FEW AVAILABLE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26709, 2 March 1948, Page 6

FEW AVAILABLE

CENTENNIAL SOUVENIRS DEMAND BY VISITORS Centennial visitors to Dunedin who wanted to take back with them something more tangible than memories of a pieasant holiday and some memorable events, have been somewhat disappointed. Several Dunedin business people told a Daily Times reporter yesterday that on most days last week they were beseiged by ' souvenirhunters, but most shops have been able to offer very little apart from celluloid medallions displaying the centennial crest, a book of views of the city, or the official programme. Had conditions been anything even approaching normal, it could be assumed that centennial souvenirs ranging from toy balloons to expensive items of cutlery and jewellery would have been available in great profusion The shortage of staffs, the difficulty in obtaining materials, and the big rise in costs are some of the factors that have been responsible for the comparative shortage of souvenir articles * There appear to be ample supplies of badges still available, and two or three shops were displaying banners bearing the centennial crest yesterday. One men’s outfitter had a small display of ties in the Otago colours, navy blue and gold, and one or two fortunate purchasers were able to obtain a centennial box of chocolates, but these just about exhausted the list. Early last week a city shop had a fairly extensive stocks of articles bearing the centennial crest transfer, but there are few of them left now This was the Disabled Servicemen’s shop in George street. The shelves were fairly well stocked with serviette rings, bookends. nut and fruit bowls., and attache cases, but the procession on Tuesday so stimulated interest in them that most of the shelves were bare yestei--day. The manager ©f the shop explained that “Friday had been a teirific day,” and that there had been thousands of callers most of whom had left disappointed. The manager of a department store stated that his firm had been considering stocking up with a variety of smahlp souvenir articles, but mainiy owing to a shortage of stall they could handle little else except badges and banners. “It was cjuite impossible to parrv out our original plans, ne ex plataed “and we had to let a golden opportunity slip by.”