OVERALL CAMPAIGN.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 19986, 29 June 1920, Page 10

OVERALL CAMPAIGN.

FIGHTING THE PROFITEER,

HEW YORK LEADS THE WAY; ,

"now A 1? have io bu -' suits j' ■ f‘ lafc I t, 13 pay Exorbitant l o ,r -fT'”* 0 orclinar y twills and nlu' d ? n getting any extra IfcJ « ,be , cutl Protests are nse-ler,e-behuid tbe scenes the V c -i rubs h‘ s hands and beams; &v i S l n ’ gs ,lis Moulders hclpnvS7f ld , the - p - pay. The nnnLLcdehted activity of 'the- dry deanU R establishments shows that at least a section of the commnnitr is determined “ to make the old thinns do - • 0 S S^r- S - P , WSI a ,c .- rrtther dip ■JJ t ply into their purses; ami 1} t . ices c'lntuiii.,. t° increase it. i s plobablo hint wo shall have to follow the miif lpe ° f /i la ' /' L! ; i ' ,nc;| ns, who have quite recenUy indulged i„ a tf3t,° f p J ote . ils against the general Unduiey of prices to rise. The result:, vL-d r? ( '- ar ‘ ( oth ° l r , protests WRJ-0 r„. Co dec) m ~hn cablegrams the other T l h . cn • ’*■ ■ w ' w Pointed out. thai pnu lists- in many lines were" becoming much more reasonable. One ol the heen nb fb LUl£ Ca * USes 7mi - T ' re ll - | l;tv , ocqn the great overall movement in h,T ,nn° r< ’iA, rbCU,r ; rS °T ‘ which have •l us>t i cached these shores by mad. boycotting expensive suns. The overall movement • chows t.no consumer rising m his wrath and using one of the most effective -weapons- tuS weapon o, the strike, as far as purchasing is concerned. The cost of clothing had recently become so excwsive in New York and elsewhere that something had to be done. So the suggestion was made that the public should protest effectively, hv ignoring Sk t M° rS j and wearin S suits -of overalls—blue dungarees, in other words. WW OO^ 1 ' tl,e ■ ,,ovcl idea ™pidlv -ound far our. oven amongst the well-to-do. Jo boycott the expensive suits wav in'* "w i i l3 ,^ lp (jnlv effective I 1 • V oh i 0 dcal Tiigh priceTnil tl 1( t• Throat was rapidly translated no direct action. Here and-them Sa.,+ b UC I T ral! ~ no , t au article-of eS. , M bUt ’ ■ n . ere V t l holcss i -warm and eminently serviceable- made its anlTr^L: ‘ weeks ago in the Unit- * r? c "> <ud swept hke a fire through the couutri. and the climax was reach, ed recently when the bine overall madOVERALL CLUB. silktKr !lbancl . oned the tail coat. .Il.s hat and 'nun aon lata trouser- -m-1 pr 'l’S ,up throughout ,c- , Yale.,, State ollmals and cmplovecw m loxas pledged themselves to we.r-- «* fwrs w ir™, cor a ia appeared on tlfe floor of the ° tm ( e * pi . ecc suit of Wuc l , ;h , °° si T.ni -I do]., and rile cv 10 Mltl :\’ 6 I ™ ro as president of Club! gFeSS ° vcni]l and Old Clothes This movement, i n fact, begun poionwirfn| 110St as a - Joke > h; '* become a. poveilul weapon in the- hands of the consumer, and has been used verv ameosßully. to has; become widespread e : en do V ®° and bas oxtended ereir to i aucouvei, where citv emi Ea°^ CS VS rmcd i a ca£gtie ’ and echooi- ■ Loys. aetory harms and individuals I hare taken no the ide* &“!, • W Ohio appoirod V to te* '-, 1 * 0 >” Wen, j„ N„, l<nk i..embers ot ihe Choose Chib ]omed the national anti-profiteerim. TJ e . m? + T- r - app ,T ed “Broadwav Cad in the fashionable costume of bine, and the president of the dub was wildly cheered by great crowds when lie pointed out. that the overall was a- verv usdul article, and appealed to all present to wear them and ‘Ho beat the profiteers.” WEALTHY, PEOPLE LEND ’ SUPPORT, Tlie movement was taken up even by 0 "qalthior people. Something of a sensation was caused in the- palatial halls ot the Valdorf Astoria Hotel bv the appearance of two leading New Jork citizens wearing the humble garments, and one of them delivered a serious address .in favour of the overall protest. A, society lady who presided at the meeting spoke strongly i n (Avon,cl overalls lor men and gingham anti cniioo lor ivumcu,’ and a largo number Ol women agreed to march in an organised overall and gingham parade which was arranged to traverse the aristocral.io ruth Avenue, Tn every'walk ot life it was agreed that ■ something cuastie had to bo done to cunail tho cleprcclaturns 0 f the clothing profiteer ape the popular seinlment was revealed by the thunderous apolau-e whirh greeted tho actor YVilliam Collier when he appeared cm the stage of one of New York s leading theatres clad in overalli T luis Bio great overall parade which 1 "'i |S being prepared did not languish'for ; want of recruits; clubs, and organisations'of men and women of every'description agreed to contribute 'their quota to the consumer's procession. The Holy Cross Athletic Club, with a membership of over 1000. for instance, accepted the overall, as its official costume, and dozens of pioneering individuals appeared in blue, dungarees at nromment hotels' and clubs, and even at expensive weddings. I TAILORS MEET THE POSITION. It is interesting to notice that tR invincible popularity of the movement did not escape the notice of (ho tailors, who. in several instances, began to take up the making 0 f overall suits as part ot their Jogitimate business. Tmmediatdy uncos began. t 0 rise, and Mr E. '' a,:d - q 1 Bie Knights of Columbus, who was helping soldiers to recover lost haggage, reported to the Press that he had discovered overalls being so ]fl ;i , pro d of no lc-, than 1700 per cent, while some clothing merchants professed not to he alarmed, and predicted the transloriuation of the overall into a ashionaole and expensive garment, ; lined with silk. Nevertheless'the gener.H body of the consumers reallv ' meant business." and behind the humorous aspect of the matter lav an almost savage determination to make the profiteer realise that his day,was at an end, and that prices must come down. In towns ail over the States overall chibs were lormed. and the Department ot Justice announced that it would mciuire why certain dealers had raided prices of overalls. LUNCH BOX MOVEMENT, And. coupled with the overall move- ’ came , the campaign inaugurated m Kew York to deal with the extortionate prices fixed by the city restaurants .or the midday knob. The public had been Jechng the pinch' in this direon°n, too. ho a movement- known as the lunch oox movement'-' has been started among business men by the C-nsesc Club and other organisation- H is again a. form of boycott. Its Harm lies m its simplicity. Business men and oltice employees who usually patronise i Cota in ants for their lunches merely hare their food prepared ' simple at 1 home, bring it with them, and eat it I m their offices or in the parks, just as tno poorer people always have clone, and | the restaurant keepers see their tables | empty. The Americans, in fact, have ' shown the consumers of other lands that here is. an effective weapon ready to their hands with which to fight the'proiltecr; its edge is not spoilt by its peaceful character. The growitig‘do(erniiiintiou of the nation to defeat the profiteer. evidenced by this and other eamI paigns. has evidently had some effect. I Perhaps Australians may ret adopt some ‘ measures of similar description. ■