SHORTAGE OF TAILORS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18197, 16 September 1922, Page 14

SHORTAGE OF TAILORS.

THE CHBISTCHURCH TELEGRAM. The New Zealand Herald's telegraphed statement, dated September 6, of a Chmtchurch master tailor that " tailors are a dying race and threaten to become as extinct as the dodo " because there are no a PP^ n " tices offering was commented upon by Mr. King, president of the Auckland Taalora Union. The Christchurch employer said that a boy who learned tailoring now would be assured of a job for life, no matter what was the state of trade. Tha Auckland Union official offset this by staring that th© last apprentice to complete his time in Auckland was now walking the streets and that there were not three apprentices in the whole of the trade in the Auckland district. Both gentlemeh, however, were agreed on the main point at issue, viz., that as far as men are concerned the race of tailors is dying out. because boys are not offering themselves as apprentices. Why worry? The Christchurch gentleman said that unless apprentices were forthcoming there would soon be no tailors left and the work would have to be done by machinery or by women. Again, why worry? Anyone would think that this Christchurch master tailor was unaware that women and machinery were employed in the tailoring trade, and yet it is certain that his own staff includes both, right now! He gives himself away. He would infer that his staff is composed of men entirely and no machines —all bluff! There is not a tailoring establishment of any 'consequence in New Zealand that does not employ women and machinery to-day. Why all this cant and humbug about tailoring ? Why are bespoke tailors forever trying to hoodwink the public into the belief that they still supply hand-made suits when they are made mainly by tailoresses with the aid of machinery? It's not honest! As a matter of fact, there are so-called bespoke tailors in this city whose suits, "made to measure," are not made on the tailor's premises at all. but are "factory made" entirely, and sold to the public at bespoke-tailor prices I It's against the law, but it's done! There is far too much of this misrepresentation in the tailoring trade nowadays Trade union awards are responsible to a great extent for this deception. The trade is hedgod around with restrictions of all sorts to protect a "dying race" of male tailors, and the public have to pay for a fetish. Tailors' workrooms _ are governed by the Factories Act, but tailors ( don't like them called "factories." i All this because in the past "factory made" was a term of reproach when applied to clothes, and rightly so. But times have changed, and the fact that there are no apprentices offering in the bespoke tailorine-trado now is merely a sign of the times. Tailoring as a trade for men is doomed, and the boys know it. They soon find out these things from their elders, and we don't blame them for steering clear of a trade that is dying as far as men are concerned. It is undergoing transformation because of its wastefulness. The system is out-of-date. The public now demand value for their money | and thev are calling the bluff of the oldstvle tailcrra. "Women and girls are better adapted for tailoring work than men. It comra natural to them to sew and make clothes. Modern machinery, up-to-date factory organisation, specialisation in particular work, the absence of restrictions as to apprentices, and consequently the steady flow of skilled operators constantly maturing, opened the way for a firm like Hunter's Crown Clothing to pioneer a new era in tailoring for men. Crown clothes have now been on the market for over 12 years, and during that time a huge business has been worked up, by selling single suits in 40 different sizes direct to the public at wholesale manufacturer's wholesale prices. Every normal man is guaranteed a per-fectly-fitting suit, hand finished, ready for wear, and of a style and quality that no bespoke tailor could improve on. Mr. Hunter, the pioneer of this great business, set out to make ready-for-wear suits equal in every respect to the highestquality suits it was possible to buy. Everything was to be of the highest class. Expert cutters were engaged and every detail connected with the manufacture of these suits had to be on the lines of high-class English bespoke tailoring. Nothing of the kind was ever known in New Zealand, and it took some time to convince the people that these suits were not ordinary "factory-made" suits, but were equal to* high-class English tailormade suits at prices which were only possible because of the immense economies effected in buying the material direct from the mills in huge quantities, manufacturing in wholesale quantities, and selling direct to the public for cash. All this has been a great public benefit— a wonderful help in reducing the cost of living. The doom of the bespoke tailor in New Zealand was sealed when Crown Suite came on the market. He has served his turn and served it well. We give him all credit for wonderful efficiency in the past. But he is now out of date, and must make way for the modern clothing manufacturer, just as the bespoke bootmaker was supplanted by the modern footwear manufacturer. The public will get better clothes for less money. If for any reason you wish to be specially measured for a suit you can have this privilege at the Crown Warehouse for only a few shillings extra. You still pet the benefit of our immense money-saving organisation, even if you want a suit to measure. If you don't need a suit just at present, it will pay you to come along to our warehouse and inspect our huge stock of men's hieh-elass mercery—hats, ties, shirts, underclothing, hoisery, etc. —at much lower prices than are ruling elsewhere for the same quality goods. Hunter's Crown Clothing, 13. Elliott Street, hist through the Strand Arcade, Auckland; also at Hamilton and Whan , garei. j