TAILOR MADE

Evening Star, Issue 18716, 19 August 1924, Page 4

TAILOR MADE

“CERTAIN AMOUNT OF DECEPTION.”

MASTER TAILORS’ COMPLAINT.

[Per United Press Association.}

WELLINGTON, August 19,

The Arbitration Court was engaged today hearing a number of applications arising out of the Apprentices Act of last session.

Mr Grenfell, for the employers, said that the Master Tailors’ Association had agreed to an order concerning their trade, but they decided that such order, or a somewhat similar one, should apply to the other branch of the trade. This was a matter of serious moment to bespoke tailors.

Mr Justice Frazer said he did not see how the court could make similar provision as to apprentices in the factory-mado suit trade as would be made in the bespoke tailoring trade. David Milligan, master tailor, said there wore a number of firms making and disposing of what were really factory-made suits. These suite were being tpld as tailor-made, and the master tailors complained of unequal conditions. Certain firms were registering under the wholesale manufacturers’ award, which allowed them to have a certain amount of apprentice labor, while master tailors were restricted to one apprentice to three adults, so that other firms could be getting work done under conditions* where the proportion of apprentices was over twenty to one adult. Female apprentices were not included in the Apprentices Act. His Honor said females were not ap-

prenticed to the trade in the same way as boys were. It appeared to him that it was a. case where the master tailors should proceed by way of legislation. It might be possible to pass legislation making it an offence to sell as a tailor-made suit one ■hat was not tailor-made. Many people were led to think that factory-made were tailor-made suits. There appeared to have been a certain amount of deception in advertising. v It was announced by the court that agreements in regard to the apprenticeship question had been arrived at in respect to a number of trades.