EFFECTS OF THE WAR.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 220, 16 August 1917, Page 6

EFFECTS OF THE WAR.

SCARCITY OF SOME LINES.

PROHIBITION OF EXPORTS. Reference was made a few nights ago to the new list of articles issued in London of which export was prohibited. Ladies will no doubt be glad to learn that dress materials are not amongst the lines affected, but of course, with the scarcity of shipping and the high freights, landed cost has gone up, added do which the time of arrival is by no means certain. Merchants simply order the goods and trust to luck as to when they will come to hand. They may have the mortification of not having particular goods bore in time for the opening of the season, but this is not their fault, and all must expect to be inconvenienced in time of war. There are, however, some lines that are very difficult to procure, and one of those is hosiery of all types, It s becoming increasingly difficult to get supplies of gloves, which is attributed to the inability of makers to ser cure skins, and even those articles sent are not now guaranteed by the manufacturer. In place of these lines a kind of mercerised glove is being introduced. As a matter of fact, the preie of kid skin makes the other class of glove prohibitive on account of the high cost. Fur coats are also getting scarce for a similar reason, and veilings, trimmings, and hats are also hard to procure. Men are more fortunate as far as bats are concerned, as lines can be imported from the United States. Men’s tweeds are affected in that makers do not guarantee the colours like they did formerly. This is the result of letting the whole of the manufacture of dyes get into the hands of German firms, who at present, and probably for some time to come, will be out of the market. As far as boots and shoes arc concerned, importers are faced v ith the difficulty that orders will not now be accepted at. a fixed price, because cases now cost so much that ths adds considerably to the price of the article when landed, and also that there i’s no certainty as to the date when any particular. order will be executed.