Evening star., 1923-09-26
PLANS TO MEASURE
|. MALE WAISIuNES
Accurate Census" Proposed
as Means of Guaranteeing
Suits That~,Eit.
BY J. c. RoYLE.s


Special Dispatch to The Star r.
NEW YORK, September ga
comprehensive and accurate census
OF the male waist lines and other
measurements in the United States is
under, serious, consideration today.
This has grown out of discussions at
the meeting of the National Associa-
: tion Of Retail Clothiers in Chicago as
! to methods by which. cost of altera-
tions in readymade clothing may be
Sheld down.
Composite measurements. of the
American do not apply toindividual
clothing buyers as well as they used
to. Army training and prohibition
nave altered the outline of many
That means more work for the filter
Prices for mems suits have increased
and the buying public has exhibited
distinct antipathy toward paying
any higher figures.
How TO Get Suit That Fits.
The question, therefore. of how to
nave suits that At without additional
expense either to the, buyer or re-
taller is.agitating the minds of cloth
California. =. =
A division of the country into zones
accurate measurements. suggested by
frederick Guth of Seattle, has met
with considerable favor
:, Climatic conditions and modes of
living have an effect on physique"
Mr.. Guth said today For example,
men in the northwest have smaller
waists and broader shoulders than
men In the south and east. The
weather is cooler out west, One must
Keep moving to keep comfortable
fu L
and hard liquor There has heen
more noticeable sfrrinkage OF the beer
tummy in the west than elsewhere.
1An9 our clothes must be cut accord
Variance Tn Specifications,
As indicating the. necessity for
! oinerent specifications for different
sections, Mr., Guth said that when he
requested a Rochester manufacturer
/ 10 send him smaller vests, as all those
shipped him had to be taken in, the
1Hnanufaeturer replied that a merchant
from Philadelphia. had just written
demanding larger vests, as all his had
| to be let out 81 - :. =
Under the Guth plan the Country
| would be divided into three or four
| zones. In each zone the dealers would
! unite to collect as complete figures
i as possible on mems measurements.
especially as to waist line and length
or trousers. These would be fur
7 -
the composite figures of each section
in making clothing for that section.
Making the Customers Pay.
Dealers are watching closely the ex-
pertinent tried by several large stores
of making customers pay for altera-
ttons. Mack Gordon. lone of the direc-
tors of the Stein Block: Company of
Buffalo, declared he was not prepared
to state unqualifIedly that mems wear
stores should charge their customers
for part of the cost of ''busheling." !"
but that a lowering of the cost of
of this overhead could be absorbed.
A large part Of this expense, he
added, was due to poor craftsmanship
The education of salesnen is another
problem which has been taken up, by
the national association and its individ
uaI members. A school for clothing
salesmen will be started in Chicago this
winter and If successful similar schools
will be established in other retail CEN
.ters.
OverseliinE Condemned.
Manufacturers are joining heartily in
condemnation Of. the policy of oversell-
Ing retail merchants. p. -.. ~.
''Overstocking means cut prices and
fire sales in order to get rid Of surplus"
, said Sol Schloss Of Indianapolis, first vice
president Of the. Retailers Association
Buying only the amount you can rea-
sonably sell is the first way OF cutting
down overhead expense. And it Is only
| by cutting down overhead in every pos
sible way that We can take up the slack
! in the clothing trade which is now
working such a hardship on both mer-
chant and consumer"
1t was estimated today that merchants
1 In general throughout the country are
ordering about so to 65 per cent of their
requirements for next spring IN ad-
vance.