TOWEL HORSE EXTINCT

Wairarapa Times-Age, 1 November 1938, Page 8

TOWEL HORSE EXTINCT

MECHANISED BATHROOMS. It is possible in some of London’s shops to descend deeper than the bargain basement. But even at the greater depth of the sub-basement there is little hope in these days of being able to buy a towel-horse. A London resident who had searched several London stores for a towel-horse and had met with no success, suggested that here is an article to which the so-called law of supply and demand has no application. investigation tends to confirm the suggestion. Shopping is, of course, comparatively easy at this time of year, when memories of last Christmas are dim and the prospect of next Christmas is faint .Even in a sub-base-ment, customer and shop-assistant may depart from the harsh realities of buying and selling to discuss amicably the question of the towel-horse. Now the opinion of the shopkeeper (or, at least, the shop assistant) seems to be that the towel-horse is an oldfashioned affair that is quite out of date in an age when towel-rails are fixed to bathroom walls. The chrom-ium-plated hot pipe is partly blamed for the disappearance of the towelhorse, and among other theories that a shop assistant will put forward is a general statement about all modern basins being fitted with their own towel-rails. Further discussion, however, invariably shows that towelhorses are ocasionally asked for —perhaps by people who have old-fashioned ideas or old-fashioned towels that will not stay on modern basin towel-rails. Whatever the reason may be, there are people who now and again want to buy a towel-horse. Until a few years ago, one London shop assistant explained, such people could have bought all the towel-horses they wanted. Production of towelhorses stopped, it seems, because it was more worthwhile for manufacturers of cheap wooden articles to make wardrobes; cupboards, and other things. “In fact,” added the shop assistant, surveying the wardrobes, cupboards and other things, “if towel-horses were here now people would buy them; but they will not buy anything that is not under their nose.” This was perhaps a harsh judgment as applied to shoppers in general, and people who really want a towel-horse must be saddened at the thought of others who wanted one less urgently having probably bought a wardrobe instead.