FOOTWEAR PRICES

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 298, 12 September 1919, Page 7

FOOTWEAR PRICES

<, SUGGESTED SAFEGUARD. As thero is a Rood deal being said about profiteering in tho boot and ehoe business, and attempts to check it) by means of standardisation, it is interesing to loam something of tho problem from tho English point of view. Tho "Shoe Trade Journal," a trade paper of tho highest repute, which in tho past has been, strongly opposed to. the' fixing' of pricos as tho one offectivu way of dealing with the price problem, has turned a complete volte faco on tho question, and does bo with good grace. , In the .Ttino 27 issue this paper says:—

"There was a time when wo wore able to defend tho shoe trade against the accusation of the general Press that shoe retailors wero making unduo profits, but wo are unable to do so now. Instances liavo come under our notice of lato where the prices charged for footwear not only amount to extortion, but overstep tho bounds of common' honesty. Remonstrances aro of no avail, and tho only reply ono expects to any admonition is that everyone is doing it, and that the people are willing to pay. Such a statement is tho reverse of tbo truth, and discreditable to those who make it. Tho. peoplo pay because they have to, and because they know that to go from one shop to anothor would be like stepping from the fryingpan into the fire. Tho curious part, about tho business is that whilst the shoo retailer is himself guilty of exacting extortionate profits, ho complains of others who do him down for his general household commodities. Where branded goods aro sold—wo refer to tho very fow of the many thousand brands in the Trade Marks Index, which are of any value—excessive profits are calculated to prejudice' the future of these meritorious articles. Tho situationi is becoming a very serious ono for the owners of. any brand with a world-wide reputation, and it is time they conferred together and fixed a limit sale price to their goods. If they wero to do that they would sound the death-knell of all profiteers in the shoe tradv, and by doing so more firmly establish their goods in tho good opinion of the people.".

The abovo article was seen by Mr. C. J. Word, ono of the largest manufacturers of men's boots in the Dominion, who, in respect to tho radical trado methods suggested { n tho artioH.said that as far as ho was concerned he would be quite content to work on n 6 per cent, profit on his turnover (without limitation of turnover!, and believed that tho stamping of the retail price at which boots wore to be sold in tho Ghops would be a definite step towards a happier stat9 of things. At present ho could not give a contract price ahead for boots owing to tl c instability of the leather nw.'kst, but when the boots were made up the CiVt was known, and it would bo a simple matter to calculate tho price at wan l ! they should bo sold to the public by adding the manufacturer's and retailers profit to the cost, and have it stamped on the sole or heel of the boots.