From our London Staff
A blunt warning was given to-day by Miss A. Kilroy, head of the Board of Trade's clothing coupon administration, that longer skirts would mean fewer dresses, and that the present allowance of four coupons a month was not enough to support any major changes in fashion.
She was addressing nearly a hundred women journalists, many of whom expressed their uneasiness at the Government's attitude. It was pointed out that fashion was a great international movement, and that we could not remain aloof behind an "iron curtain."
Several of them also deplored that the President of the Board of Trade had given the impression that this country was antagonistic towards the longer skirt, and suggested that the needs of the export market itself demanded that we should follow the fashion.
Miss Kilroy admitted that the longer skirts were already being exported, but said that we could not expect to clothe our own population with them as well. Another representative of the Ministry added that they were in constant touch with exporters both on this subject and also with regard to the variations in cloth which were necessary for the export trade to meet the needs of the "new line" in women's clothes.
Miss Kilroy said that there was no immediate prospect of the clothes ration being increased. Even the present ration required the production of about 300,000,000 square yards of cotton, 200,000,000 square yards of wool, and 110,000,000 pairs of footwear every ration period.
She admitted that the need of the ordinary household for textile goods was becoming urgent, and for this reason, she said, sheets had been put on the ordinary ration instead of being reserved for priority classes.
Quantities were not yet sufficient for a special "household ration." For example, only 10,500,000 sheets were being produced every year, and this meant less than one for every household.
Dealing with the scarcity of perambulators, Miss Kilroy said that production was roughly the same as before the war, but could not keep pace with the increase in the birth-rate.
Last year only about 600,000 were produced for a million new babies, and she appealed to mothers to bring out their old perambulators and not to buy a new one for each new baby.