SHORTAGE OF CLOTHING

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 10, Issue 45, 4 November 1946, Page 5

SHORTAGE OF CLOTHING

MORE REAL THAN IMAGINARY

It is hard to reconcile the statement of Mr A. M. Hollander, in his. presidential address to the New Zealand Council of Garment Manufacturers' Federation that "clothing shortages are more imaginary than, real" with the actual position, states the New Zealand Retailers' Federation. V

The retailer, as the final link with the consumer, knows from his own stock position, and from the demands of the public that in very many items of clothing the short-, ages are drastic. Mr Hollander menr, tions only two items, men's suits' and shirts, that are in short supply, but it is an understatement to say, stocks of these are depleted—they are about non-existent. Any- retailer and thousands of men could 'enlighten him about the shortage of sports trousers: and coats, workingtrousers, pyjamas, pullovers, and. other kntwear, socks and a dozen other items. Any mother could tes-> tify to the extreme difficulty of outfitting her children for school, particularly in reference to boy's suits* * shirts, stockings, and pullovers. And so on through men's and women's underwear and many lines, the list of shortages could be elaborated. No good purpose can be achieved by minimising these grave shortages of apparel. It would appear that undoubtedly shortage of labour in'the mills and factories is the primary/ cause of the position, but if, as) Mr Hollander suggests, restrictions imposed on mahufacturei's by the Price Tribunal have forced certain essential garments out of production, then this should be rectified. We are informed, the New Zealand Retailers' Federation continues, that in practically every woollen mill in NeW Zealand looms are lying ,idle through lack of labour and in many factories machines are not in use for the same reason. And yet tyre factories, cotton mills, and. other industries are being set up ; that will further drain bur pool of labour. Most'of'these goods can be. more efficiently and cheaply pro-

duced overseas and it weald be better if the Government permitted their freer importation and alloivecL those industries more suitable toNew Zealand to be fully employed/ in the production of the essential goods we'require. „ .

Import restriction prevents the New Zealand public from obtainingmany desirable things from overseas' but it. has also started the,, growth of many uneconomic indus-' tries in this country under the complete protection it affords.

In the total these undertakings, many of them small in themselves, 1 have further contributed to shortage of labour in our more natural industries and present shortages of goods.therefore both directly and" indirectly largely attributable to "the Government's policy of import restriction. - ■' "•■