New Britain herald., 1914-07-29
White Suits and Silk Stockings.

{ Why complain apout the hIgn cost
 of living when you can buy suit of clothes, partly wool, TOT $o.5U, and d pair of silk hose for twenty-five cents? These are actual facts and their existence just at this tune make an interesting situation in two lln- portant parts of the textile industry. So called Palm Beach or some times Panama, suits for hot weather ] wear are now being advertised in the large department stores of New York for $6.5O. This is d sale price, the regular cost being $S to $lO. Artifi- cial silk hosiery for both men and women can be bought the year round at the regular price of twenty-five cents a pair, and no doubt in some of the cut-rate shops are sold at much less.
 The beach cloths, as they are known in the woolen industry, have proved to be the sensation this season in that tariff distressed trade. The manufacturers in larger numbers are putting out great quantities of this cloth, made of wool and cotton or
 mohair and cotton. Some of the clothing manufacturers, it is said, cannot get enough of it right now. One such manufacturer here in New York is reported to be turning out 1000 suits a day and then could sell more.
 Now these are seasona ble garments, the male part of our population, which has always been notoriously conservative about departures from the old esta blished ideas of dress, having finally awakened to the fact that this is hot climate for several months of the year, and clothes could we'll be lighter than they have been. The Palm Beach suits, it is more than likely, therefore, are here to stay.
 The question then arises if Ameri- can manufacturers of woolens can manipulate so successfully in produc- ing d cloth that gives universal satis- faction for summer wear, what may happen when one of them starts to work on an article at low price for general year-round wear? The high cost of wool at present, with the probability that it will not be much lower for many years to come, is the incentive for just this kind of branch ing out in new fields.
 Then consider the situation in hos iery. This country is silk mad. The piece goods manufacturers have been having everything their own way for several years with the strong back ing of fashion. Enjoying higher protection than any other branch of textiles under the new tariff act, they have had, in addition, all of the style support on their side. The expansion, therefore, of the industry in this country since January 1 has been marvellous Silks are worn at tango. dances in the afternoon, are worn on the streets and, of course, are the leading fabric for evening wear.
 What more natural then that hos iery also should be of silk to give finishing touch to the silk gown with a snt skirt? But pure silk hosiery, it was found would have to sell for $1 d pair. This necessarily barred 1t from the masses. Poorer grades of pure silk yarns, it was found, could be used and thus bring the retail cost down to fifty cents a pair and even little cheaper but that did not catch the trade of the masses, the great purchasing power of the country. Along came artificial silk made of wood fiber, that could be bought by the hosiery manufacturer at $1.7O per pound or whereabouts, against the $4 or more per pound that real Japanese silk would cost him today.