SHODDY CLOTHING.

Evening Post, Volume LXVIII, Issue 61, 9 September 1904, Page 6

SHODDY CLOTHING.

A COMPLAINT FROM KAIAPOI. SOME TIMAR-U AND WELLINGTON OPINTONS. A short limo ago the Chairman of tho Kainpoi Woollen Manufacturing Co. mado a statement concerning tho decline of the clothing trado in Now Zealand, and traced tho cause to tho largo importations oi shoddy goods. Tho Tiinaru Herald took up tho subject, and niado somo enquiries amongst local clothing houses. j One gentleman interested in tho woollen and clothing trado said tho Kaiapoi criticism was correct, and applied to tho colony as a wholo as woll as to Chriabrhurch. Tho competition of onteido manufacturers sending shoddy goods to tho colony was certainly most harmful to the woollen industry in tho colony as a whole. There was a class of consumers whoso circumstances mado them demand clinap goods, a class so numerous as to bo very important to tho manufacturers. Thcso peoplo looked naturally for tho voluo for their money, and boing in no dogrco exports in wooHons, could not tell tho diffcronco betwoon good-looking shoddy and all-wool stuff at the sanio price. If there was any dif. feronce, it seomod to them in favour of tho shoddy. Thus to , satisfy them a largo quantity of this material was put on tho market, both as roady-madc garments and in tho piece, and was largely consumed. It wag imputed against tho colonial mills that they wero limited in tho classes of material they could produco by tho olasuos of wool they could got to mako up. This, wns not so; tho wool procurable- hcro'waß suitable for making tweeds like any turned out at Homo, from tho finest to tho coarsest. Worsted goods wero oxcoptcd, for tho machinery in tho colony was not suitable : but coldninl factories wore boing fittca with worsted producing machines. They would then bo ablo to produce worsted goods, including serges of all kinds. Serges wero very largely worn in Now 'Zmiland, and were- nearly nil Home made, bocauso tho local mills could not compete with tho English makers. Several hud tried, but had failed so far. Tho high class cloths, howover, wero not at issue just now. As for cheap material, that could bo produced horo far hotter than at Home, and in Timaru at least, shoddy was hardly used at all for men's ready-mado clothes. It waa quite unnecessary to do bo 1 , for colonial twcod could bo bought at 3e per yard, double width, and this made up into good suits. Men's roady-madfl suito woro cortainly novor imported j but in tho last frw years Ihoro had been a great import of ahoddy in tho way of clienp jackets and skirts. Previously, womon bad thoir clothes made to order in goodclass material, till thoy found they could got smart, cheap clothes that looked just as good for the short time thoy usually wort them. A big demand thus sprang up, and still exists, and tho ehoap colonial coat and skirt was nearly ousted. Thero was still a good deal done in gooflquality clothes, because thoy wero so ovidontly bettor than shoddy. Tho sweating Bystem was largely responsible for this dumping of shoddy, as it onablcd tho garments to be mado so clieaply. Somo of the Tiuruiru taikn*fi wero also scon and aMccd for their opinions on the tnatter. They briefly stated thoir ■ vi&ws on tho whole question by saying that rs far- an good material was concerned the colonial manufacturera did not turn out bhe ckwwes of goods required. There was a. surprisingly lurgo demand for mndo-to-ordor suite, and of this demand a great part was from customors who wanted exclusive patterns. It was practica-Hy impossible to get anything like un exclusive pattern in a colonial tweed, and sooner than sco several other men wearing tho samo stuff, these people would buy Kng- 1 lish material, even if for other reasons they would prefer colonial. Interviewed on the subject by n Post representative, Mr. A, E. Donne, of tho Wellington Woollen Manufacturing Company, suid : The- lamentation of tho Kaiapoi Company's Chairman «s to tho depression in the woollen manufacturing is certainly justified, but that tho depression only affect? us, as has been stated, cannot bo correct, us the soft goods retailer, too, finds business bad. If you doubt it, ask the warehousemen what percentage of their last "4th" bills were renewed. You will find this, best of all trade barometers, vory convincing. Tho retailer just now wants tho cheapest of apparel, at prices lower than tho New Zealand mills can supply. Whether tho consumer luis not the spending power to secure- better goods, or the retailer wants more profit, 1 leave to you to decide. Naturally, tho present, high price of wool, the highest for 25 years, willi tho exception of the boom year 1899-1900, atfecte us considerably ; much more, uf course, than it does our Homo rival, for ho merely puta in a bit moro "bull's wool," and there you aro ! Tho presenco of so many agenUj for Homo firms in the colony makes it c«sy for tho .smallest man to indent, and if by selling an imported article oil which ho gets a little more protit, weU~-there is no sentiment about it. New Zealand blankets, flannels, and ruga have practically ousted tho foreign nialccs, but in tweeds and ready-inauo garments we have- a hard' row to hoe, an good quality is not a factor to bo reckoned on. indications point to a slump in tho Now Zealand "rauly-madc" clothing factories. Unions aru very alert and always on tho gui vivo to oxuet tho uttermost out of an award, so that tho colonial article, cannot compete with tho low-price imported garments, wfiich aro unaffected by high-price wools and top wages. For this reason, our legislators might, in justice, put moro duty on "slops," low twe<nl, and short lengths of good tweed imported for exclusive use. fhie would not injure any, but be a benefit to many." Speaking this afternoon at tho annual mooring ol tho Wellington Woollen Company, the Chairman of Directors (Hon. C. J. Johnston, M.L.C.), roforrod to tho •quoition of loasonod profits. Tho Chair-

man quoted from tho company's annual report, which stated : — "Your Directors regret that the net amount earnod is not so highly snmgfactory a3 has bcon the case for ninny years past. Tho leaßened profit is duo to tho fact that in face of iho keenest trade competition it lias not bcon possiWo to bo alter soWmg prices as to gain a fair equivalent for tho groatly increased coet of manufacture — duo in tho main to the shaTp rise m tho valuo of all classes of wool." Continuing, Mr. Johnston said : — "Tho high price of wool, coupled with a pressing domiiiifl for something cheap, is the cause of anxiety. In 1898 I anticipated a hurtful effect from liko causes, but less in degree than those with which wo aro now faco to faco, and I then warned shareholders of tho probability of a smaller dividend; but circumstances intervened to stave off tho trouble. Today wostl in, \yith tho exception of 1899, at its highest point sinco tho inception of the company, and wages have materially increased since 1898. Tho keenness of competition wo then folt has not lessened, and thero is oyon greater difficulty now in obtaining a rolativc equivalent in selling pricos. Furthermore, wo havo a larger capital on which to pay dividend, and there will, in addition, bo for sorao littlo timo heavy interest to pay on tho now plant not working to full profit. I am disposed theroforo, to repeat my hint of 1898, a fid to hope that I may bo again wrong. You will romembor that last yoar 1 drew your attention to the largo money valuo of bho imports into Now Zealand of so-called woollen goods, and I have just mentioned the craiso for cheapness regardless of quality. Now, I am given to understand that' tho unwisdom of buying poor and adulterated material for clothing is being realised in England, and it may bo that moro and moro of tho 'cheap and nasty' is coming our way.. I cannot say if this bo so, but in face of tho doublo freight and a 20 por cent, dwy tho import figures loom remarkably and suggestively large. Tho LogißlrctuTo will probably doffl with this 'wolf in Bhcop's clothing.' In tlw meantime, I hope thoso controlling tho colonial miHs will resist to tho uttermost the cffoTt to undirly lower^a legitimato price for a good article."