CHEAP CLOTHING

Evening Star, Issue 18729, 3 September 1924, Page 9

CHEAP CLOTHING

THE TAILOR-MADE QUESTION. OTHER ISSUES. [From Our Parliamentary EitroßTßii,] WELLINGTON, September 2. As a result of the recent representation* from the clothing trade that tailored suits suffer unfair competition from chart-made suits being advertised in a misleading manner, a conference of tailors and chartsuit manufacturers is to be shortly held in Wellington at the invitation of the Labor Department, with the object of dovising regulations under which purchasers who demand tailored suits will receive the article they require. There is no intention to impose repressive restrictions on the large trade in chart or factory-made suits. The Labor Department’s annual report mentions that those engaged in the tailoring trade complain of the growing competition of chart suits, made under what are described as factory conditions. ’ It has been asked that labels should, for the information of customers, bo attached to the latter. It would appear that the two classes of work referred to might best be described as these in which certain operations are performed by hand, or by machine, as the case may bo. There is considerable difficulty in the matter, however, as in soma factories a certain amount of the work is being done by hand, while in many of the tailoring work rooms some of the operations are done by machine. Tlie matter is now the subject of inquiry. Another aspect referred to in the report is that requests have been made iby workers in the clothing manufacturing trade that the giving out of work by manufacturers to bo performed by persons in their homes should be either prohibited or restricted, it being urged that it is impossible to see that the work is done during reasonable hours and at. fair rates, nr that proper hygienic conditions are observed in these homes. It is considered that a hardship would, in some cases, be caused to workers by total prohibition of the practice, but the following conditions for such work might be laid down : fl) That the work must he done in a suitable room exclusively set apart for the purpose ; (2) that ‘registration may he cancelled at any time if it is found by the inspector that hygienic conditions do not exist; (3) that the parties satisfy an )n----'spc-ctor that the remuneration paid for the work is, on the whole, at least equivalent to the award or agreement rate (If any) applicable to such work. The Minister of Labor was asked by Mr Sullivan to-day to make suggestions for remedying the serious unemployment in the clothing trade in Christchurch, <r to allow Parliament to discuss the question. He had been informed by the secretary of the Christchurch Tailors, I* vessel's , and Cutters’ Union that hundreds of women and girls and some scores of men were out of employment or on half-time. The trouble was due to the importation of huge quantities of cheap foi sign-made goods. , The Minister of Labor undertook to look into Urn position and to give an answer in a day or two.