"LOCAL INDUSTRIES WEEK."

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 174, 14 July 1908, Page 3

"LOCAL INDUSTRIES WEEK."

DISPLAYS OF DOMINION MANUFACTURES. The movement having for its object the diffusion of information concerning New Zealand's own manufactures has reached New Plymouth. As a matter of fact there .was a lime when it seemed that tlie scheme was going to pass 115 without a hand being outstretched Id make use of it here. The annual meeting of the Tiiranaki Chamber of Commerce did not enthuse over the president's proposal to hold a "local iudus- I tries week" here, aud the idea was I dropped, only to be revived when we pointed out that New Plymouth tradespeople were quite able to do the thin" properly, and could also exhibit tb.s produels of our own New Plymouth industries. The president of tlie Chamber of

Commerce, Mr. Selmackenbei'g, then set the ball in motion, and sought and obtained the co-oporation of the New Plymouth Employers' Association. Hence [ the fact that these two associations are bracketed upon the yellow placards in many of our shop windows to-day, bearing the legend: "The contents "of this window were manufactured in New Zealand." There is some difference of opinion concerning the correctness or otherwise of the word "manufactured,"

several tradespeople pointing to articles which they say were made in New Zealand but not manufactured in the Dominion, instancing ladies' white wearing apparel. The public, however, are quite alive to the fact that many imported materials are fashioned into garments and made up in tlie Dominion, and that this constitutes a local industry employing thousands of hands. Perhaps the placards could be made more explicit, or varied to meet the different conditions in future displays. One thing that struck our representative was that the displav of the placards themselves could be easily improved. "Made in New Zealand' should lie the prominent lettering. And, again, one or two shopkeepers have stuck the plaeards away at tiic back of the window, or up near the roof, as though ashamed of them. The public, who manifested considerable interest id the various exhibitions yesterday, are giving their attention to the .windows

where the yellow and black placards strike the eye, and unless these are shown a good deal of the effect will b;

The displays go to show that a man can build and furnish his house almost throughout, clothe and shoe himself, his wife, and family, and feed them "on the

fat of the land," all looking immaculate in their attire and. sleek and well-con-ditioned as could be desired, and not expend one per cent, of his cash in imported manufactured goods. The farmer I can till'his ground and handle and mar- ■ ket his dairy produce, drive off to market, or take the family or the best girl out for an airing, and use the New Zca-kuid-inaimfaetured implements and vehicles the whole time. In fact, the window shows in our local shops should do much to inculcate and foster a very natural, rational,, and healthy pride of country, a very reasonable and desirable outcome of which would be an increasing demand for New Zealand-made goods.

The time for preparing the displays has been very limited, and with the "iirst of the month" just passed, tradespeople have not had much spare time to think out designs and prepare attractive features; There was a little awkwardness, too, in that the tradesman did .not know what his rivals in the same line might be showing, and feared duplication. In one case a special stock of a certain brand of manufactures was obtained, but then it was discovered that already another man had commented the arrangement of a display of the same firm's goods. This suggests the possibility of the allocation of the various branches of manufactures by the various trade associations when any future exhibition is afoot. This is an unfortunate season for the display by drapers and clothiers of New Zealand-made goods. -Most of our manufactures are woollens, and this is the fag-end of the season for showing and selling winter wear, so that stocks are low, and there is not available such a variety as in, say, the latter cud of .March or the beginning of April. At that time there would lw no dilliculty in drawing from stock enough woollen manufactures to till any amount of windows, and any special lines purchased for the occasion could readily be sold. Nevertheless, the local firms are making a line show of the products of New Zealand woollen mills and clothing factories.

Several schoolchildren, entrants for the essay competition, could be seen yesterday, pencils and notebooks busy, noting the salient points of the various displays. "THE PEOPLE'S GROCER." One of the finest displays in the town is made by Mr. C. Carter, "The People's Grocer." One of his windows was complete for Saturday's sightseers, and was very generally admired both for the excellent and toothsome appearance of the delicacies displayed and for the tasteful arrangement, it is a "K" window out-and-out, and a big silvered "K" is suspended from the ceiling as a centrepiece. Rising in pyramidal style from the lloor are tier upon tier of bottled fruits of various kinds in syrups, very choice goods attractively put up—so much so that already every bottle has won. a purchaser. Neatly arranged throughout the spacious window' are bottles and jars of jams and jellies, preserved fruits, mincemeat, etc., and tinned jams and canned fruits. The backgrounds of sateen are well chosen, and the photographs of the' works of Messrs. Kirkpatrick and Sou and their several mottoes and show-cards go to make a good showing of one of the best-known New Zealand preserving firms. The other window has as its mission the advertising of one of our own Taranaki industries -with a colonial reputation. There is on view a fine collection of hams and bacon, and the by-products of pig-curing, from the Inglewood Bacon Company. This produce is well enough known to need no further recommendation here. It had been intended to show a little "Captain Cooker" cured in his bristles and housed in a stye, to give novelty to the display, but the little grnnter has not come to hand. The firm has, of course, scores of coloniallymanufacturcd lines, but has adopted the specialising system for this "local industries week."

W. MOREY AND SON. Messrs. W. Morey and Son have a I well-filled window of the Petone Woollen I Mills' manufactures, and the goods are | well displayed, a wealth of show-cards j making the window attractive. Woollens do not lend themselves to.decorative ell'ect in the same way as silks, or even cottons, but they give a solid effect that is calculated to impart warmth even from a look. The celebrated Petone rugs, blankets, and flannels, in various colors, designs, and weights, are well shown. These are, as one of the cards sets out, the product of New Zealand wool and New Zealand skill, and they are "guaranteed to last ten times as long as foreign shoddy." Another window is now being arranged with Pelono tweeds and silk-lined costumes. E. DINGLE. "Out of the fashion, cut of the world." I The fashion just now is to show New I Zealand goods, so Mr. E. Dingle, cabinetmaker and upholsterer, has placed in his I window a collection of articles of fur- I niluru made in his own factory and | rattan lounges and tables that most people generally consider are imported goods. His own manufactures consist I of. a Hue sideboard, duchess pairs finished and in process of manufacture, this latter plan being adopted with a vio\v_. of showing the faithfulness of the work-"' nianship and the, quality of the timber r 1 used. There is also on view u good collection of New Zealand-made wicker chairs.

DEAKFS BOOT ARCADE. Mr. K. J. Deare lias arranged a good showing of Xew Zealand-made boots and shoes. They are drawn from stock, and represent the various classes of colonial footwear on sale within. As many people

have an idea that Xew Zealand fae-' tories make only bluchers, shooters, and other heavy boots, even a passing glance at the nobby styles of the per-fectly-finished samples here, shown should go far to remove a serious misapprehension. The decoration of the window consists of arches and laltijfc I work to throw the goods into resT,

whilst ill the foreground is an exact working model of a modern torpedo-

boat destroyer, also "made.in Xew Zealand." Many children both in town mid country have never seen a man-o'-w.iv

at all, and probably the greater part of our population has not even a nodding acquaintance with an nn-to-date torpedo destroyer, so this exhibit should be of considerable educational value.

We purpose dealing with another section of the displays in to-morrow's issue.