CORRESPONDENCE. THE BOOT INDUSTRY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11359, 10 April 1915, Page 7

CORRESPONDENCE.

THE BOOT INDUSTRY.

XO i (>.M MIX!:' SAYS MK niOSTICK. TO THE fc'.UlTOlt. , St, It will [i..h.M>l\ my duty ■ ; n •.< ;ih the me... • •meut now i Iving :n .iii.uv.i ; !u- Jndu-i - r-I'o <■•!' N.".\ 'a ::•! in b:.i " sonjo- . i!. !>.; t.. ..TV lat. r oi>. i it- tor gr:t '•!.•>! ; it;. ! I,t \ or," 1 ■!■; ; 'vol'. ;• . m \ our o(he:ai. \. y. t; !VI o,ii! I'M, „;.|V,: V |. .u" ::!!;. I>. ::v^ ; ii'.ado pti 'he v. iiiei. -,v:i> uuii i;.\ Ti-»« | obj-vt ni this let tor is t«. end.'-ivour ' ie >-ei!"o'.' from yen; :i!>n<: 'U|o o<- two ! tti", ool.et j_>f li»!!•». * ■ t it" t- liter,• !> |.|» <■(, :11 v 111; I . !. t) •> r. I , • jma aui aei ur, .v> ;i:'■ t no reee- a ; st u j led 111 eu! jiVU'ON fur 11. I wt!i ati.'Aicr i iif »oco.itd qu.-.-ttuis iirst. ! 'i'ht iv •••> tioi. 111ci"<• nover w«.<. iunongs;. i tile ho'i! inttiiiif leiurer.-. any ;..eT">-',no".r ! !o;- ;ii" n.v,n;:stio!f oi pri. cs. ; litu'> or iso, and although i »\o i iioot inHnufa.otU"er< It.too been - ; <•!,-. tod Aiitt'e IS9I. atnl iiav»' So:; ro- | gi>U'fod oryatiisation sinvc April .17. : and hnving iteld the ollioe ot nroj Mu/-itt of the .Now Zealand lioot J'iitoi- ! t'aciurers' oontinuousiy | from ISfM until 1913. lam in position j i'> Mu ;ik with authority. During the 1 whole of that time every mauufaet ttr.M- ---[ litis hud perfect, and nnrostrictod liberj ty to soil ovofytiiuig that lie -had at I whatever price ho e!m?o to fix it nt. ! The same cmdin'ous exist- to-dny.

If y>u are still not satisfied and will oall and see me i will eoideavour to prove that such is the caso. I do not claim for hoot msnntact-urn's that ihey possess, any M>3cial virtues which, are not e.v-roi.-ed hy emj>loyets in other trades, hut- simply because it is uotpracticable to nia-kf such n with boots ara! shows, neither am I prepared to condemn the supposed HVranL'.emenus which exist in the trade it! some parts of New Zealand, which (.if my information is correct! hr.s a schfdtilc of [trices to which members in that, trade are bound. If it- is so, I haw no doubt that- all prict-js «r»; based upon fair and reasonable lina«. That, of course, you will know better than I do. 1 notice by item Xo. 153 of the Customs tariff that account, books and all classes of printed matter have a 25 per cent ad valorem duty. The highest ad valorem duty that h;>ots ever had wa.s 22j- per cent when on the ad valorem svstom.

With regard to your complaint that' the tariff on boots is too high, might J point out that ere a under the present system n wanuui's bw>t costing in England 10> would bo chargeable for full- duty, 2s f\l. hut you appear to overlook the fact that- if the ssmo It's wore spent, in imported stationery instead of imported boots - then the duty as provided for in item No. 153 would be exactly the .same.. 2s 9rl. For over twenty-five years 1 have been colleot-iiicr statistics, and therefore claim to know something of the subject, it may interest you to know that taking all the industries of New Zealand, except freezing works, meat, preserving and bespoke tailoring, the returns in these industries being difficult to put in order, the balance covering the total output of nil the other industries Recording to the last census year was £22.i12.400. The added value abovs actual wages and materials (which has to include expenses, not being wages). intcre.st and depreciation of machinery and profit, for the average of twenty years is exactly 31.35. Now. the' boot trade worked out on exactly the same ba.sis, but allowing nothing for depreciation of plant and only 5 per cent interest on plant simply as an investment, works out for the same period of twenty years at 12.26. Therefore, out of 12J per cent the boot trade had to find all small incidentals, depreciation on its plant (after the payment of 5 per cent interest) aud all profits. The net result to the boot trade is 14 per cent less than the general average of all the trades. If you \mit any proof of these figures oome and me me. and 1 will bo only too pleased to demonstrate them to you.

One other point, and that is whereas everything in this world has to be judged by comparison, the comparison between Now Zealand and the Commonwealth of Australia in the same trade is as follows:—■ In 1911 the New Zealand boot manufacturers had invested in plant, land and buildings £lO9 sterling per worker (male ;md iemaie); in the Gommoirwealth £'->1 per worker was invested (male and female). The added value in the boot trade in New Zealand for 1911 census returns per £IOO was 13.9: in the Commonwealth of Australia for the snme year the added value was 13.5.

"Where* does the iniquity of the boot manufacturers come in with these figures a.s absolute farts? f am not asking you- to publish this letter, but in common justice you should first be satisfied that the figures T. give you are correct, and If so, tell the truth to the public yourself .and in your own wiv.—l am, etc., JAMES A. FROSTIOK. Christ church. April 8. (After accepting everything that our correspondent says as being demonstratively true, we still sav that when New Zealand hoot wearers are asked to protect the boot manufacturers by paying £105.051 in customs duties they are asked to do too much. We note our correspondent does not touch upon our suggestion thas the duties should be removed in favour of the State subsidy or. wages paid.—Ed. Star.")