IMPORT RESTRICTIONS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 5 January 1939, Page 4

IMPORT RESTRICTIONS

POSITION OF MASTERTON RETAILERS.

CONSIDERABLE APPREHENSION.

Although Masterton retailers have not yet received replies to their applications for licences under the Government's import control scheme, considerable apprehension is felt regarding the future. The general manager of one large retail firm said he had not yet rccetived his licences. He anticipated that as the result of the control | scheme imported goods would be considerably dearer. The difficulty, however, woulu be to secure the goods. At the moment there were sufficient stocks cm hand, but the real pinch, he thought, would come in about four months’ time. In his opinion the Government’s main idea was to conserve the London funds. One thing he could not understand was the cutting by 75 per cent of the cotton imports. It was peculiar because cotton was not manufactured in New Zealand. He said that the restrictions should not lesult in any serious curtailment of staffs, although that had been going on in a small way for some time as the result of high overhead costs. The head of another big firm fears chat the effect of the import restrictions will be a price cutting campaign. If all the shops had to rely mainly on (he New Zealand market, he said, and consequently stocked the same goods. Lhe small shops would be in a position co.chop prices, as they had a considerably lighter overhead. Women, he thought, would have a grievance. Many jf them would not purchase New Zealand made goods and insisted on buying the higher priced imported model mocks and coats. Difficulty would now be experienced in securing a sufficient supply of those lines. His firm had built up a very profitable trade in a woollen line imported from Scotland and he anticipated that he would not be now able to secure a licence to import the articles.

Yesterday the same firm received he following letter from a Melbourne firm with whom it had dealt for twenty years and to which it had forwarded twelve cheques each year: “With reference to your cheque for £2 18s lOd to hand, our bank will not iccept cheques drawn on New Zealand credit. We are therefore sending it forward for collection and will issue a formal receipt when the proceeds are credited to us later."