HIDES AND BOOTS

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 148, 18 March 1920, Page 8

HIDES AND BOOTS

Sir,—Arrayed in the lion's skin of a Cabinet Minister, the ITon. W. Noswortliy has essayed to roar; the result has been a deplorable, but inevitable revelation. Jlr. Nosworthy and his chief officer knows as much about hides and boots as Ido a'bout rows or hor c »s. His complacent smugness as to the reason why hides were withheld from the market is too much for my sense of gravity. Mr. Massey admitted that one holder of hides had JjU.flOO worth at present values. Well, a profit of .£20,0(10 by sitting tight is not so bad. " , Mr. Nosworthy has quoted a l°t of figures that lead to nowhere. I supplied a costing of a standardised boot, showing on increase of over a third in selling price, nnd Mr. Nosworthy isays' the figures require analysis by an _ expert. I have forwarded an application to the Board of Trade for a revision of price, based on that, costing. This should secure the expert revision suggested. .- I suggest the Government put into force clauses 13 or 23 of the Board- of. Trade Act, 1010. nnd thus end the controversy. Meantime here aro a ;few points 'Mr. Nosworthy and his Department mav be able to clear up. When the New Zealand embargo was rinsed, w-is the Government aware that the lifting of the Australian embargo in May of last year caused leather to rise 100 per cent., and boots 35 Tier cent., in a period of seven months? This appeared in an Australian journal, and is borno out by quotations received here. . As t<> the imports of boots from \ua tralia. I have stated until I am tired of repeating that New Zealand had to liaie tho hoots: price did not nifittcr. is the Department aware that OTer a quarter of a. million pairs are on order from Australia ot the present moment, fi« absolutely open prices? . Is the Department nwnre that similar ladies' fhoes sold bv New Zealand manufacturers at 29?. (Id. per pair are being landed f r om Australia at mi to ils. per pair,' and the U.S.A.'at 455. per pair nnd ro?v 'bo found ih the same retail Rhop? Does Mr. Nosworthy surest these roods should only, carry the same amount for so-called profit? Mr. E. Newman denied that he repeated Mr. Massey's statement, that huge nrofifperimr had done was nnquestioned." Mr. B. Mapnleheck, tho president of the Boot Manufacturers Association. referred to this statement as "damnable," and I endorse the eenti"wh'at are the authorities going to do ** " M "'cSStos .t. wm