PRICE OF CARTRIDGES.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 16857, 10 June 1920, Page 8

PRICE OF CARTRIDGES.

(Extract from "Arms and Explosives.' Tho following letter and editorial not appeared in "The Field,'' London, c February Hist last:— Sir,—The price of sporting cari ridges during the coming season is subject ivhicfl is already occiipvm the attention cf sportsmen. year the nrtces in England vane ironi 17s per 100 to (3d per 100 rc tail, iiccordnin; to the quality pui chased, and the now scale of pn« about to be issued varies from IDs t 28s Cu At the present time it : difficult to say for hov; long ere these new prices "ivill rule, as tvc lin to our reijret.-that it is impossible t fixe retail prices for any length c time. It is not necessary to kok for sons, the first of which is that th countrv is still suffering from th effects' of the War, and the v.tarke prices of the raw materials whic form the components of sporting nr.i munition Guctuate from week to wee: • to an extent hitherto undreamed ot At the moment, the prices of coal copper, brass strip, lead, felt, aa, steel (used for cups and linings) rang from 14 to <Go per cent, higher thai those ruling when last year's price were fixed. In addition, rafhv.r freights have gone, up from CO to 10* • per cent., and in conforming to th< national movement to give the wage earning classes inoro leisure and : higher standard of living, the incieast in -wage-bills of the companies i: I naturally, reflected in the sell in: ! prices of their goods. | It is, however, pleading to he ab!< to affirm that the co-ordination o manufacturers of sporting ammuni tion has resulted in appreciable ec-ono mies, and this factor is one which ha: certainly kept prices lower fh:r. would have been the case had thci\ been no such manufacturing saving: to set against the added material anc labour costs. All users of sporting ammunition rightly insist that their cartridge; should be reliable in quality; wo, or our part, realising this, are determined to give" our customers the best possible article at the lowest possible cost consistent with the high standard of excellence hitherto obtaining in the different products of our Constituent Companies,.—Wo are, sir, etc., (Signed) EXPLOSIVES TRADES, LTD. Editorial Note by "The Field," London: "All sportsmen will be disappointed with thfe decision, and wo must admit that we cannot but share this feeling. At the same time, %ve fully understand the circumstances. We have made careful enquiries, which hare convinced, ns that there is no doubt that the averAgo increase in cost of raw materials for cartridge manufacture is ICO per cent, between January Ist, 1914, and January Ist, 1920. The corresponding increase in man labour is 100 per cent., and that of girl labour from 200 to l'ol> per cent. The rise ill the price of cartridges is 130 per cent. These are fact?, .but they give little satisfaction to the sportsman whose main concern is the retail price of cartridges, and who ts naturally regarding cach additional increase with growing anxiety. "When the Explosive Trades, Limited, wv inaugurated, they published a manifesto which promised much —amnng other things, that the sportsman would share in tho great benefits which were bound to accrue. The sportsman sees nothing but sparing priccs. and is quite naturally asking how the promises are being fulfilled. There is no denying tho average Britisher's abhorrence of anything in the nature of a 'Trust' or monopoly, and we must admit that it seems unfortunate that cartridge manufacturers have placed themselves in such a position that suspicion is invited. At the same time, wo suggest that no should be formed in ur.duo haste. A year is t not- very long. It would bo as well to 'wait until the Explosives Trades, Limited, declare their first dividends before suggesting any accusation of profiteering. | "One of the main reasons for tho! amalgamation' of British cartridge manufacturers was to unite forces against foreign competition. Thi3 idea is based on Imperial principles, and deserves the support of all sportsmen. It ivaa obvious that the manufacturers who ;ould produce the cheapest cartridges ivould gain the market. But great ventures, just like great man, are'judged, not by the obstacles which they have bo combat, but by their actual achievement. Tho only achievement of the Explosives Trades, Limited, apparent to ;ho sportsman is the 130 per cent, increase in price, and his "suspicion of ;he 'Trust' 1 naturally became greater :han ever. Yet how have foreigners succeeded? Belgium has not yet got nto her stride again. Only one Ameri;an firm now supplies cartridges to [ Sngland. and the prico of these is very ittle below that of English cartridges, ilthotfgh the exchange is some 2o per sent, in favour of the American manu-' acturer. Another American firm canlot supply cartridges in England, except at higher prices than those now , ixed by the Explosives Trades, Limit-! -,d. : > j

CTOIMEXTAIIY. Comment by "Anns and Explosives,' 1 j London. —Much of the above must rank as an appeal to popular prejudice. For instance, Explosives Trades, Limited, ; has been in existence for just about a year. Tho original circulars offering to buy "the shares of the constituent companies .were issued on November 30th, 1018. Tho ncccssary transfers ft-ere ! completed last April. Hence there is no moral or other justification for saddling Explosives Trades, Limited, with the rises in cartridge prices which occurred dining the five years previous to 1 ( the very existence of the company. One must not, moreover, forget that tho re- j tail cartridge prices which Explosives : Trades, Limited, found in existence when it first came into being wero fixed by tho Ministry of' Food, whose control ( began in January, 1918, and terminated t on February 27t.1i, 19'19. The prices which Explosives Trades, Limited, m- 1 heritcd were thus the control prices ( fixed by a Government Department, J competent and determined to protect • the public from profiteering. 0 ' • ' I'