CIVILIAN GARMENTS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25466, 22 February 1944, Page 3

CIVILIAN GARMENTS

PLANNED PRODUCTION-

APPEAL TO PURCHASERS (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Feb. 21. The results of a garment production survey concerning the first six months of 1944 were reviewed iri Wellington at the second meeting of the National Garment Control Council. Mr S. Howard Hunter presided. The council examined these results in conjunction with the rationing control and the stabilisation basi# of requirements of essential civilian garments, together with further military clothing requirements which would have to be produced in that period. " When a survey of the estimated production during the six months up to June next was taken recently, the manufacturers were asked to concentrate their efforts on the types of civilian garments which were in critically short supply, and in general the results shown by the survey indicate that this is being done," says a statement issued to-day. “In view, however, of the inadequacy of the number of operatives in the garment manufacturing industry with the resultant idle machinery, there is still a possibility of serious deficiencies developing in essential garment supplies. This is an immediate problem which has been accentuated by the fact that there are still extensive military clothing requirements to be produced by the industry, and these have first priority. " The council was impressed with the need for every manufacturer concentrating his efforts, with his available manpower, on the production of those items whicli are now known to be in most critical supply. Information on these items is being referred through the Garment Manufacturers' Federation to each district, so that the industry will be kept apprised of the classes of garments, the production of which should have priority to the greatest extent possible.

“ The data received from the survey have proved intensely valuable for planning purposes, but it was found necessary to institute some means of reviewing the progress actually made under overall planning at shorter intervals than a six-monthly period. The council, therefore, is obtaining through the sectional garment manufacturers’ federations a regular periodic summary of the actual production achieved throughout the Dominion. In view of the importance of this periodic review, the council felt that every manufacturer must give full information regarding his own firm’s activities. “In order to avert the development of critical shortages, the manufacturers and their staffs will require to direct their wholehearted efforts into production activity, while members of the general public should buy only those garments of which they are in need, if me individual purchaser will act in this manner, the supplies of garments available to the public will be equitably spread over the whole of the community.”