GOODS SCARCE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 11, Issue 4, 12 March 1947, Page 5

GOODS SCARCE

POSITION IN WHAKATANE 'NO NEW STOCKS YET Over two months have passed since Christmas, and fully a fortnight gone since the warehouses and factories re-opened, .yet the majority of shops are still suffering from the depletion of stocks that was caused by the heavy Christmas buying. Replacements of goods that have been eagerly awaited by storekeepers have been slow in coming to hand. Wouldbe purchasers are wondering why the shops are so low in stocks. There has been very little absenteeism in most industries, and it is understood that the railways have been working full time—even using double banked trains, to move the congestion of goods in the marshalling yards. It could therefore, be expected to see the local market fairly well supplied. No Reserves Many retailers in Whakatane believe that the most probable reason for the protracted shortages is the fact that the factories, in order to meet the huge Christmas demands disposed of every article that they could and the consequence was that now that the new year has arrived it will take some time for them to make up their own new stocks. Others are confident that goods will be back again very soon. This year may be even more trying for those wanting to purchase men’s clothing than was the position last year. None of the storekeepers entertain very bright prospects. Each year’s supply of clothing can be reasonably accurately predicted by the ‘amount of cloth that there is brought into or. made in the country during the previous year. So far, in this line there is no cause for any rejoicing, but even if there were plenty of cloth available the labour is still most uncertain. Replacements Shortly

Hardware and general merchandise firms, as also the furniture retailers, feel that the present shortage is only transitory. They maintain that as the factories, for the most part, have been open only two weeks this year, the goods have not had time yet to arrive. In most cases they expect to have replacements shortly. Speaking generally foodstuffs are well stocked at present. Perhaps the most widely felt and urgent shortage is the supply of tobacco. From the .smokers’ point of view the quota seems to decrease each month, and there is no indication that the position will alter.