What Tariff Meats to Man in the Street

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1032, 24 July 1930, Page 12

What Tariff Meats to Man in the Street

COST OF OVERSEA CLOTHING HOUSEWIVES BENEFIT Housewives will be pleased the new tariff. Linoleums for covering the kitchea and scullery floors are now cheapethan ever. So is chinaware for taU, use. Both these articles are allowed a duty free and now that the * pecent. primage has been abolished that can be placed on the market at • cheaper rate. British silk piece goods and British cotton piece goods come under th, same heading. They are also dan free and may be reduced in mice through the abolition of the -.Tims,, duty. Children’s footwear, up to s),. nine, was formerly allowed into ti» Dominion duty free. It is still free of duty and does not carry the 2 p.cent. primage. FLY IN THE OINTMENT There is. of course, a fly in fl* ointment. The manager of a imdiaj City warehouse explained this mors ing that the primage duty was so smsii on individual articles that in many jj. stances it could not be passed oil n> Mr. and Mrs. John Citizen, consequently the warehouses lost thousands of pounds. Aucklanders will not know until feut this afternoon how much their "spots' will cost them in the future. Spirits have been increased and it is guile possible that that increase will be passed on to the consumer. A meeting of the Auckland Licensed Victuallers Association is being held this afternoon to decide whether an increase will be made or not. It ha* been suggested that spirits may be 1W •a nip over the bar instead of 9d. ane that the size of beer glasses may be reduced slightly. That, at least, will increase the demand from glass manufacturers. The man in the street and his wide and family must be prepared to pay more for British-made articles of clothing or else wear Dominion-made clothes and footwear. If their fancy runs to foreign clothes the increase will cause them to think twice befora buying.

OTHER CHARGES Although the approximate incream on most British goods is 7i per cent, and on foreign 16 per cenL. the landing charges and retailers’ profit mart still be added. These bring the selling prices of goods up to approximately 10 per cent, and 20 per cerrespectively. Madame Fashion's latest creation from Paris will have to pass unheeded by Miss New Zealand in the majority of cases. She will have to wait until the mode can be expressed by,Nev Zealand dressmakers or her own def. fingers. For example if a hat from one of the Paris houses is sold today hi ai Auckland shop for £2 2s land that >« a modest estimate) it will cost £2 12» fid in future. Similarly a Paris frock now sold at £lO 10s (few of them are in reality) will cost £l3 13s for the new season’s models. Clothing oneself, except in St" Zealand-made garments, will be a more expensive proposition after the new prices have been adjusted by taa warehouses and retailers.

A MYTHICAL TABLE The following tables will give soffit idea of the increases. The figure* are purely mythical and have be® worked out only with the idea of showing what the new tariff means. Th» first list consists of imaginary retail prices operating today in the city, the second shows how the new tar* will increase the cost of British good*, and the third the increased cost cf foreign goods: WOMEN'S CLOTHES Present Retail Price. British. Foreigr-

MEN’S CLOTHES Present Retail Price. British. Foreign.

Amenean shoes, which are heavily taxed, w ill be almost prohi# - tive. Most of the exclusive lines froa France and other Continental coum tries will be far beyond the pockets « the average New Zealander. The inclusion of a surtax of confused many people yesterday w» they were trying to estimate the creases on certain goods. It has no been explained that the 9-40ths me 9-40th of the present duty paid. 9-40ths of the price of the article question.

£ > d. £ s. d. £ s. d. Frock 10 10 0 11 13 4 13 13 # Shoes .. 2 0 0 2 4 6 :w • Silk hose 0 ! " « 1 0 1 3 « Coat 4 4 0 4 13 « 3 5 « Hat .... 2 2 0 2 * 111 * Fur coat 20 0 0 22 1 6 25 « *

£ s. d. I d. £ a. <L Suit 8 S 0 | 7 6 10 J Shoes 1 15 0 1 13 0 2 4 Vests and pants 0 14 € 0 1« 0 0 1* Sox 0 4 6 • 0 0 3 Shirts .. 0 1 7 6 • It 6 1 1 Ties 0 a 6 0 t> S t « Dress Shirts 1 15 0 1 19 0 ; s Overcoats 4 4 0 4 IS 6 * 4 Hats 1 17 6 2 2 0 2 7 Braces - 4 * • 5 0 0 5 Card! grans 1 5 0 1 7 t 1 11