OCR Text |
Show association, estimates that 14,000,-000 14,000,-000 felt hats were turned out by factories last year, only 16 per cent under the 1940 figure. How much higher the total output might have gone if labor and ma- 1 terials had been plentiful is anybody's any-body's guess. Despite shortages, some retailers had record turnovers. turn-overs. The increased dollar volume is partly attributable, of course, to the free-spending mood of the day. Retail Hat Sales Climb As Men Are Discharged Just when the men's hat industry indus-try was greatly concerned over a trend toward bareheadedness, the U. S. armed forces' uniform regulations make millions of males extremely conscious of headwear. Manufacturers are inclined to see some correlation between this fact and today's unprecedented order volume. Retail hat sales began climbing soon after the discharge point system was announced. Before Be-fore long, barren shelves became the rule, even in stores maintained maintain-ed by such manufacturers as the John B. Stetson Co. Many who received re-ceived gift certificates last year still hold them, waiting for the shops to get a better selection. But factory backlogs probably cannot be worked off before late 1947. Warren Smith, secretary of the Hat Research Foundation trade |