WAR OVER CLOTHES

Dominion, Volume 26, Issue 102, 24 January 1933, Page 2

WAR OVER CLOTHES

Tailors of West End

CHARGES IN LONDON

War lias been declared between tlie fine worsted manufacturers of Yorkshire and the tailors of the West End of London. The manufacturers claim that the high prices charged by the tailors are damaging tlie textile trade at Huddersfield. They say the tailors have made themselves so “exclusive” that the demand for line cloth is steadily decreasing. Tlie West End tailors, on the other hand. Say their charges are reasonable and allow only a small margin of profit. Sir Emmanuel Hoyle, a Colne Valley textile magnate, said recently: “Every year I used , to order six suits in the West End, but 1 have given it Up and have not bought a suit there for two years, simply because of the outrageous prices.” A Huddersfield cloth uitiket -si’el ' ■> was buying cheap suits, because the West End tailors were helping to ciippie

the fine cloth industry. The case for the tailors was put by Sir Anthony Bradley. "Eleven guineas is the average price for a suit from perfect material and with good craftsmanship.” he said. “Members of the Association of London Master Tailors are compelled to pay their craftsmen at log rates. This means that a suit, for sewing alone, costs from £4 to £6 for hand labour. “While the cost of cloth has come down, the price of labour has been reduced by only .12 per cent. Prices for first-class finished suits have come down quite out of jiroportion to this. A few years ago. a good suit cost £2O. Onr profit is smaller than that in many trades, eight per cent., and certainly less than tlie profit on cheaper suits.”