WEARING OF GLOVES.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18420, 29 June 1925, Page 13

WEARING OF GLOVES.

A WANING FASHION. Mr B. Southeombo, 0 f Milborne Port, Somerset, giving evidence recently before tho Committee appointed by the President of tho Board of Trade to esquire into the application of the English glove industry for a doty to be placed on imported gloves, stated. i» reply to a question as to how a «Jnty would affect tho English gloves (reports tho "Daily Telegraph"): "ITndwMed- - ly they would bo cheaper, because they, would be manufactured at a less priee. Wo could run our factories at full time and could get the skins that we wast. No doubt they would be sold retail at, a less priee." He also stated that there had been a considerable faUMtgoff .in tho consumption. <>f gloves daring recent years. Mr Southcombe. in his evidence, said he foresaw the possibility, if conditions . continued as at present, of the English glove trade dying out la 1921 the number of imported gloves wag SOOyQOO dozen pairs, in 1922 450,000, in 1923 000,000, and in 1924 000,000. If the increase continued it would make the Imports for the present year in eaeeee of 1.350,000 dozen pairs, for already they had exceeded BOO,OGQ dozen pain. It was also fair to assume that when Germany got into her stride she woqitd be sending us vastly increased quantities of gloves. In the Yeovil area there were about 3500 to 4000 persona out of work, and of those rather more than half ■were outworkers. Host British factories were now working at a '<§§£ tion of their full output, and thi»» of course, meant that tbo overhead charges were very heavy. The witness produced a large qnantity of gloves which, he said, wwe representative of the typo of gloves which were competing with our manufacturesGhamoJß leather gloves, of French maso. facturc, were stated to be 34s per dozen pairs, and the comparable English glove 50s. Both the chairman (Sir Charles Stewart) and Lady Aslcwith remarked that ihe English glove was of much better quality. . ' ' . ■ Mr Southcombe, continuing, said be assumed that the French overhead charges would be lower, for the Reach were not taxed as heavily as we were; they had no health or unemployment insurance. Furthermore, practically aU French factories were working full time. Tho witness added that, just a& in the past, tho light- weight goons from abroad came iu and cut out the goods made in England, so now they were gradually coming in with heavier- weight gloves which up to the present British factories had made. Witness agreed that as between I*l3 and 1924 the consumption of hesMmanufueturad gloves had fallen e»Jy by 4 per cent., while during th'e. agae period foreign imports had faßes by 35 per cent., and.Mr Entwiatb thereupon asked: "How do yon raafce «ot that imports are displacing your ©■??» sales}" Witness replied that $e did not iutend the figures to be used that way.