Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), Friday 25 August 1944, page 8


Christmas Toys may Improve

Commenting on the toy situation at Christmas, a spokesman of a wellknown store said yesterday that there would be nearly enough toys this Christmas. Government control of quality and prices of toys would ensure to a certain degree that toys would be a little better than many sold last Christmas. Probably there would not be enough to go around," but we could look forward generally to a better toy situation.

A spokesman at another store pleaded for the toymaker. People

should not condemn toys as "shoddy," I he said.- Certainly materials would be inferior and workmanship not as expert as in years we knew. But the amateur haymakers who were helping the toy supplies were inexperienced and battling against great odds. They had only the roughest and uncouponed materials to work with, and it would be due to their effort, gauche and amateur as it might be, that there were toys at all. Even toy manufacturers who had permits from the Government to manufacture games and wooden toys, He, had to make them with poor quality material, and were making the most of a difficult task.