"COUNT BLESSINGS"

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 144, 6 July 1937, Page 8

"COUNT BLESSINGS"

Mr. Sullivan Gives Advice to Retailers FAITH AND PR0SPERITY

•' Well. you have traversed a very wido field indeed, toucbing on awards, tariffs, sales^tax, exchange, jfarginal employers and employees, half-holiday and many other matters. I would need to make a political essay if I were to hope to cover all the ground, but I won't do that now. Wliat I will say is this: I don't think that the retailers of this country are \ery badly off at the present time." Thus the Hon. D. Gi Sullivan, Minister of Industry and Commerce, last night when replying to a deputation from the Hastings Retailers' Association regarding various matters which tho members viewed with coneern as d: rectly affecting not so much their particular business, but the general COiisunaing publie, who, it was contcndci would not be receiving full value for their £ of purehasing power. "I have watched the papers very closely for the half-yearly returns and reports of various companies and conoerns," said Mr Sullivan, "and they doii't. make bad reading. Some that I have read coneern National companies, operating over the whole of the country, or a good portion of it, and I have read them with great interest. "Whatever may.be tho trials and tribulations and the f ears that you may experience or entertain , I think you will haye to own up that the retailers are pretty prosperous at the preseiat time," he said. 4 "I have made a study of the economic statistics and they clearly indicate that we are prospering extensive'ly in almost every direction. By every test from which we can judge the prosperity of the people is pronounced, and the retailers get the benefit of this. * 4 Quite frankly I think that- the retailers are better off than the manufacturers," he declared. "I would suggest that you eoufit your blessings and uot.be too fearful of the future. Faith and courage is what is required. The retailers are having at present a pretty good time I think, and they are goinsr to have better." ° Mr SuUivan went on to say that there had to ,be taken into accoUnt that increased wages tp workers meant increased spending power and the w6rkers were good spenders. There had been an1 endrmous increase in turnover and1 spending power, , and statistics showed quite clearly that while the increase in the wages earning had gone up 19 points, the . cost of living- had risen only barely seven points.