THE PEOPLE'S BOOTS

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1509, 3 August 1912, Page 7

THE PEOPLE'S BOOTS

WHAT IS IN THEM? TWO WEIRD SAMPLES SHOWN. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) . Christchtii'ch, August 2. Controversy regarding tho imported boot and the Dominion-manufactured articlo continues to rage. Its latest manifestation is an exhibition by the secretary of tho Bootmakers' Federation of an imported boot alleged to have been sold as "real box call" for one guinea, but really made partly or chrome leather" (a cheap product) and partly ot brown paper. The boot was dilapidated, and big pieces of brown paper were easily lorn from it. The inner soles were of cardboard, it is estimated tuat such l»ots could be made in New Zealand tor trom ss. to 7s. lid., and leave a profit tor wholesaler and retailer. The other side of the question was presented, when a local retailer produced a "hand-sewn welted boot," said to have bcon made in the Dominion, but which had fallen apart less than Unco months utter it was purchased. It had cost 215., and, though only worn on tho average not. more than twice, a week, the solo o. one of the boots had come away almost entirely from its upper. Tho boots were worth not more thai 12s. Naturally tin. purchaser, who usually purchased Eng-lish-niado footwear, was tar from being impressed with this sample of the New Zealaiui-mamiiaetured article.

Relorriiig to the last-mentioned case, tho secretary of the Bootmakers' Federation (Mr. U. It. Whiting) stilted that there are no hand-sewn welted boots made in New Zealand. They must have been mado by a small repairer in tho old method of seat work —that'is, work made on tho knee. If tho boots were mado by a New Zealand manuiactiuvr, they were not hand-sewn welted boots, but would be stitched by machinery. It was exceptional tor the stitch of machine-sewn boots to givo way, but tho boots referred to miglit have been an exception to the rule. In any case, tho boots alleged to have been mado ill New Zealand contained solid leather, anil did not consist of tho rubbish that was contained in tho Eng-lish-manufactured boot. For every boot like that alleged to have been mado in the Dominion, he could produce from ten to twenty foreign-muae, ju>t like the one which he had produced. Ho know for a positive fact that retailers frequently sold imported goods as Do-minion-made, because, by doing 60, they made from 3s. (id. to 7s. Gd. more prom. He instanced a case of a lady who asked him to recommend him to a bootmaker who could supply her with good New Zki-land-mado boots. He gave her the name of one of the largest boot firms in the city, and she purchased a pair of allegedly New Zealand-made boots, and brought them to him. He found that they were English made. When ,he mado a representation to tho retailer, the latter asked hira if he could bo blamed when he could make from ss. to 7s. lid. more by selling the imported article Asked what steps were contemplated iu order to protect the purchasers of boots, Mr. Whiting said that one suggestion was that the foreign manufacturer should be called to specify the material of which the boots he sent to the Dominion consisted. Another suggestion put forward to prevent inferior New Zealand-manu-factured boots being forced on the public was that the State should become the manufacturer or else open boot depots where boots, made to specifications laid down by the State, would be sold. He had been advocating for a number ol years that boots made in the Dominion should be branded "made in New Zealand," but, so far, they had been unable to secure, legislation in that direction. At present the federation was considering the advisability of'providing for a union ticket to be attached to boots mado in New Zealand, and was endeavouring to induce manufacturers to adopt a system of federating in turn, undertaking to endeavour to induce the public to purchase only boots baring the union ticket or label, The federation's trouble in this matter was to induce manufacturers to brand all their goods. A number of manufacturers were willing to fall in with the" federation's idea, and he anticipated that the federation would bo successsful in its efforts to get the union label principle adopted.