SECRETS OF THE FUR TRADE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 2113, 10 April 1920, Page 4

SECRETS OF THE FUR TRADE.

RAT, CAT, AND RABBIT, DESCRIBED AS CONEY. The wild eat coat may be-the most fashionable article in the suburban woman’s wardrobe next winter (says the Daily Chronicle), The tame cat is likely to be a second favourite. Fur brokers in London are getting ready for the big sales. Among the -furs to l)e offered are some thousands of wild and tame cats.

“What are catskins used for ’” a Press representative asked an oificial of the Hudson Bay Company.

“Well,” he laughed, “if I told you I suppose I should be revealing one of the secrets of the fur trade. But I leave it to you to guess that they are largely made up into women’s coats, and that the convenient word “coney” covers a multitude of cats and rats and rabbits.

“Probably the rarest fur which we are putting on the market is the scant ter. It is found off Eastern Siberia, and should fetch from £169 to £2OO for a single skin. It is 100 heavy to be made up into coats, hut is used for cuffs and collars. “We have found no difficulty in getting furs, and wc are offering musquash, otter, squirrel foxes, wolves, wolverine, seals, bears, beaver.”

There will be no drop in prices. The demand for furs is enormous. In the list of furs to be offered for side bv .Messrs A. and A\. Nesbitt, of. Garliek Hill, are 2,000 ; wild cals. 12,000 house cats, 10,000 rabbi!s, ;>2 leopards,-5,700 badgers, and 200,000 moles.

“There will he no cheat) fur eoats for women next winter,” he declared. “How can there he? Imagine paying 16s fur a musquash skin! Very nice fur in its way, hut, after all, the musquash is only a rat. Before the war you eould buy a musquash coal for five guineas. Tu-da.y a eoal of similar quality costs 40 guineas. “Rare skins, like silver fox and chinchilla and sable, will fetch big mans. Beaver and kolinsky and fitch and squirrel and wolf will be in demand, too.”