BETTER BUSINESS AHEAD

Taranaki Daily News, 15 November 1930, Page 7

BETTER BUSINESS AHEAD

IMPROVEMENT PREDICTED. A REWARD FOR ENTERPRISE. The view that the business outlook was much brighter to-day than it wa» a few weeks ago was taken by Mr. Will Appleton, the well-known Wellington business man, when speaking at the Optimists’ Club luncheon at Wellington on Thursday. Mr. Appleton said that he had just completed a tour of the Dominion and was pleased to report that even in Dunedin the general feelinw among business people was that commodity prices had just about touched bottom. With the advent of better weather condition- and the realisation of portion of our produce, more ready money would shortly be circulating, and the wheels of commerce would then revolve a little more quickly.. All the indications are that from now till March or April there will be a slow but steady upward trend. “It is true that in some instances traders have been forced to the wall, but in the great majority of cases the volume of trade has been well maintained,” said Mr. Appleton. “I have, found that in those cases where special effort has been made sales figures are really ahead of the same period last year? In Christchurch, in no fewer. than four cases in different lines of business, it was reported that there had been a higher turnover than for the previous year. In one instance, that of a manufacturer turning out a staple product, the figures were actually up 25 p-3V cent. “Just to show what can be done by aggressive selling methods, I will quote a local case. Some months ago the directors of a motor distributing firm decided, contrary to the policy of most other concerns, to put on extra, salesmen and to increase their advertising. They did so, and added 35 per cent, to the "selling staff. This meant an increase to the pay roll of £25,000 per annum. The result is that despite alleged hard times sales have reached xefigures/’