RETAILERS CLAIM NO NEED FOR RATIONING

Chronicle (Levin), 10 December 1946, Page 3

RETAILERS CLAIM NO NEED FOR RATIONING

Eeceived IMonday, 10. p.m. ' SYDNEY, Dec^ 9. Tlie claim by the president of the Retail Traders' Association, Mr. K. F. Coles, that there is no need for elothes rationing, is strongly supported by retailers. The reduetion from 112 to 56 coupons for the year, they agree, will lead to extensive blackmarketing. They add that inereased production is tlie surest method of reducing prices to the public but manufacturers cannot be expected to step up production with the continuanee of severe rationing. Mr. Coles said auy continuanee of rationing, particularly on a less liberal scale than formerly, gave no incentive for inereased production and tended only to peg production to present levels. Manufacturers naturally hesitated to make garments wheu the public had no coupons with which to purehase them. The retail traders cousidered the people should liave goods madc available to them as quickly as they were produeed. Most of the people have already exhausted their 1946 coupons and will hesitate about making norma] replacemeuts even if more stocks become available. The managing-director of oue large retail firm said he was firmly couviuced there was no longer any need for a continuanee of elothes rationing in any forin. Admittedly there were st'ill sliortages in certain lines but many retailers were linding their stocks were getting too liigh and liad stopped buying. A eontinuation of rationing could result only in penalising lionest traders who would not sell clothing without coupons, and beneliting unsci'upulous men who flaunted the regulations to increase their businesses.