Television To Boost Sales Of Wool Goods

Chronicle (Levin), 15 January 1949, Page 3

Television To Boost Sales Of Wool Goods

Television will be used soon in the TJnited States to promote the sale of wool piece goods. The New Zealand Wool Board states that . arrangeinents are being completed by the North American branch of the International Wool Secretarlate, wlth headquarters in New York, to televise the wool piece goods story through the medium of inStructlon and information regarding hOme sewing. Recent trade surveys, including one by a leading pattern service firm, have shown that home sewing in U.S.A. has increased by 300 per cent. in 1947 over 1946, because of the constantly rising costs o£ ready-to-wear garments. Latest figures indicate that ne'arly 29 million women over the age of 13 are sewing at home, and it is expected that' 150 million clothing patterns will be sold this year, with the sale of patterns, from 1941 to 1947, showing an increase of more than 400 per cent. It is further estimated that 25 per cent. of all women's and children's clothes in the United States are now made at home. Coupling this data with the amazing results achieved by television — the response of audiences being far greater to television than to ariy other meduim, — the New York office of the Secretariat now arranging for the production of 13 films on the' subjecfi, which will be sent to television stations in selected cities in which the local department stores carry wool piece goods and patterns. Each film will be in full coiour and sound and will run for 13 minutes. At present there are 39 'television stations in U.S.A. covering 22 cities in 19 States. There are now 87 stations in process of construction and there are 400,000 television set owners with an expectation of 1,500,000 by mitl-1949. " Television set owners cover all incofne groups in almost equal proportion. The series oi films will not follow a how-to^sew pattern. They will be devoted to tricks in sewing — how to sew a lapel so that it lies flat, how to make tiers. patch pockets, etc. The central character in the series will be a home sewing instructress who, with a model, will make up the cast. *— — — -