Mr. Leslie Haleasked the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been called to the high cost of boot and shoe repairs; and what steps he proposes to take to deal with this.
Mr. H. WilsonI know that there have been some increases in charges for boot and shoe repairs in recent months, following rises in leather and other costs. There is evidence that competition in this trade is sufficient to ensure that the general level of charges is not unreasonably high; and I doubt whether re-imposition of the control which was removed in January, 1949, would result in lower charges.