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Show PIUS HMD FOR M PRICES Insistence on Fine Woolen Cloths Responsible for Cost, Wood Says. Manufacturer Adds Coarse Grade Goods Would Solve Vexing Problem. JOsTOX, ec. "JS. The insistence of lh-- imblk' upon cluth made irom line '-'u!a is a !ai e lactor m the present Lin pncoa' or eiotiuiig, according lo Wii-li;i;n Wii-li;i;n yi. W'oud, prcsiuont or tno American Amer-ican 'oolen company. Mr. Wood. lio rc-eiit ly charged iPat some of I lie m r-L-:i:nts in Law rence were demanding ex-ctisive ex-ctisive prices lor necesMLies und were in t He habit of raising; prices witn every increase in waes in uie company s mills Here. Ltave out a statement lonight in re-si.'ons.; re-si.'ons.; t-j u request ior his views upon r lie hia cost ur" clothing. " If our people would consent," was his coaclusior, "to wear good, substantia;, durable ciotht-s made of the coarser wuols, cloLhing could he purchased at considerably lower prices tlntn those which now prevail." His statement in part f.vlows: "it is generally mouglu that the cost the cloth is the controlling factor in t.tL cost of clothing, but the iact is that the cloth cost is less than half the cost of a completed suit, and othf-r factors i oniri'-'Ute quite as much to the price of clothing. Figures Are Quoted. "In the last five years he p r i . o c'.oth in the oidinary suit of clothes uas Jva:ic-d no more, indeed, has advanced a ikile less, tnan the cost of labor ami jther materials that go into the making r the suit. The following figures show this, hi'h I have from a manufacturer and merchant o: clothing of the highest promise 'ice in 13 os ten : " T : i h cost in 1 1 ' 1 3 of the cloth for a suit of ciothos of a particular grade is $13.0;. The corresponding cost in 1914 was &'!..". sh.owing -an increase in tpe cost of eloiii of Sf'.09. "Tlie ,Mt cost o: making this suit is $14.47. Tiie corresponding cost in I?14 was iM.f'V showing an increase in the cost of making "These figures show that c'.oih contributes con-tributes slightly less than labor and other materials to the increased cost of c'.otnin. Therefore, to your question why prices of clothing continue so high through the country, the reply is because the costs of 'a ho:- and cloth and other materials that go into clothing continue fo r.ign." A:;--r pointing out Mat there is a shortage of doth and clothing in the mar- j Itfcts of the world, which "aiways means high prices" and that "almost every materia: ma-teria: and everv process involved in t.'.e manufacture o: cloiiiing" has to pay a heavy tax. both state and federal, Mr. V.'ood continued: Demand for the Best?. "In a measure during the ar. and to a rrreater extent sir.ee. there has developed devel-oped a curiously insistent d errand for cio'.l; made from the finer and more expensive ex-pensive wools. People will r.o longer buy clotl: made of the coarser and "onsequent-!y "onsequent-!y cheaper snides. althoutrh ciothintr rnade from thse wools both servi-r-nWe and so;;:jd. Before the war the demand de-mand for Thes-i finer grades or" ?'oth was c h i e f '. y : n u e e d . h n . o s t e x c 1 . ; si v el y : ro rr. the mor-.- fastidious in taste, hut now ever" hod- fit-manus the finer plothes and noh'jdv will take ar.vthir.g eh-e. "TV-, recently made t:p a arr.r of cloh in v.'hi'"'i: coarse woo', was used in the warp nniv. The appearance of r r. e ! rle was hut iighr'tv different fro:.'. I That" made of Mrer wools. It had in a , narked degree the smooth, rt texture of fir.e we. 1 - cost was considerably than the fabric made of the finer g.-ad-s. As a cloth it was good, stronir j and serviceable. F-ler'ore the war it wn' j 'nave sold readily, but we were absolutely unph to put ir. i-n the m.rk. ! "Our seiiintr aireTi -ies told us that ther i wa.3 r.o oe:ns :.d for It; p-onle wo u'd not bur It; thai. cuFoir.er inlsTd on fine, soft "loir -?,, and thf , a "ornl r.tr.y, the ,:':r;far-turrs ff '.othing would n't buy this ''loth, if we mad i; :;p ir. quantity, they could r.o. se.l clothes n.acie from it." Sounding Out Sentiment. 