GUMBOOT SHORTAGE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 88, Issue 36, 12 February 1944, Page 5

GUMBOOT SHORTAGE

LESS THAN ORDERED NUMBER ARRIVING (P.A.) Wellington. Feb. 11. "We arc receiving less than 25 per) cent of the aggregate supply of gum-1 boots we requisitioned for from over-! seas for essential purposes," said the' Minister of Supply, Mr. Sullivan, in a statement reiterating the acutenees• of the position. He said there had been a deluge of applications under the recently-an-1 nounced scheme of control, ano* he) emphasised that the only course was to release what supplies there were to I those in most urgent need. "The present supply is being augmented by pur domestic production, which given time and a steady supply from overseas of certain manufaciur-' ing materials, will be a most valuable source of future distribution." said the Minister. Immediate prospects, however, weie not very hopeful, and in the meantime the bulk supply avail-1 able was being released to the dairy farming community, the balance being , distributed to other types of farmers' and certain^industrial and other workers entitleu to priority. The supply was so meagre, compared with th** number of applications already received from members of these groups, that rr. »r.v people must awa : t their individual releases patiently until additional stocks came forward. In the meantime, applicants who received no notification that their applications ha-! been declined, might assume that the gumboots would be released to them w hen this became possible. j