PRICE OF SHODDY

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 101, 2 May 1925, Page 6

PRICE OF SHODDY

.WHY IT HAS GONE UP

Reconstituted wool fabhjcb.

The Grand Inquisitor in " The Gondoliers 'has for aJltime given the assuranw that "Up goes the price of shoddy !" iii certain circumstances. Shoddy is.just now engaging the serious attention of New Zealand woollen manufacturers, warehousemen, and retailers Drapery Hold that there is much loose talk about shoddy. It is really an im portant material (as the " New fcealaHd tHat wool js scarce and dear. It is pulled tWfl .5^ .wool,' and only the expert can detect it m the new ctotk 'Muitgo,' off clothing or cloths which have been Wily mi n e d, and shoddy is made from the looser woven stuff/ami often de■w'iv* d- al soft6>.5 oft6 >. BUcn M" stockings, etc. Nothing tawUy » wasted that & Woollen material about it.. A great trade is done in the West Ridinl in raes Mungo, and shoddy; in fact,6^ pMu! lation of the could not be*X quately clothed if casfcofc garments were nob collected and worked up agl?n u£ derclothing, wlieh fepulled afon" vWth .;? f h a f btl«'. mttke splendid raw material, riritti w' dl "6w woollen cloths. The woollen trade t6-day would of S- *&■*¥* »'««» by-ffbducts of the trade were hot available; K B * S have gone up m price, and there have wool. If {here were bigger quantities Of Se^otbr^a^^ooY growers everywhere are being Urged to keep more sheep and produce more wool, 1 his is needed to supply manufacturing requirements, .because more people are wearing wool in the West, and the East is also becoming a greater purchaser each year. So that to keep pace every available material -must be Used. 1' '

LOCAL MILLS' OUTPUT dUE TAILEt). ■ ' ; •At a meeting of. the Advisory Board of the New Zealand Drapers' Federation statements \Vcfe made by Mr. W- H P Barber, chairman of the Wellington Woollen Manufacturing Company, that New Zealand woollen mills had spent many thousands of potinds in new ma Chinery, actuated by a desire id sUpply the up-to-date requirements of the retail trade. Unfortunately the mills' output had not been maintained, and 'at-the present time much of that new machinery was lying idle. After reference to matters of particular interest to the trade, Mr Barber said: " Decreased output and dullness of trade in an ,, lra . portant industry like that' of WoOlleu manufacturing seriously affect tinwageß paid, and the Consequent purchasing power of the considerable liuiiiber of employees engaged in the indtii-

+h "\* rC^° ,° f %* meeting taken by « ♦ w Wif? !llS i? d *>«**»" «• stated that Mr. W- Sittiin, chairman of the boijrd, assured Mr. Barber thhb retailers were.prottd of this New Zealand industry, and m maay cases realised that ther could not do without the ,«jods producted, by the New Zealand Srijib' biU in hie opinion the decreased demand for Zealand wobllensj which the tuiQ owners Complained of, mnst be sttri- ■ buted to a complete. change in the present fashions,- whiotr thei mill'owners-kd apparently not been able to meet A discussion followed on tka quality of New Zealand ..flannel and &« cut ting of ; selling prides by. certain. retail nrms m the case of many lines produced.at the mills. •■■ ' , ,

Ulk P-,H alst.f, tttl >■.Vifce-pfeeia*ii. «krf whether the mill owners had ut figures showing the vallie of. (ih.«a P ifceeds iia-poi-ted into New Zealand, fie did not think that the matter was of such im portance aa to warrant the belief of the mill owners that they would benefit by securing a big increase in the duty on these goods.

FICKLE FASHION; Mr Halsted agreed that the difficulties the New Zealand mills were now facing was very largely a question of the change of fashion. He instanced that to-day articles of apparel like Woollen dofnbihations, woollen vests, woollen nightdress.es, woollen bloomers were so slo.w selling that no repeat orders were being given. Different fabrics have taken the place of these artidlesj and the very scanty wardrobe'of the young lady today did not call fo* anything which the woollen mills had been in the habit of producing in the past. Mi-. Halsteil pointed out that the mill owners were not alone in. fating loss through these changes of fashion. The retail trade were also heavily hit on frequent octttfewns. Speaking for the firms with which he was connected, Mr; Halsted intimated that other things being equal, they Would always prefer to handle goods of' New Zealand manufacture, and he fully appreciated the importance to the Dominion of the woollen niantifac^ ttifing iftdiistry. .The subject was fully discussed^ but lio resolution was tabled.