CHEAP CLOTHING.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 3 September 1924, Page 5

CHEAP CLOTHING.

THE TAILOR-MADE QUESTION

(By Telegraph—Special to the Star.) WELLINGTON, Sept. 2. As a result of recent representations 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 chart suit manufacturers is to be shortly held in Wellington at the invitation of the Labour' Department, with the object of devising regulations under which purchasers”who demand tailored suits will receive the article they require. There is no intention tjj. impose repressive restrictions on the large trade in chart or factorymade suits. The Labour Department’s annual report mentions that those engaged in the “order” tailoring trade complain of the growing competition of chart suits made under what are described as factory conditions, and it has been asked that labels for the information of customers be attached to the latter. It would appear that the two classes of work referred to might best be described as those in winch certain operations are performed by hand or by machine, as the case may be. There is considerable difficulty nr the latter, however, as in some factories ,a certain amount of work is being done by hand, while in many tailoring workrooms some of the operations are done by machine. The matter is now the subject of inquiry. Another aspect referred to in the report is that requests have been made by workers in the clothing manufacturing trade that the giving out of work by manufacturers to be performed by persons in their own 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, or that proper hygienic conditions are observed in these homes. It is considered that hardship would in some cases be caused to workers by the total prohibition of the practice, but the following conditions for such work might be laid down: (1) That the work must be done in a suitable room, exclusively set apart for the purpose; (2) that registra. tion may be cancelled at any time if it is found b.y the inspector that the hygienic conditions do* not exist; (3) that the parties satisfy the inspector that the remuneration for the work is on the whole, -at least equal to thfe award or agreement rate (if any) applicable to such work.

The Minister for Labour was asked by Mr. Sullivan to-day to make suggestions for remedying the serious, unemployment in the clothing trade in Chi lstchurqh or to allow Parliament to discuss -the question. He had been informed by the secretary of the Christchurch Tailors. Pressers, and Cutters’ Union that hundreds of women and girls and some scores of men in this | ira 1 < 2 e .. were of employment or on half-time. The trouble was due to the importation of huge quantities of cheap foreign-made goods. The Minister for Labour undertook to look into the position and give the answer in a day or two.