ABOUT CLOTHES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 167, 8 April 1908, Page 4

ABOUT CLOTHES.

j TAILOR-MADE AND' FACTORY-MADE ..SUITS. . ':, ' :,. (OY • -PRESS ASSOCIATION.') Christcliurch, April 7. 1 1 Tho and Labour Council recently .received a letter .from tho tailoring trades union, drawing attontion to firms in Christ-, church - that-advortised \tailor-made suits at cheap'pricos. Tho. Union -stated that tho clothS .worp not..'tailor-made,' and. were: in . many'-'cases 'madri.iun'dor. sweated' conditions: A: f'Times '!-reporter;: who niiido -somo .in-, quirie?, learncd'jthat 'tho Union's statement' was -hardly' support;ed;by facts. ~ , ; : - 'Inquiry;'at tho'iofiice of tho Inspector of 1 Factoriod ; elicited tho *fact that there Avas a: fixed scale'of".wages; and 'there;.was Uttle .-possibility;,of ..sweating,. Tho-great' difference, - between , tailor-mado' and factory-mado 'suits , 'w|^'*t^aj- I t]h^'-Ijj it^' < fitted on tho"customer,before .beiii'g:completed, tho award 1 made.-icareful .. distinction between- the', two; Char.t '.orders wcr<),;riot allowed "to bo tried oA" before' completion, and tho lino drawn, between factories and order shops was a dis-' thict,one. . . A gentleman with some knowledge of both . systems.; said : 110 knew tho work that was complained of by tho Union, and tho-suits could : easily bo made at a much cheaper rate than .tailor-mado clothes. They , wero cut out- according to-set"rules in a factory and mad6!.!iiii,...th'4-'b,'ilyei ; .i.'!:dispensing with tlio " try.'on.!', -,'.As long-as tho work was dono' in_a factory and -tho•-'■'■tailor'" who sold tho goods merely 'complied''with tho award, thoro was nothing .moro tb; be said.. . The suits might not havo so good a finish as thoso mado ■by - ail order shop, but that' was tho public's'trouble. A visit to 'a'.shop.'where cheap suits ,wore sold roveakd tho fact- that, whatever tho Union may have; to say- about them, a largo section of the public', scorns to bo satisfied. Tho propriotor said,'tlji)t his suits wore not made under tho chart-<svstem, though they ■ N wero cut at a factory. They woro'not advertised as "tailor-mado." Tho suits wero. not tried 011 tlio customers, and were all 'mado under-contract. 4 '-It'was-tho quantity that en-;abled-;».thef-oheop^rate>• to. bo' .charged, iand onjtlio aggregate. If tho 'Inspector-was satisfial, thoro'could not bo iimiijn'to complain of—unless it was jealousy.'' •