CLOTHES RATIONING

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 100, 22 January 1943, Page 4

CLOTHES RATIONING

Drapers Concerned At Evasion Concern at the evasion of the coupon system for clothing by itinerant traders has resulted in drapers and .clothiers throughout the Dominion compiling records of door-to-door salesmen and sending them to the Rationing Controller with the suggestion that some checking kystem should be introduced, said the secretary of the New Zealand Drapers’ Federation, Air. G. L. Riley, yesterday. This is one. of the topics to be discussed at the annual meeting of the federation early in March. Coupon returns were mtlfl.e each month to the controller in "Wellington, but there was no check whether sales corresponded with the returns, he explained. The federation did not consider it fair that while the majority carried out their obligations, a few evaded them. Reference to the value of the rationing system was recently made by an ollicial of the federation who. said that with shipping and import restrictions few firms would have been left in business if the coupon system hud not operated. Rationing had not hindered business at Christmas when sales had been records and there seemed to be ample coupons for the stocks available. In regard Io new stocks he considered that there would be little shortage in any outer apparel.