HIGH-PRICED WOOLLENS

Otago Witness, Issue 3467, 24 August 1920, Page 24

HIGH-PRICED WOOLLENS

NEW ZEALAND MANUFACTURERS

DEFENDED,

WELLINGTON, August 17. When speaking <at the annual meeting of the Wellington Woollen Company to-day, the chairman (Mr W. H. P. Barker) referred to the increase in the price of goods. He asserted that the woollen manufacturers in New Zealand were conducting operations striotly on lines of fair trading, and were not taking advantage of the situation. That the selling prices the world ove.* were so high was a calamity, but it wsa a fact that the New Zealand mill prices, Ukten on an ultra-conservative basis, # were at least one-half any of those for similar imported articles. "Grey woollen" textiles, adulterated or not, and no matter where produced, if on sale at retail shops, seemed to be classed by the public as "colonial," with unfair results to the woollen companies. . Referring to the statement that the farmer received for his wool 15d per lb, and that one yard of cloth contained one pound of wool, while suits of clothes were sold at ,4318. Mr Barber said it might be that some qualities of wool did not realise more than Is 3d per lb, and that some tailors were selling suits at £18; but it was the deliberate coupling of the two assertions that inferentially accused millowners of profiteering, to which ho took strong exception. No cloth ever left the Petone Mills at a price which would justify such a retail charge for a suit. As to imported tweeds, that was another matter, which could be best answered by the tailors concerned. Mr Barber said his personal opinion was that, excluding the financial panic, which would be a cure, but unfortunately worse than the disease, the only thing that would reduce prices was production in the combing wool industry. In France normal conditions -were almost entirely restored as the result of working 24 hours per day in three shifts. If other • branches of trade did the same —as no doubt they would-—it would not be long before competition would make itself felt. The tendency in New Zealand was for the shorter working week, and even now cutting out Saturday mornings was being used by some employers to attract workers, regardless of other consequences, such as the limitation of output. The great war started rising prices, but he held that Labour generally had the power to say when high prices should closej, not by limiting the output aaid creating obstacles, but by allowing that machinery and capital might be employed to the_ fullest capacity, so that within a short period, without any reduction in wages, production, would ensure conipotitlon, and thus bring us back to normal conditions.

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