WOMEN’S CLOTHES

Greymouth Evening Star, 15 June 1935, Page 10

WOMEN’S CLOTHES

SAMPLES IN COURT

SYDNEY, June 6.

Samples of wbmeii’s cdothing—coats; costumes, and evening frocks weie brought'into Court yesterday to show the Industrial Commission, at the inquiry into living standards and the living wage, how women paid dearly to keen up with the changing fashions. The Employers’ federation was submitting evidence in reply to the case by the Public Service Association as to the cost of women’s clothes. The Court associate, who is a daughter of the President of the Commission (Mr. Justice Browne), acted as mannequin, trying on the garments to give the Commission an idea of their appearance. A manufacturer of women’s outer clothes, who asked to be known in the witness-box as “J.C.8..,” brought the samples to the Court. First he produced winter top coats. One, in velour, and comprising all wool with a coney fur collar, was, he said, retailed at 29/6 at shops which traded on the ordinary margin of profit. With this a fancy flecked coat, with a lambs’ ’wool collar, was compared.

“This last coat,” said witness, “is retailed at anything from 77/6 to 97/6, and the collar is such that, if caught in the rain, it will go to look like ordinary wet sheep’s skin that has not been tanned or dressed. The lambs’ wool collars are brought back to this country, and we have to pay heavy duty, and the ' cost is nearly four times as great as the ordinary fur rabbitskin collars tanned in Australia. The dearer coat, with the lambs’ wool collar, is what fashion is demanding now, and we have to make them. Next year we will not be able to give them away, as the fashion will be for something else. The first coat I produced, however,. we always make, as it- is known in the trade as the ‘bread and butter line,’ but on it we make very little profit. On the fashion-demand coat we have to make big profits. Women want this fancy fashion and they have to pay fancy prices.” DURABILITY COMPARED. Mr Kingsley Newell (for the Employers’ Federation): How do the coats compare for durability? Witness: The cheaper coat would last three times as long as the dearer one, as cotton and wool will not dye together.

Mr Justice Browne: They. 4 are made that way for that reason.

Witness: Yes. We want women to buy another coat next season.

He added that he had sold a number of the coats, priced retail at 29/6, to a city firm for 19/- each. Next the witness produced winter costumes. The first, of faced cloth, with the same Japanese lining as the top coats, was priced at 37/6. This was the stock tailored costume, and was regarded in the trade as the most serviceable. Women, however, wanted what they knew as camel cloth, said the witness, but there was no camel’s hair in the material. Actually it was made from cotton, and the retail price was 59/6. Placing the material against the window in the Court, witness said to the Commission, “You can see what the material actually is and how warm it wouldn’t be as a winter costume.” Mr Justice Browne: It looks more suitable for straining milk 1 . I suppose women paj- 59/6 for such a costume

because everybody is wearing camel s hair material—that is, everybody that is anybody. T , Witness: The first costume I showed you at 37/6 would last two seasons with the roughest wear, and would stand tlirtfe cleanings, but the dearer costume would be finished in one season. , ■ . Skirts came next, and the . first sample was one priced at 9/11, made from Ipswich flannel, though many people thought they were buying a dearer imported, material called Kasha. .They liked to think they were wearing Kasha skirts. ■ A red evening dress was then produced by witness. “This is made from Japanese morocain at 9§d a yard, and it took five yards of material. It has a yard of taffeta for a sash, costing 2/6, and a buckle worth 7Jd. This gown is being retailed at 19/11 in the city shops, but in mass production manufacturers would be expected to make the frocks for 2/6 each. Witness .said that he had sent out to certain city shops for Japanese morocain, and he had been charged from 9gd to 1/3 a yard. “If anyone charged 1/9 a yard for Japanese morocain, as has been suggested,” he added, “he should be prosecuted for profiteering.” He displayed a sample evening coat in British black taffeta, which the associate put on to give the Commission the effect. The material, he said, cost 3/6 a yard, and the coat was sold retail at 29/6. This class ’of coat had been supplied by him to fifty different stores in the. suburbs and the country during the season. “Swagger coats” were next exhibited. They were in Japanese morocain, and, according to witness, tens of thousands were sold last summer. They were for the dual purpose of protecting a good frock and hiding an old dress. Prices ranged from 9/11 to 30/-. “The 30/- coats,” said witness, “were really made for the woman who had 30/- in her purse to spend, as, although the material and finish might be a little better than those of the 9/11 coats, they would not give longer service.”

HOW PRICES INCREASE

When he was being questioned as to the demand by retailers for the higher-priced articles, compared with the cheaper goods, witness said, “Well, here’s my experience. I have gone to retail firms with frocks which I quoted at 63/- each. They told me that they had enough in stock at that price; so I took them away, made a few minor alterations, and then sold the same frocks at 84/- each. I’m not giving away any trade secret when I tell you this, as the trade is aware of it. That has not been done once, but many times.” Mr Justice Cantor: And then the frocks were sold. Witness: Yes. The alterations I made might be a slightly different style and finish. A little extra trimming is used, and so the prices go up. Later, witness exhibited a sample of British printed cambric, which he said he had bought at a city emporium for 3/6 a yard. This material was said to be suitable for women’s working clothes. Handing a sample to the Bench, witness said, “You will notice a ticket marked 4/11 on it. The firm I bought it from has a special sale of this line on now, and the manager of the department told me that the .usual price for the material was 3/6. Actually there was no reduction from 4/11. | Mr Kingsley Newell (for the Em- ’ rloyers’ Federation); Do you do busi-

ness with this retail firm? Witness: Yes, about £lOOO a month. Mr Kingsley Newell wondered, if, in view of the statement by the witness, whether the shorthand transcript would be confidential. Witness: Wei}, what I have told you is the tru,th. I have nothing to hide. If the Commission does not want it to get out, it is in their hands. Mr Justice Browne said that the notes of the evidence and the evidence were not confidential. Witness, said that most retail firms were anxious to get rid of their fancy fashion stocks, and he instanced one city shop where 29/6 women’s fashion top coats were marked at 27/6, and the firm was paying assistants a bonus of 2/6 for every coat they sold. Mr Bradley, K.C. (for the Public Service Association) asked witness if any of the girls employed by him in his clothing factory wore a 29/6 top coat similar to the one exhibited in Court.

“I would rather not bring my girls into this case,” he answered. “My reason is that*some of them wear coats w r orth £6/6/ —coats I would not yet them buy if I were their father. They pay them off at a few shillings a week, and some of the payments extend over a year.” “L.J.D,” who said he had 26 years’ experience, produced samples of stockings which he had purchased in the city. He said the stocking at 2/11 to-day was bettei- than the stocking sold for 5/11 in 1919.

Earlier in the proceedings Mr Bradley contended that the three advertisements inserted by the Sydney Retail Traders’ Association for board and lodging for working girls, were ambiguous. The advertisements asked for board for a young woman worker, for a working girl, and for a young working woman. In the opinion of Bradley these advertisements were misleading, as they suggested to the keepers of boardinghouses that board and lodging were required for young working girls who were not being paid the full basic wage. This impression, said Mr Bradley, was accentuated by “Sister D. 5.,” a qualified nurse, who, when deputed by the Employers’ Federation to investigate the replies received, told the persons the boardihg-houses that she was seeking board for a working girl, 18 or 19 years of age.

The Commission adjourned until 10 a.m. on Monday next.