'VA.-'HIN'iTo.V. .). i-. HuhIu efi? !r.-t-r-sts. labor unioiis and the public g-n- 0. -h,:.- ur" to b-? s-vJr.'ied out hh to the v:.i ini";.:. in rtgrd fo the crunr.ir.t'---grihij-t-pri'-e-d'-cline f-iystTn sa.d to i:f u bv r..a ny inanufacturr-rs a nd - r.if-.-al-rs in th- sn ff good.-. T.e ff-T-;'jl trade f-orrunls-ion aniioun'C'i 'o-i.lL'i.t 'o-i.lL'i.t ihv it had s-n' out sovr';! iho :--;;.iid filers i.VjJ.r.i.g a:? to opinion of ';" ,e . , :. ::'::. :i si - pr-' - df u!ue ci-,,, amount o a i"arai,r "e by ir.anu-::-cr ,yrs urtd v.-. ioh-..i .r s in ."dilr.' po'kH uh y .,' 'I ;i d" liu-r in prb'" ocur be-orj be-orj C'jli '''. v of t.." L-riO'ls thf buyers h'wu'.l 1 '-u- fit : h'' d--li:.". buf if t;.e market :.'i.' ;:d v..- orf- dei ':' thf- ir.f nufac- r-'- or whf.esaler vould a.-isuu." tho '(,::, ;t i.' ? l'-.;rd t. :th ( ..- ff.mno.-'-iori t. at i r. oit f-f too plan f-fdri -'e : ';i-ureas in the r ost. of llv- (,," . r"i.'-. i .do ; -od I ra ' ! ": f.rgn u s a.Tid .i: r'---- l..;fr ir-owii.. :ind f.tno'u asso--,,'! .. r-ad" p j . u ifj'i i". .-":: "T - .';-'. oi fif .'."i-r-. iU " aa.n't d"---r-"-.- bi't.r.c' .as ''ff,) t c n i'.W'l n,' . o , - ' f ' T .-. Pi b- r O flh ' TV. t 1 , a t -'j . r-. h : - -: . -1 ' as d'-"''"i 1 ; . J to r,o .:i'o ; . .... i. In-ro -j-::.;-. 'rmix.stfNj Ia rtios Notified. "V,- ;. '. u ? f.-r I!'- f"" r. (' ,--.u- . ,im.:i .- : a n i no un v. -. ft f., , Mr... i i - ' b"-,; i ; . M.i.i' v;t;'i'i.'' or a .:--,'! uf l b'j u -ji I . TV, -nd ''..' '"tv (i : i - j ' : i.b- i r r .-" n ' r d , u.r -rw.im'- . -, ! . . ibi and f.;, if),.T- 1 o d. ' ,.u : .a'-:--' a ' t li-- con i.:b 'dofi m.iv f l '. -H i; t ) id .i 1 ' a -' .- w dil ,' and ;i V) ' ; - ''': '. .' i r f r o.i"' i :-b I p, :, , -..-, : : ' ir.-'il -i t ion and fo J ' if r. i' in f ' f b I- 1. '.-. -. a- -i.1 I'r . t,r f p i r: V a' 1, d' - ... t in. 1 1 ' ' ;.n ".rT.pi d. p ,. ;.o ,,f f . f '.ii mi i 'Uon f o h .-' an' r.f tli n: I'. ; lilx ,,. -. . ;, i in v. ri lllif. ' i .i -..,!. liin': bird? for IIm- rtWf.K i ' j. p . r t y :i t m. r i !' '.'.hi i.- i;i . ' n, a ft r - ;. ,i ; '. " id ' -i-.-'-mbi' d and, a fa r : . ia nlfi. d. ;kmI ,--,, n.nr- . ,.,!., : . id t f I jj f;iv:i'd it.i ;( ropy of ' ' .' ' jm.o'j," - f-i " a a T'.a.bb , It ;, '.-, ;,j .,-., liir I V,.,--irni;'ofi, at ... : ;,r b.lr... -,f I,,.-'.' I VI- -M, i i I- a , j ' 1 1 1 1 ' . i ' I '' or bv c(,oo- . . I and d. i P. no i bod lor i.' arinX : ,.,,, ill r,.- :..:d oof." , . ;. :.. r,.jt' I O, VUl.r ,,' M n i , ' . .PO'I V f " f : . UPJ.I- l.f . I. i" i ' a ' d a-.'i'.t -t.i- . . , - t c i .1 I,m V il 'di'rl I ." ill I I - . ; : 1 1 1 a I -f i n r v. ..'.in f,f it i ion f ' ' ' ' I'' .N'l". ', 1 , ;l i 'I'. ' if '.'J I ! f , ' TIP If.' It f , b t-u' m' r ' "M r He. I ' d I ' i k J. f ,. ., ..-if, ' - f I..C- i rn- .... .. 1 1 1 'i i'i ..-i if mi -.'I i '.r " - f. i : I -.1 I I 1 i '''I'd I '. '-- thirds of this wool back to the British government. The one-third which our i Government held they offered only in limited lim-ited iju.'UHities. t lie keen competition for which carried it to tremendously high prices. Recent ly the government sold some of this wool in Boston at $2.75 a pound. "1 am not criticising government officials. of-ficials. They doubtless felt justified both in returning this fine wool to K n gland and in getting the highest price possible for t lie wools they have on hand. "They are selling tlie.se wools at prices far in excess of what they paid and therefore making a profit for the govern- , ment which I assume they think highly creditable to t hemselves. But when you put the question, why do our people have to pay such high prices for fine clothing which they insist on having? you must not forget that one of the reasons for it is that the government is holding the wool which it bought at war prices for a profit." , |