OUTERWEAR FOR WOMEN

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25310, 9 October 1947, Page 3

OUTERWEAR FOR WOMEN

MANUFACTURE CLASSIFIED AS NON-ESSENTIAL

From Our Own Reporter SPRINGS, October 8. ~ ! .. or , sorne inexplicable reason our Particular branch of the clothing industry has inherited a classification ?R>r nc ?’’ e T S^P t^a^ty ’” said president r J’ J' E’eiahunt) in his address to uie annual conference of the New Zealand Women’s and Girls’ Outerwear Manufacturers’ Federation toi founded a reasonable assertion , at clothm g was just as essential to women as to men, said Mr Delahunt. ine range of clothing manufactured covered items such as women’s v and coats in both woollen and light-weight fabrics, suits, maternity Crocks and gowns, infants’ clothing, girls frocks and coats, school blouses, gym frocks and other school uniforms, nurses’ uniforms, industrial protective clothing and other outerwea. attire ( required by women in every walk of life. , - “ is ., my unqualified opinion that unaer the present price control ceilings, there is not one section of the women s outerwear manufacturing inaustiy that can be regarded as nonessential. or that the label of ‘luxury manufacture’ can be attached to it,” said Mr Delahunt. “Any attempt to ao so denotes an ignorance of the importance and range of our manufacture. or is dictated by selfish motives. That our industry has made a reasonable supply of apparel available to our womenfolk should be a matter for neither regret nor recrimination.”

Fashion Trends Of interest and importance to manufacturers was the latest overseas rashion trend of increasing the skirt length. Whatever opinions were held as to the desirability or otherwise of tne fashion he was quite certain that, !f adopted in New Zealand, the extra material involved in manufacture would make serious inroads into the overall supply and manpower position, ana would result in fewer garments ® ade available to the public. without wishing in any way to attempt to dictate to thq women of this country as to what they shall wear I would appeal to them to ign,or? latest trend in fashion,” concluded Mr Delahunt. “I believe, and know that they will agree, that it is desirable to maintain sufficient garments for all rather than risk a shortage by reason of excessive use of available raw materials.”