HIDES, LEATHER AND BOOTS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 140, 8 March 1919, Page 10

HIDES, LEATHER AND BOOTS

COST PROBLEMS

REGULATION OF PRICES

The action of the Government in endeavouring to limit (he price of hides for use within the Dominion has mot with a considerable amount of opposition, and the Government has been criticised adversely in regard to it. The Minister who is President of tlio Board of Trade (the Hon. W. D. S. MacDonajd) put tho case from the Government's point of view yesterday. "We have been endeavouring for several months," he said, "to arrange for the standardisation of footwear. AVe have arrived at a stage where there is agreement. belwen the boot manufacturers and the Board of Trade. But tho manufacturers say, 'If you are going to fix prices for footwear, you l-iust also fix prices for leather.' And the tanners, for their part, say, 'If you are going to fix prices for leather, you must fix prices for hides.' Prices for hides have been gazetted, and the prices we have gazetted are those which were payable by the Imperial Government under tho requisition scheme when it was in operation. AA : e are not prohibiting the export of hides altogether, hut we say that we want to retain in New Zealand a sufficient quantity of' hides for the use of the tanners in New Zealand. After the freezing companies or the other persons in possession of hides have offered them to the tanners, and if the tanners do not require them, the hides may be exported. "As President of the Board of Trado I think - that if there is a famine price for hides in any particular country for a month or two this factor should not be allowed to disorganise the whole trade of New Zealand. All we are asking of the_ producers is that they should offer their hides at a specified price to the tanners of New Zealand, and if the tanners do not require them the producers are at liberty to export them to any British market. "The corresponding secretary of the boot manufacturers of AVellingto'n saw me to-day. and he made certain suggestions regarding the making of standardised footwear.' A meeting is to be held in a few days, and next week the Board of Trade will go to Auckland. After that we hope that the business will be .ready' for immediate operation. But before this was possible we had. to correlate tho whole business, giving justice to every section as far as possible. AA r e know that we are up against a stiff proposition if we do not have thp co-operation of those engaged in tho affected industries, but we find that the ereat majority of tho peonls concerned, if given fair iilay. aro willing to help the Government to adjust matters on a basis that is fair to all concerned."