The Washington times., 1909-07-12
PRICE IS HIGHER
IN WOOL CLOTHES
American Wooden Company
Has Already Served No
tice of Advance.
TARIFF SCHEDULE
ADAPTED TO TRUST
Figures Furnished by New York
Jobbers Show Exact Raise in
Cheaper Suits.
By WALTER ]. FAHY.

clothes which cost Sl0.00 last spring viii
cost $3.50 next spring. The cost OF the
sic suit viii be advanced to S1SA The
cost OF the SIS suit will be advanced
TO So The cost OF the so viii be ad-
vaneed to So
The above is a brief summary Of what
schedule X in the Payne-AldTich tariff
bin will do for the men who are com
PEELED to buy moderate-pTiced clothing.
ii that Were the only tribute the great
mass Of workingmen of the country
would be called upon TO pay to the
Woo i trust, they might not complain;
but it IS not. The suit Of clothes he
viii buy next spring viii be a poorer
quality Of cloth than he has ever worn
before at the price he is accustomed TO
pay It's quality viii be at least 50 per
cent less than he received for a less
price this year. In other words a clerk
who has been accustomed TO paying SIS
for suit of clothes viii have to pay SIS
the next time, and the cloth will not be
as good as that contained in the suit
Tor which he previously paid SIS.
These are statements made by cloth
ing manufacturers ir New York city
who have begged Congress to revise the
customers fair quality of goods Tor
their money. Congress mas rejected
these petitions as unworthy of notice
Schedule K has passed the House ana
Senate with ali its obnoxious features
The Wooden trust is confident that no
changes viii be made in conference
Notice of Advance.
Acting On that belief the American
Woolen Company has just notified its
customers that the price of wOolens has
been advanced. These increases In the
cost of goods which are used by the
trade exclusively for suitings for the
working classes range from II to IS per
cent. The Increase is based on favor
able action by Congress. Unlike the
increases made IN the cotton schedule
there have been no substantial increases
in the wooden schedule The great plea
Of the clothing manufacturers and job
bers was for an adjustment of the
schedule which would deprive the wool
en- manufa cturer OF his enormous profits
by reason of the tariff wall erected about
him to shut out the competition which
would have a tendency to regulate
prices The wooden manufacturer said
-'stand pat"
Congress took the advice OF the
AVoolen trust which. IN its exultation,
cost OF its goods
From the viewpoint OF the clothing
manufacturer, wholesaler and Jobber,
there seems 10 be no hope for the ult
mate consumer OF schedule x. With
one or two exceptions the paragraph
remains the same as in the Diugley
law. It passed the House In that shape,
and the Senate let II 90 through. There
seems to be no hope that the conditions
will be bettered in conference because
the House and Senate are in accord That
IS thoroughly satisfactory TO the Wooden
trust II has boosted the price TO the
manufacturers Of clothing The manu-
facturers Of clothing cannot afford 10
stand for the increase, so IL VIII be
passed along 10 the man who buys the
suit CT clothes.
Faith in Congress.
The fact of the matter is the clothing
manufacturers had On abiding faith M
Congress. They harbored the delusion
that revision Of the tariff downward ap-
piled to schedule X as well as TO the
other schedules in the bill Their hopes
were not shattered until it was too late
Senator DOlliVer attempted 10 save the
situation, but he was defeated. AS q
last resort an appeal viii be made to
President Taft.
A committee representing the National
Association OF ClOthiers viii 90 to
Washington next week TO lay Lhe mat
Ter before the President and 10 urge
him TO take some action Wnlch viii Te
ueye the situation. Failing 70 get salts
faction there the clothiers viii follow
in the footsteps or the cotton dealers.
They viii appeal 10 the trade They,
TOO, Will launch of into an extensive
educational campaign. They viii show
where the benefit Of the Iari1 IS going
and they figure out that when man
Is buying q suit Of clothes al a price
= per cent greater than ne was asked
10 pay year ago he viii DC interested
80 la Fre O. ~
money IS going. The salesman Of the
clothing manufacturers win be primed
with Information about the tariff. Hc
will convey this to the retail dealer and
pay more for his goods, viii be eX-
pected 10 pass the WORD along 10 his
customer when that individual gives
evidence OF curiosity II is hoped by
the clothing manufacturer that the man
who pays more for his clothes this year
than he did wear ago viii bear all the
facts in mind when he goes % the polls
a. the next Congressional election
Purchaser Must Pay.
That the increased cost of wooden
goods viii be passed along to the pur-
chaser of q suit is made evident by the
clothing manufacturers themselves.
when the National Association of
CIotniers assembled TO discuss the in
creased rates sent out by the American
Aho94en company a TAME OF prices was
drawn up for the purpose of showing
what their retail price would be- There
vas represented at that conference
every class OF ready-made clothing man
ufacturers. They were separated into
four classes, namely, cheap, medium
good, and fine The cheap mauufa1-
furer who bought his cloth for q dollar
q YARD last spring sold q suit OF clothes
to the retailer fer $3.50, and the retailer
sold it 10 the ultimate consumer fel
SO. There was only a margin OF prOn1
OF SI.58 for the retailer, which shrinks
Into insiguifCauce when compared with
the harvest Of gold reaped by The
WOODEN trust at the expense Of the con
sumner. The same manufacturer Of
cheap goods viii have to buy the sam'
quality Of cloth for his next spring
output Eor &lZ5 when he deals with th'
Wo0len trust now. He VIII not STAN
for the difference. so, instead Of selilng
( suit to the retailer al $3.50, he makes
bis price SO. the price at which tbs
ultimate consumer gOt the clothes las
spring The retailer. IN turn. viii no
stand the difference in cost, and so hs
retails the suit at $l258
The manufacturer who Is known as a
dealer ia mediums viii buy the same
piece of cloth for Sl25. He puts a little
better workmanship into the suit Last