ABOUT BOOTS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1518, 14 August 1912, Page 6

ABOUT BOOTS.

DEPUTATION TO MR. FISHER, TARIFF AND WAGES. • t-'ONFEBENCE TO -BE CALLED. ho position of tho boot iuduslry ifl New Zealand was brought under the iiotieo of (he Hon. 1:'. Jr. 13. Fisher (ilinister for Customs) yesterday by Mr. ' • '""I'ray, who enme to make ropra. sentations 0,1 hehalf of uino boot manufacturing firms in Auckland, Mr. Murray said that he represented .^SnH CC, ?, U ° f b ~t mafXh,rers m Auckland. There was a J\ew Zealand r o|t Xl "" ufKctm ' ers > which included manuiacturcrs pure and simple and manufacturers who wore also Sn? rt! 'f •le Jl'twests of tho two parties . 16 not identical, and tliev did not eet nlong very harmoniously." lie representmuliu , fact » rc i's. who were not also imnoi ters. As showing that some better protection of tlio boot industry was colled fa? in» Muri 'i iy i T l llwt ioi 1911 exceeded those of the previous year by .£70,000, It had been said ha tho local manufacturers .could not pro(luce as good an article as tho imported boot at ft given price, but in the main the local article was better for stability of wear and for price. Boots and slioog wore really cheaper to-day than tlicv wero ?«<}«? «8». but at present; peanlo demanded boots and shoes of a higher standard tlinn tliey were content with ten years ago. Past tariff charges bad not given the manufacturer a fair look in. Tariff Remission. There was a. heavy duty on shoddr boots, but tho duty on higher-priced wots was proportionately lower than it had been under tho old tariff, ft waa the manufacture of tho higher-grade boot hill: should be encouraged in Xew Zeaand, but as things now stood imported JngU-grode boots cauio in cheaper than iittdor tljo old system. He understo<)d (hat - the tariff was to bo reviewed next vear, and the main object of 1 his coming was to ask the Minister to. arrnngo that manufacturer*, importers, aud retailers ot boots .should meet before him on a common ground to discuss the position. Mr, lisher,: The employees would have to bo represented. Mr. Murray: "loj, I don't mind their being represented. If wo can't hold Up our end of tho stick under those circumstances wo shall feel- that at any rate we have.had n fair run." It would be less satisfactory, he added, if the different sectiou6 curno separately beforo the Minister. Minister In Reply, Tho Minister: I will promise to meet, before Christmas, three representatives of tho local manufacturers, three reprosontativos of tho importing agelits, and three representatives of the elnplovees, wo can discuss the whole question. Ow very important fact that you will hav( t° friec, and I give you warning of il beforehand, is that the people - of New Zealand to-day arc -paying more in duty oii imported boots than they are paying in wages to employoes in the wliolo of (lie b:ot factories of New Zealand. _ (This statement was subsequently modified by the Minister.) Mr. Murray: Well, I can't givo a direct answer to (hat; because I am'not in, possession of tho facts and figures. ~ Shoddy to bo Branded. Mr. Fisher: That is an aspect of tlifl question that has to lie met. . . I am introducing into the House this session a Trades Descriptions Hill, which will require that all importations containing shoddy shall be accompanied by a declaration to that effect. The Government is determined that tho publio is not to be hoodwinked any longer into purchasing brown paper boots with leather outsidoe. Mr. Mnrrays Yes, I think that is a step in the right direction. After some further ta'k, Mr. Murray reverted t 'to what the Minister had said- . aboilt". wages. 1 "' "We" dtin't jnilid in the slightest, as pure and _ simple manufacturers," he remarked, "if we had an open door to-morrow, provided that we-were given by tho Government the same conditions to work under ns we have to com. pete against." . Mr. Fisher: Tou are not asking for that, aro you? Mr. Murray: "We would sooner have it than tho present, condition. Mr. Fisher: Von have no chance in tho world cf 'getting that. Conditions of Competition. Mr. Murray agreed, but added that local manufacturers paid wages 100 per cent, higher than tTTotr competitors abroad. The latter also had better facilities for buying. They wero not asked to comply with the conditions or to pay the minimum woge which wero obligatory in . New Zealand. Manufacturers hnd contonded that'the wages paid to operatirw in the Xew Zealand boot.industry weriii not high enough, but tho existing rate was every cent that tho trad©, under existing circumstances, could afford to pay. He did not think it fair to usk that a body of manufacturers, who had put thoir all'into machinery aud plant, should be denied the protection necessary lo enable them to produce. The sniallncss of the community shut off local manufacturers frau the advantages of specialisation which were enjoyed abroad. They had to make too many "lines" and too few of each "line." This last disadvantage would not bo so seriously felt by bbot manufacturers if (hey had a tariff to shut out (he imported article. If they the tariff thev'could increase the wages paid to their employees without increasing the price of their output by one farthing.

Increased Duty Wanted. Mr. Fisher: Aro yon askjng for jin ini crease ill the tvxrilV or for a eliangc in th<S incidence o£ tlio tariff? _ Mr.' Murray: An increaso in the taritt. The present duty is Is. 6d. on men's boots dud 15 i)er cent. and Is. ou women s boots, plus 15 per ccnt. Wo should prefer 6 straight-out nd valorem duty. As snowing what local manufacturers had to meet in competition, Mr. Murray stated that in Northampton the averago wage paid to a pood man for n full week'of 52J hbun was 30s. per week, a fraction over id.; pel hour. In New Zealand the avorago wng« ■ paid to a good man was .£2 15s. 6d. fot a week of 45 hours, or Is.. 2}d.per hour, \ woman working full time in Northamp-ton-was paid 12s. for a week of 52 hours, cr 23d. ail hour. In New Zealand tho average wago paid to an adult ■ woman wonier was 30s. for a week of 45 hours. English manufacturers could employ as many liovs as they liked. New Zealand manufacturers were restricted to a cctt«iu number and could not set tho number they were allowed. In England girls worked' in the "clicking" department (cutting out uppers), nt a wage of from 12s. 6d. to 15s, n week. In New Zealand this class of work was. restricted to men who received a minimum i\'age of ,t!2 12s. Gd. per wek. At a Low Ebb. Mr. Fisher: Do the New Zealand manufacturers produce shoddy? Mr. Murray: Yes, some of them, at the request of the retailers. The trado has got to such a low obb from the manufacturers' standpoint that when tho retailer >aysj "We want Gd. or 3d. off this lino," the manufacturer has to do it. Mr. Fisher: And a bit of brown paper does- the trick. ' 'Mr. Murray; If tho manufacturer is hard put to it he will take anything. Mr. Fisher: What effect would it havo if all boots made in X«w Zealand had to bo certified as all leather? Mr. Murray: I think that, would be a very goad thing. The public would then, bo getting more honest footwear than tlicv tiro.settiiig now. • ' .Air. Fisher: And, of course, nt thn samo time stop tho importation ef shdddy? Mr. Mnrrav concurred. He added that •■cu could get shoddy leather ns you could get slii;d:U* anything else. Tho wages paid to boot operatives in tho four main centres. Mr. Murray stated, amounted (o .Kl.i.OliS in 11111. The number of hands in the four centres was 'JGO2. Mr. Fisher said that'.lie had made a mistake as to the duty on boots execodt ing wages. Tho value of importations jxeeeded wages. ' . ' Mr. Murray said ihat importations last roar amounted to .£301,000.' Mr. Fisher said that the duty collected ast year totalled ,£.SO,OOD. Tho final understanding arrived at vas that (bo Minister should convene a. onl'cronce of roimvenlatives of tho' varans parties interested. '