LESS CONFECTIONERY

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 27, 27 October 1942, Page 4

LESS CONFECTIONERY

Curtailment Of Supplies Due to the big .cut in the sugar allowance the confectionery business throughout the country has been considerably curtailed, and it would not be surprising, according to an authority, if many of the businesses closed down altogether. One old-established confectionery business in Wellington has been forced to close Its doors for three days each week for lack of supplies. "One of the troubles I can _ see ahead,” said one of the heads of’ this firm, "is the payment of rates. We pay nearly £5OO a year rates on our building, which is partly let to other tenants. But some of these tenants have been called up for national service, or their business has gone to the wall through lack of supplies, so that our rents do not help us a great deal. As for ourselves, no business that is cut down by half can make ends meet. How are we to pay our rates when our. business is suddenly cut from beneath our feet?” It was suggested that perhaps the best thing to do would be to close the business and let the shop to someone else.

His reply was to point to certain other premises.in the same thoroughfare which had been to let for months past. He said that the shop would let readily enough if _ people could secure something to sell which the public wanted. The other angle of the problem was labour. Where was one to secure staff in these days? "Wo have lost- all our men long ago.” he said. "No, as far as I can see, if this state of tilings runs into a long period and there is no rearrangement of the rate demands, the city council will have to take what measures it can to collect its rates, but it can’t get blood out of a stone —and many businesses are tecoming stony broke, through being deprived of the means of subsistence.”