LEATHER AND FOOTWEAR IMPERILLED

Evening Star, Issue 19662, 15 September 1927, Page 4

LEATHER AND FOOTWEAR IMPERILLED

T!io businefis men and manufacturers of Christchurch greet the revised tariff scale with mixed feelings, according to the manner in which they arc affected by it. Mon in the leather and footwear trade are most worried, lor they receive little protection from the importations of foreign goods. Asked what effect the revised tariff would have on the leather industry, the manager of one big leather firm in the city said that as there was practically no alteration in the duty on leather, the question was not of so much moment to his industry ns the iaetthat the footwear industry was not receiving' any further protection. The future of tbo leather industry was entirely dependent on the footwear trade, and il footwear benefited the leather trade would increase its output, and costs would be diminished. “Our mam worry/’ ho .said, is tho boot nidustry. If that does not benefit, there are quite a number of footwear manufacturers throughout tho dominion who have been hanging on in the hope of gaining assistance from tho Government, but who now may have to close down.” Mr J. A. Frostick. who lor iwentythreo years was president oi the Now Zealand Root Manufacturers’ Association, gave a reporter some hard facts to consider when lie was asked what would he tho effect of the lack of change in tho boot tariff. “ I hold no official position in the footwear trade to-day. but L strongly advise you, d your desire is public information and not criticisin'of tho Government action, to consult those iu the shoe and leather trades, which two are indissolubly attached, as to the probable effect of tho tariff on the industry. I noticed a reported remark by the Minister which i could bo interpreted to mean_ that he i was quite conscious that certain indnsi tries might go out of operation in this country as tho result of tho tariff. Of course, being a politician, he would not commit himself by men dug those industries that gave rim to the thought. It may be that he did not have the shoo industry iu his mind, but the, last figure that I saw made out in 1025, and giving the number employed in the industry and the value of the* industry to New Zealand, showed that, on a, basis of the unit of worker to the population, faking Now Zealand as a. whole, the efforts of the workers and their dependents were equal to the population of Oamnru and Waimate combined. The possible development of the industry on the ba.513 of tho present population would, be equal to tho total population of Invercargill. Certainly the industry is ono of those which consumes a very large percentage of raw material indigenous to the country.”