Three Stockings to a Pan

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 32, 30 April 1927, Page 20 (Supplement)

Three Stockings to a Pan

A Promising Idea

IF the American woman has three stockings to the “pair”—as the “Daily Mail’s” New York correspondent has announced she will do if the American hosiery industry has its way—will her cousin in England and the Dominions follow suit? The idea is that a spare stocking is just as necessary to a woman as a spare tyre i s to a motorist’s equiptaent. Women seem to favour the scheme, but the textile trade is inclined to treat it coldly, as the following statements show. “WONDERFUL IDEA.” Lady Bingham, wife of General Sir Cecil Bingham: A truly wonderful idea. It will appeal now* that women search so keenly for anything that affords economy, particularly in expenditure on silk stockings of the finer kind. Lady Victor Paget: It would be much better when buying silk stockings to obtain several pairs of the same colour than to have a third stocking with each pair. Mrs Wilfrid Ashley (wife of the Minister of Transport): I always buy at le**t two pairs of stockings of the same colour and eventually make one good pair out of the two. If a person could afford to buy a third stocking it may be reasonably taken that she could afford to have two pairs. Miss Marie Tempest, the actress: An admirable scheme. There is a tremendous waste now, and a spare stocking with every pair would effectively check this. Miss Annie Croft, the actress: A splendid idea. I have always bought two pairs of the same kind and shade, so that if one stocking gets laddered I can match its partner. So there is usually one left over which has not been worn out. Miss Sinnie Hale, the actress: Most economical. I always buy several pairs and then match them up as they ladder or show Haws. Mr Lee Ephraim, the theatrical man-

ager, who buys over a thousand pairs of silk stockings annually for his companies. As soon as a pair of stockings are washed they become a slightly different shade; so that for the spare to be of any use the ladders would have to come before the pair went into the wash-tub. All three stockings would have to be washed at once whether they required it or not. TRADE'S ATTITUDE. Mr Harry Purt, secretary of the Hosiery Manufacturers’ Association, Leicester, and of the Leicester Chamber of Commerce: It has been possible for women to buy an extra stocking of a cheap kind for some time past in this country. If the retailers assure the manufacturers that there is a general demand for three stockings they will certainly meet it. Mr Albert Gowie, secretary of the Drapers’ Chamber of Trade: If the plan appeals at all it will have to be tried tentatively so that the extent of the demand may be judged. An Official of Messrs John Barker and Co., Ltd., Kensington: It is just an American fad. II women wanted the extra stocking they would immediately buy two pairs and have done with it. Mr Williams, a director of Messrs Selfridge and Co., Ltd., Oxford Street W.: | We adopted the suggestion this morning, as soon as we saw it in “The ‘ Daily Mail/’ and there has already