Frenzied Buying In

Fiji

SUVA may or may not have “Black Markets” —nonetheless, they have their fun.

Recently, the advertised arrival of dress goods in a Suva store caused a near-riot: the shop had to close on the morning following the advertisement and a mad dened horde of Suva’s feminine com munity was kept off by a police guard.

Since then the management of the store has developed a novel method of coping with customers: prospective buyers, on application, are given an appointment and assigned 15 minutes in which to make a purchase. Appointments are made re gardless of race—and the system is reported to be working like a charm.

At recent auction sales, ridiculous prices have been paid for articles which are now practically unobtainable in Suva in new condition: £4O for a pair of second hand retreaded tyres which normally cost, when new, less than £6 each; £29 and £l4 for dressing tables, which once brought from £lO-£18; £3 for a 15/- primus stove; £7/5/- for a child’s pram, which might have cost £3 when it was new.

An electric stove, four years old, sold for £30 —it cost £6; lawnmower for £B/10 - —£3/10/- when new; child’s rocking-horse, which cost 15/- (damaged), four years ago, £5/10/-.

Is this inflation—or is it inflation!

Money must be cheap in Suva these days—or else Suva has its fair shate of those people who have just got to have things, whatever the cost.