TEXTILE INDUSTRY

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 151, 23 December 1929, Page 4

TEXTILE INDUSTRY

PRINCE AT BRADFORD

THE LENGTH OF SKIRTS

(From "The Post's" Representative.) LONDON, 15th November.

At Bradford, whither he went to open tho new building of the Chamber of Commerce, the Prince of Wales had a great reception, and he made two very useful speeches. In one of them, wool manufacturers believe ho has given a much-needed fillip to the wool industry.

With customary tact, the Prince said: "I have been told that the length of women's dresses had quite a lot to do with the thin time through which the industry had been passing lately. It is not for mo to express an opinion as to whether women look better in short or in long dresses, but, for the sake of Bradford, I hope they will remain long."

The Prince stated that since the war tho most interesting and certainly one of the most useful, achievements in the woollen industry had been the inauguration of international arbitration in regard to contracts entered upon by British and foreign firms.

"In this work," he said, "the Chamber has always been able to rely upon tho voluntary, assistance of a sufficient number of men of wide knowledge, experience, and sound judgment. The cost of arbitration is only a few pounds, whereas formal legal proceedings involve long delay and heavy expenditure.

"I am glad that an industry whose products are distributed over such a

wide area shares my view as to the necessity of its travellers having a sound grasp of foreign languages. Having travelled a good deal myself, I know its very great value—in fact, the hindrante that it 5s if the men you send abroad have not a good knowledge of tho language of the countries in which they are going to work. "Much success has been achieved of late, I understand, in breaking down the prejudice that West Eiding fabrics are not the kind of goods required for modern wear." The Prince added that he was told that the Chamber recently submitted 300 samples of their fabrics to the leading fashion houses in Paris and London, and that a considerable number of those cloths had been selected by Paris for their new season's models. It had been, proved that they were equal to any in the world.

Sir F. Aykroyd, expressing agreement with the Prince on the matter of lengths of skirts, remarked: "For some time the view has been expressed that the brevity of women's skirts is having a very detrimental effect on the demand for cloth. I hear that, according to the new fashions from Paris, skirts aro to bo longer. If that is so, it will have a splendid effect on the industry. The shortening of women's dress has made a very big difference, and thrown many people out of employment. Just think what a difference of half a yard a dress means when half a million frocks are produced. The Prince has certainly given a good lead in his speech, and we are hopeful that his most happy remark will be of great help to the unfortunate wool industry."