The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE. SATURDAY, MARCH 27, 1920. “NOTHING LIKE LEATHER.”

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3446, 27 March 1920, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE.

SATURDAY, MARCH 27, 1920. “NOTHING LIKE LEATHER.”

With which is incorporated “The Taihape Post and Vvaimarino News.”

7 To the masses of the people, the ‘problem of profiteering is Ibecoming more and more complex and exasperating. Workers, employers and brokers seem to be on a different footing from each other before the law. If the worker attempts to corner labour he is prosecuted under laws made by the two other -people and either’ fined or sent to gaol; if the retailer does a bit of proiiteering he is hauled before a civil commission or board, and if found culpable he is recommended f-or prosecution, and it" is then the most illogical and unreasonable arguments are advanced to squirm from under the law that looks as though it were going to strike but does not. The real danger to society and industry, however, is the broker, and the law has no truck with him, he is an interloper the law does not care, or does not dare to interfere with, and hence it is that boots of working men cost as much to resole today as the new boots themselves cost a few years ago. Soling leather has gone up to six shillings and ‘two pence a pound, to this carriage to Taihape and the retailers’ profit ~h.a.s to be added, and the price of resoling lboots has to be advanced to as high as twelve shillings a -pair. Mr Massey has been stating that there is, if anything, a‘ larger number of stock in New Zealand to-day than there were this time last year. and as a.ll the sensational increases of commodities. especially raw materials, is claimed as the result of shortage in supply we have considerable diflicul-ty in synchronising the differences in leather prices at the present time and four years ago when hides were no more plentiful than they are now. In fact there were a million head of cattle in New Zealand more in 1919 than "there were in 1911. while the increase in the number of people requiring boots is infinitesimal in comparison. In 1919 there were 3,035,478 head of cattle. and 2.020.171 in 1911. while the boots that were sold generally in 1911 for 20/ have recently been selling for 40/ and with soling leather at six shillings and twopence a pound wholesale it is certain than another very considerable advance in price will follow. Then, here we have a case in which the supply of raw material is onethird greater than it was in 1911 and yet prices of boots have gone up some 150 per cent. The quantity of ‘footwear, parts and materials imported in 1918 cost £238,143, While importations in 1914 were vahied at £306,601, a difference that could not appreciably enhance -the demand for boots, or leather to warrant the prices or, leather now demanded. Leather and leather manufactures exported in, 1.918 totalled a value of £5,199, therefore it cannot be claimed that exports of leather have anything whatever to!” do with the present day sensationall cost of footwear. In 1914 there were 412,322 hides and skins exported, in! 1918 there were only 320,832 exported, I although there were nearly a millign_ more cattle. Is it not disgustingly dishonest to argue a shortage of hides? There are the statistical facts to prove that this country has exported less leather, less boots, harness and other leather goods, immensely less hides and skins while the source of hides has increased by -one-third

in volume. The hides and skins are in New Zealand. statistics 'O-'pro‘ve that ‘greater numbers of cattle have been slaughtered, and that the Source "of hide Supply is a. million greater than ever it was. Where are those hides and skills? If the retailer attempts fancy price fixing he is lialble to .be hauled before the Profiteering Tl-1. bunal, the indiscreet wholesaler may escape a like fate, but the middle. man, the broker who buys as cheap. 13' as he 0311 from the farmer, what» about him‘? Hides and skins, as we have said, are in New Zealand; they are not in boot-retailers’ or harnessmakers’ shops; hide-brokers have taken good care that thereis no great supply in purely boot-manufacturers’ storerooms, then where are they? The farmer has sold them, therefore the corner in hides and skins is under the auspices of either brokers or tanners. There is no doubt at all in the minds of the administrators the masses have elected to represent them and attend to their interests, but there is no law, apparently, against rings and corners which exploit in hundreds of thousands of pounds, and then have the audacity to ask their victims, “What is the use of having a war if nobody is the ‘better oif for it'll” Wool profiteers have lmade 3000 per cent from New Zealand wool, but Labour members of the Wool Commission appeal in vain to have the millionaire profiteers prosecuted. The worker may be gaoled if Lhe boldly stands for the mere means ;to keep his family in health; ‘the re,tailer may be dragged before a Board ‘of trade, or a Profiteering Committee, but the satanic brutes,‘ who are repsonsible for shortages and industrial unrest, there is no law to touch. Are not our laws a farce from the administration and application viewpoint? There are unquestionably hundreds of thousands of hides stored awayin New Zealand-——there must be, they have neither "been exported nor used——and yet the few men who hold these hides \are_allowed by one—cyed law to force up the prices of the workers’ boots that they may wallow in the plunder of their filthy practices, and do it secure from any fear of that same law that punishes the worker who stands for a living wage, and the retailer, if a case of profiteering can be sheeted home to"him. Another gang in the United States who 'thought"it'was no use having a war if they did not make lsomething out of lt_.’COll1l')l0l’lCCd buyiing up all the paper they could, by fair’ or foul means get hold of from ’Canadian paper mills‘. Paper was sell,ing at the mills at from six to eight (pounds per ton for export; by ofl'ering' immensely higher prices the Yankee ring bought the whole output of the ‘mills for as long a term as they could arrange. This went 011 until Canadian ; mills had no paper to supply to Canajdian newspaper offices, and Canadian newspapers would have been compel- ’ led to close down, or purchase cornered Canadian paper from the Yankee ring gat an advance of'two hundred per ‘cent, had not the Cariadian Government come to the rescue. Government lfixed the maximum price of paper at } 80 dollars (about £l6 10/ per ton), and lprohibited exportation so long as one i Canadian newspaper oflice wanted 1 paper. All surplus, however, still eonltinues to go through the American gring, hence it is sold to New Zealand inewspapcr proprietors {IT from £4O to ;£SO _per ton. What pcrplexes most } people is, why does not the New Zeagland Government act similarly with ‘hides and skins, as The Canadian Government did with paper? New Zealand has a greater supply of hides than ever it had in its history, fewer hides are being used, and yet leather is not purchaszible under six .-billings and twopenee a pound by retailers, who have to put another profit on that to their customers, besides allowing for considerable waste in working it. Some of our trading systems are fast assum;ing :1 criminal cliaraeter, but the day of retribution is as sure to come as that the criminal practices are now pressing down the masses with impossible prices for means of life.