Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1912-09-27
REAL IRISH DIMITY.
10 Ofa


We procured samples Of all Of them.
There was not one piece of imported
goods in the lot. Investigation proved
that the store buyer had purchased
these Irish" dimities from a Boston
jobber at 10 cents yard and that they
were made in New England mill.
Here was supposed bargain" in
supposedly imported" fabric. on
which the retailer was taking profit
of 90 per cent!
This happens to be fabric repre-
senhng the highest efficiency in Amer
lean manufacturing 1t is a class of
goods in which we can compete ad-
vantageously with any country in the
world The tariff boards investga-
tons discovered on sample No. S. an
American cost Of production Of 1-3
cents yard. In all the mills inves-
tigated the boards representatives
found that the low and high costs Of
manufacture Of this fabric did not
vary half a cent yard.
Who Gets the Profit7
dimity. that is sold as imported" and
Irish" does not get the excessive
profit. In some instances the manu-
! facturer does. but here he sells to the
jobber at 8 cents. taking only nom-
inal manufacturing profit Of two-thirds
cent yard The jobber sells to the
retailer at 10 cents. a % per cent mar
gin for the jobber.
In Canada. with % per cent tariff.
cotton fabric costing 10 cents yard
would be sold to the consumer at 12E5
or sometimes at Is cents If the pattern
happened to be in special demand. In
the United States. with it's prohibitive
tariff. the retail price is always much
higher. The standard price retail is Is
cents for the fabric wholesaled at 10.
But when the tariff is excessive-it IL
81 per cent on this printed dimity-ths
dishonest retailer can get away with
his deception and double or more than
double his normal profit by selling the
domestic article as Imported" The
retailer knows that he could not buy
genuine imported dimity of this
quality from foreign manufacturers
agent in New York for less than 151a
or 1917 cents. and the trade would re-
tail this at %. He compares the do
nestle and foreign fabrics and finds
the American made Is equal in every
respect to the fabric from abroad. So
he says to himself. why not sell it as
foreign goods at a price that will make
it attractive?"
Mill Man Pockets II.
| In some cases the manufacturer
takes the tariff favor for his own
pocket. Tariff board sample No. "a
illustrates this No. "a is a fancy
white goods used 70: dress wear. lts
manufacturer encountered fair de-
mand for this material during the past
season. Table No. 1863 Of the tariff
boards report shows manufacturing
profit Of 80 per cent. 1t costs to manu-
facture this cloth 1916 cents yard.
The mill refuses to sell to any one ex-
cepting the iObber. and through this
channel the cloth reaches the retailer
Mt 22lh to % cents yard. The retail
er charges the consumer 81 to 80 cents,
according to location and local compe-
tition.
For comparison take the value of ths
fabric on weight. At tho manufacture
ina cost of 1916 cents yard one
pound Of this goods is worth $1.23 as Il
leaves the mill. When It reaches tbs
consumer lat 80 cents yard) tbs
| price has bean boosted to S4.20 4
pound.
The manufacturing cost OF this cloth
in England is practically the same as
here. yet the English manufactures