SAVING OF CLOTH

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIV, Issue 108, 3 November 1942, Page 3

SAVING OF CLOTH

THE NEW REGULATIONS

REPLY TO CRITICISM

10.C.) ' CJiRISTCHURCH, Nov. 2. Referring to Pre.ss comments upon the specifications for the simplification oi: clothing, the Minister of Supply, Mr. Sullivan, said that on the whole the restrictions-, had been well. "Admittedly," the Minister continued, "the same saving in material will not be made in suits cut from single lengths. It is not correct that all bespoke tailored suits are made up from . single suit lengths. Many, are made from bolts of 'material. Consequently, only a. negligible proportion of the total number of suits manufactured over next year will fail to yield the saving in material which the" simplification will make possible. "One newspaper concerned had commenced its sub-leader by exhorting the Government through the Price Tri- ! bunal to ensure that the consumer will share in the benefit of any reduced costs which may result from the simplification, and concluded the article with a protest that the Government should -have left it to the manufacturers and users to conform to simpler clotbmg standards. This suggestion, the Minister said, was out of accord with the] sentiment of those most concerned,) who were almost unanimously of] opijEHon that without Government sanctioiFanci enforcement the simplication provisions would be quite ineffectual. REDUCTION IN COST. It was also out of line with the prevailing viewpoint that obtained on almost every sphere of trade and industry throughout Britain, U.S.A., Australia", and Canada regarding standardisation and simplification. In a report recently to hand the Office of Price Administration of the United States was on record as stating "that the War Production Board order simplifying styles will save from 5 to 15 per cent, of the cloth used in each garment. The saving will help manufacturers to absorb increased costs of materials and labour and still supply the consumer with a fully comparable garment at last year's price.' Mr. Sullivan said that of two manufacturers in New Zealand producing men's clothing on a large scale, one reported that a preliminary examination of the regulations had enabled him to'decide to reduce his price by 7| per cent. He said also that his output in men's trousers would be increased by 6 per cent. The second manufacturer expressed the opinion that the outer material saved would amount to from 5 to 6 per cent, enabling him to produce 105 or 10G| suits froni the amount of material from which he previously produced 100. | EXTENT OF ECONOMY. "Men's clothing offers much less scope for simplification than women's. It appears that the all-over gain should be considerably over 6 per cent. The statement of 5 to 15 per cent, saying of material estimated by the United States War Production Board does not appear, therefore, to be at all wide of the mark. The significance of this saving will be better appreciated when seen in relation to the probable total saving. The Government Statistician's figures show the value of the clothing factory output for civilian purposes for the year 1940-41 at £5,900,000, the retail value of which would be approximately double this figure, or £11,800,000. a 6 per cent, saving on which would exceed £700,000 per annum. The over-all gain over men's and women's clothing would probably be nearer 10 per cent, than 6 per cent.. which could increase the saving to within the vicinity of £1,200.000 per annum. ' i

"The most important aspect oi the saving is. however, that it will make more essential garments available"to the people. It is most important," concluded the Minister, "that there should be'the utmost conservation of existing stocks, and the advice of the trade experts to the Government was that the regulations as drafted were those best calculated to achieve that end."