FOOTWEAR.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 16451, 19 February 1919, Page 8

FOOTWEAR.

WAR-TIME PRICES,

Many'complaints have been made .by the public as to the war-time prices of footwear. Reference to this was made by 'Mr Oreo. Forbes in a question ho put to Air J. A. Frostick when Mr Frostick was giving evidence before the Parliamentary industries Committee yesterday.

, Air Forbes said people were complaining that they had to pay a tremendous pnee for the .New Zealand article compared with the prices of raw material. r . Frostick said the prices of New Zealand footwear had not increased cliiring the war in the same proportion as the cost of raw materials. Ho quoted several advances that had been made in the prices of raw materials, f*-® did not know what tho public paid in the shops, but ho thought it was an awful shame that the manufacturer S i°i L be brought to book for the prices that the public paid. He supposed the members of tho Committee were all married men, yet one never heard of the price of stockings. Members: Don't you ? Mr Frostick: Well, you never hear about it in the newspapers at auy rate. Mr Frostick declared that the net profit of tho boot manufacturing trade was among the lowest in the Dominion. One of the worst troubles in this countiv was the terrible cost of distribution, •■which lie did not think Parliament could alter.