STANDARDISED BOOTS.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 16448, 30 May 1919, Page 3

STANDARDISED BOOTS.

SCHEME STILL HELD UP,

Those standardised boots which were promised to tho people ,of New Zealand are not yet available, and there is yet a possibility that the scheme will not go through, although tho Board of Trade has been trying very hard to get it in operation. There was much difficulty at first in the standardisation of the price' of hides. This difficulty was settled finally only a few weeks ago. When tho price of hides was fixed the prices of manufacture’ had to be fixed in order to determine selling prices. These have not yet been satisfactorily fixed, and when they are settled there will be some other difficulties incidental to the placing of the boots on tho market, if all those difficulties can be got over, and the boot manufacturers can be induced to make the hoots, and some traders can bo induced to sell them at the controlled prices, the scheme may go through, but the difficulties have not yet been surmounted. It is understood that the prices suggested by the manufacturers are not considered to he satisfactory. Sloans may be discovered for getting tho hoots at lower prices by the calling of tenders for quantity production of certain linos, for instance. This part of tho problem is under consideration. It appears that the manufacturers do not want tho scheme. They do not want to concentrate on the making of a few lines, as would be necessary for tho success of a standardisation scheme, and they wish to go on making every class of footwear. The problem of distribution presents just ns serious difficulties. It is well known that tho wholesale houses have to carry small traders by giving long credits. The manufacturers could not do this, and unless tho Government can persuade the wholesale houses to take over the standardised boots, some scheme of finance will have to ho developed. At present the Government has no power to use Slate funds for the development of any business in this way. It may not he generally understood that tho Government exceeded its legal rights when it opened a meat shop in Auckland. hut this was so. Tho sum required would be by way -of a loan only, but the amount would he considerable.