THE SMALL TRADERS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19040, 13 June 1936, Page 12

THE SMALL TRADERS

(To the Editor of the Herald.; Sir', —The functions exercised by the small shopkeeper in t lie Jile of mo community is undoubtedly most useful and important. Unfortunately New Zealand statistics do not give details of retail trade, therefore it is impossible to give definite figures. In Britain, however, returns show that “unit shops’’ number about 550)000 with a turnover of £1,000,000,000. against 50,000 chain stores with a turnover of £500,000,000, .10,000 cooperative branches turning over £200,000,000, and .1000 department stores turning over £150,000,000. Of the unit shops, 90 per cent are small independent businesses, most of them family concerns, which employ over 2,000,000 workers besides family helpers.

It is not unreasonable to assume that if figures were available tno position in New Zealand would show very similar comparative results. The great number of small traders is largely- due to the natural desire of being one’s own master, of having

one’s own business and using one’s abilities to the best advantage. They are people of enterprise, eourago and independence. The small trader, ia short, is a valuable asset in the life of the nation, and care should bo taken not to make Ins existence impossible by restrictive Yours, ete. HI THE N.Z. WELFARE LEAGUE.;,