISTMAS TRADE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26026, 14 December 1945, Page 5

CHRISTMAS TRADE

BEST FOR SEVERAL YEARS (Rec. 10 p.m.) SYDNEY, Dec. 13. The strike has not affected Christmas buying in Sydney and Melbourne—city stores report their best Christmas since 1939—but it is affecting the supply of a number of goods, including foodstuffs, and will affect more the longer it continues. Sydney people have not yet gone short of vital foodstuffs, but in Melbourne there is a dearth of all classes of meat as the train cuts have made it impossible to transport stock from Queensland and New South Wales, while there is limited carriage of stock from Victorian country centres. Poultry is very short in Melbourne, and hams are almost unprocurable. In both cities supplies of canned meats are running short, stocks of soft drinks are almost exhausted, and most confectionery lines will be sold out this week. White sugar is scarce in Victoria and practically unobtainable in New South Wales. There is, however, plenty of crude (brown) sugar available. Tobacco supplies are already short in Sydney, but Melbourne has sufficient to continue the present ration. The biggest bulk of the Christmas buying is being done in clothing stores, and here in most cases supplies have not been affected by the strike. Melbourne and Sydney are well supplied with toys, but all business is on a cash and carry basis because of the lack of transport. Cuts in the railway services are already very severe, but the Australian Railways Union has suggested a stoppage of all country train services during the Christinas and New Year periods to avoid overcrowding and to save coal. The director of emergency road transport, Mr C. N. Neale, has suspended the sale of motor tyres indefinitely because of the power shortage.