Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-08-19
FRAUD IN TEXTILES.
Loaded Silks, Shoddy WooIens and
Other Articles at bargains"


supervision OF the sale of commodities
is clearly within the province OF state
and municipal governments; and De
Nond quest ION such control is within
the powers of the federal government
whore the sales involve interstate com
mercc 1t is on this principle that the
national pure food law was formulated
and enacted ana is now being enforced
1t means that purchasers of goods in
the markets of final distribution are
given protection by means of a label,
tag or some other suitable device that
tells plainly ard truthfully the conStit-
uentS Of the article offered for sale.
Applied to the textile industry, which
is the greatest in extent and the most
immediate in its connection with the
domestic life of tie country aside from
allied food industries, this supervision
by tile government would protect the
woman purchaser of silks, WOOlenS,
Worsteds, linens, cotton, carpets and
the various miscellaneous lines Of tex
tiles That such protection is needed IS
patent to everybody fdmiliar with the
methods that universally prevail in the
textile trade.
To ShcW to just what extent the inferi-
or article is foSted upon the public
few giarng instances can be cited. 1t is
not the domestic ;nanui acturer who in
aGgurated this system of manufacture
ing inferior goods, but it came as a leg
acy from the mills of tie old world and
is still being used by Them and has
been adopted by us. 1t permits tie
'loadipg' of silks by the use of a tin
solution, which ADDS to their weight,
liner asses their temporary brilliancy,
but cuts their life short from 40 to 30
per cent. Instances can be shown
where silks are loaded" as high as 40
or - pea" cent. The use of cotton filling
il. so-callcd silk ribbons and dress ia
brics IS notorious, and the goods should
BE- properly labeled. The woman who
wants to buy so-called silk dress for
one-haif the price of real silk should
know what she is purchasing and net
be deluded into the belief that by some
special purchase from manufacturer
in distress a retailer is able to offer
wonderful bargain"
On lines of merceriZed goods the fact
that they are cotton and not linen
should be plainly set forth. In appear
| ance the merceriZed goods may be as
brilliant in finish as linen, and unscru-
| pulous retailers find no difficulty in dis
| posing Of them as such. 1t IS on lines
of WOODEN and worsted dress goods and
on some of the lower grade mems wear
fabrics thai the greatest manipulation
is done in the way OF mixing new wool
with shoddy apd in making up fabrics
| III which cotton is made an important
I constituent. In some instances from
| 40 to 10 per cent. of an alleged wool
| fabric is made from cotton, either in
| the cotton warp or in the filing. SO
| tta9rant has been the use of cotton in
mems wear that many lines are sold
with the solemn assurance by the seller
| that there is not a thread of cotton in
! this: we guarantee it all VOL" This
| fallacions statement is an actually.
The merceriZed WOrSted Suiting is a de-
fusion and a snare. 1t should be sold
| for what it is and not be made up into
| suits for men believing that they are
buNing a fabric made Of wool and cot
| ton which, as experience positively
proves, has not got the wearing quality
| in it, 1t is undue adulteration that has
| driven respectable mills into the man
ufacture of this hybrid fabric. They
| do not do it through choice but through
necessity \ rigid descriptive ticket
on there facrics would soon drive them
| ont OF the market.
on hosiery and underwear the legion
of tickets that manufacturers place on
| their goods are deceptive in many in
stances They state this fabric is
made from long staple combed yarns
ANA is non shrinkable;" and yet these
qualities are offered at prices that
would make it impossible for long sta
pie cotton to be used or the added pro-
L.;
hosiery for Doth men and women the
u.s. of cheap mineral dyes is resorted to
and yarns OF an inferior character are
used whenever the manufacturers be-
lieve that they can find a market for
their finished product. A few hesitate
to label their goods as hole proof" and
dye guaranteed not to run" Collars
ard cuffs are sold at retail and are de-
scribed as linen when. as a matter of
fact, they are made up entirely of cot
ton Others are made with q linen out
side ply and a cotton filling for the in
side ply. Shirts aTe made with a linen
front and all the rest of the garment is
made of cotton. Such articles can find
market, but they should be properly
labeled and q man should know when
he is paying 80 cents to 81 for a shirt
that he is not being given a present in
the way of an all-linen shirt, as he is
sometimes led to believe. When $3.50
or $500 is paid for shirt and it is held
out as being linen, it should be such.
In n country with the population of
the United States there is a market for
all grades of goods, but they should be
sold honestly and each class should be
properly labeled. 1t is no more of an
injustice or hardship for the manufac-
turer of textiles to tell the truth about
his goods than it is for the packer of
food products to put truthful labels on
the merchandise that he offers to the
public Fraudulent practices in textiles
are absolutely on a par with short
weight and short measure in the sale of
any other commodity.-New York Com
mercial.