THE WOOLLEN INDUSTRY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 8100, 27 August 1904, Page 5

THE WOOLLEN INDUSTRY.

m 1 IMPORTATION OF SHODDY. i , — i THE EFFECT ON THE KAIAPOI COMPANY. , >Ir P. Hereus, manager of the Kaiapoi i Woollen Jiills, who has returned to Christ- , church from Wellington, where he has given evidence before the Commerce Committee of the Houso of Representatives, states that there has been a very large importation of shoddy into New Zealand I thia season. Ladies' jackets and jacket cloths of vgry low quality have come into the market 1 in large quantities, and these importations liave considerably interfered with the manufacture of local goods in that department, as the local article, is made entirely of pure-wool cloths. This season the market has been simply flooded with imported jackets. A slump has resulted, and the operations of the Kaiapoi Company in that direction have not been successful. A large quantity of juvenile clothing of a low quality bas also been imported into the colony. * It is impossible to compete against thai) article with pure-wool New Zealand clothing;. Low blue and black vicunas are also imported, and a great deal of low. suoddy tweeds, from which clothing is being manufactured in the colony. All the colonial dress-tweeds have been practically wiped out by the competition of the shoddy dress-tweeds, which have all the appearance of colonial tweeds, but are sold at half tbe price of the latter. The Kaiapoi Company has tried very hard to establish' a trade in art serges, a great- deal of which is used throughout the colony for furniture covering and hangings, and so on. The company, however, has failed signally in petting its goods into consumption, because of the vast quantities of low" shoddy art serges imported into the colony, at. in some instances, from a quarter to a half the prices charged by the local company. Although there is all the difference in quality, the company finds it impossible to get the price it requires for its goods. The shoddy goods .come from England and Germany, qhiefly Germany, which makes most of the shoddy ladies' jackets, Thty are made in Germany, sold in England, and sent out to New Zealand by wholesale dealers- and others. Mr Hereus urged strongly upon the committee, and repeated his arguments to a reporter to-day/ that the shoddy goods should be brand.d with the name " shoddy," and the name of the country in which they are made. /The public, he says, should know that ib is buying goods that are not of the best quality." shoddy goods should also bear a "considerably higher tariff. On pure-wool goods, such an are manufactur-d looallv, no further duties are asked for. The cost of production in New Zealand is being largely increased, while the tariff remains unaltered. Besides the articles mentioned there are also importations of common rugs and blankets, which enter into competition with the better articles made locally. Mr Herct-8- states that there would be no difficulty in defining shoddy so that it could be marked, as exports could be engaged to say what was shoddy and what was the batter artiole.