SHORTAGE OF CLOTHING

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 7, Issue 14, 12 October 1943, Page 5

SHORTAGE OF CLOTHING

SERIOUS POSITION EXISTS IN AUSTRALIA PLIGHT OF CIVILIANS

Australia is, threatened, with a -serious shortage of essential civilian clothing., and according to a member of the Textile Manufacturers' Advisory Board, Mr J. R. Craig, supplies may be. unequal to meet the. present rationing scale if the position docs, not improve.

Mr Craig, avlio is a Sdyney manufacturer of worsteds, blamed bungling of manpower control mainly for the shortage of supplies. The Manpower Department had. failed to implement the recommendations of the advisory' board, he said, and to enforce the regulations against defaulting employees who had ignored direction orders to mills.

The textile, industry in Sydney alone, said Mr Craig, had lost 1600 workers to the Sei'vices. Replacements had fallen short of requirements or proved entirely unsuitable. Of 200 women directed, to one mill,, five had reported for work and one only had remained on the job. Yet nothing had been done to force the defaulters to observe the regulations.. Absenteeism was also rampant . Because of regulations restricting spinning to single weft-yarn, said Mr Craig, the quality of textile goods had fallen. The people were forced to buy inferior cloth, and give clothing coupons for ' articles which were poor wearing. Britain and the United States of America had maintained, the quality of the'ir products. The cloth now produced in Australia was reviving the. prejudice against locallv-made goods. This prejudice had. taken manufacturers years to break down.