The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-02-16
.MILLINERS TO BAR
AMERICAN BIRDS
WHOLESALERS AGREE NOT TO
HANDLE THEIR PLUNAaE.
Audubon Societies, Not Lacey Law, Re-
sponsible for Decision- Should style
Demand Their Use, However, the
Birds Will Be Worn-Much Plumage
Made of Chicken Feathers.

Wholesale 'milliners have entered into
an agreement hereafter not to purchase
American songbirds, gulls, terms, grebes
the plumage of these birds as they have
on hand before July / next.
So says J. d. Bradshaw Of Bradshaw
liners.
''This is not because Of the operation
Of the Lacey federal law, as was insinu-
ated g the recent meeting of game war
dens and commissioners in st. Paul.
said Mr.. Bradshaw, but rather because
of the activity of the Audubon socie-
ties. These societies have made the use
OF the American birds unpopular, and
the agreement Of the wholesale MILL
ners is simply in accordance with widely
expressed sentiment. -,
'Yet [ do not know if even the action
of the wholesale milliners can control
the non-use Of these American birds by
retail milliners if style demands their
use. In spite of the wishes of the Audu-
| bon societies, last year was the greatest
in the history of the millinery business
for the use Of real wings Of birds. It
is style which controls the sale of plum
age. If Paris and London fashions turn
to using the forbidden birds for hat
trimmings, my opinion is that they will
come into extensive use in this country.
Then, too, the! wholesale milliners who
entered into the agreement not to use
the American birds do not include the
dealers in New York, Baltimore and
other eastern coast cities. SO if retail
milliners find a demand for the dis
carded plumage, they can secure all they
want from the eastern wholesalers. -
Hat Birds Artificial !, - -
| "After all, there is little for the
tender hearted public to worry over in
the average bird seen on ladies' hats
In easily IS per cent of the cases, the
hat birds have been Matched in the
hands Of clever manipulators in mill
inery factories and have never seen the
inside ofan egg. II. ..s.~.. II
Where do they get the plumage te
make the birds from9 Most Of it il
plain chicken feathers, dyed, and made
up so that no one ever recognizes them
They are all dyed and prepared il
other countries, China, and Germany
because they are sold so cheap tina
they cannot be made by high priced
Il American labor.
"Here is an instance. = T. bought
some feathers from China recently, al
about 10 cents hundred. They wers
uncolored. I had them put: into 5dy'
A | pots, and what do you suppose hap
I pened9 Little pieces kept coming on
4 Of the feathers in the hot dye. Exam
4 ination showed that hundreds: O
feathers which had been imperfect
had been repaired by skillfully gluins
in other pieces Of feather. This repair
4 ing was skillful, slow work, yet tn
man I bought from at 10 cents a hun
dreds had been able to make prof
4 on them, and the original manufacture
had been able to make profit in sell
& ing to him. Two profits on the feath
a ers before received them. I paid bu
q 10 cents a hundred, and still eac
81 feather. had been picked over and tn
4 damaged ones repaired by skilled Labor
a Imagine trying to get labor in Amer
4 lea at low enough price to compel
d with the firms in other countries whic
b originally prepare the feathers. -