OFF THE LINKS

Te Puke Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 54, 18 July 1939, Page 2

OFF THE LINKS

CHANGED GOLF FASHION ARE PLUS FOURS BUNKERED The International Wool Secretariat is composed of a hard headed set of expert men whose work it -is to look after the interests of the wool growers of the three great wool-prducing countries of the Empire, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, and when the secretariat asks seriously if plus-fours are bunkered,• whether they have walked o. the links temporarily, or whether they have gone the way of Oxford bags and cycling breeches there is reason • behind the enquiry. It is quite true that the garment, is still far from extinct on English links; in fact the number of ‘ survivors us still quite considerable, but whereas eveiy other man once came out in plus-fouis, to day only one m twenty or so dons them and . the Wool Development Department of the Secretariat has occupied itself with the matter on the ground that anything which it can do to stimulate a greater consumption of cloth is in the best interests of the wool industry. It sees in the possible passing oi the plus-fours, a decrease in the consumption of cloth by millions of yards yearly. The Trade’s Viewpoint Does the trade want to revive plusfours? Or would the whole industry, and the public into the bargain, witness the demise of such a garment with shouts of joy? One 1 well-known cloth manufacturer said: “To my firm, and indeed to the whole of the woollen trade the matter is one of £.s.d. The garment represented to us in extra cloth a turnover of many thousands of pounds annually. Multiply that by fifty or more and you have a very substantial loss indeed to the woollen trade.” The loss to the tailoring trade is, of course, much more financially. A wellknown Seville Row tailor gave an interesting sidelight on the subject. “I liked plus-fours,” he said, “for several reasons. Firstly they were essentially a sporting garment and ideal for golf and country wear. They were comfortable a n d, if well cut, and worn by the right type of figure, they were distinctive and smart. They also made a man look well-dressed because they called for smart hose and suitable shoes. Last but not least, each order represented to us about four guineas’ worth of trade.