The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-09-02

W hat Will My Lady Do or Ldces If the American
 Lace Makers Strike As the War Cuts Of the Supply?

trimmings among other things, and ne says that the cheaper laces have all advanced in price at least 25 per cent some 8 hundred per cent. The Valen- ciennes faces cannot be bought because they all are made in France and lace makers are in the war and there Is nobody to make any more. One of the largest firms, Loeb & Schoenfeld, who. have tremendous lace industries in Switzerland, and from whom we buy great many of our laces, have closed down their factories entirely-every- body has gone to war They have three factories, however, in the United States and they will be able of course to op- crate them unless the lace makers go on q strike or we get into the war. There won't be any more cheap laces at cents a yard sold for 50 cents a bolt It will have to be sold at cents straight. These are the limitations, of course. nearly all of which are made in Germany. Fortunately, we purchased our stock months ago. Some of it has been received; some of 1t stopped on the other side as all shipping has been stopped We usually buy about $2500 worth of toys each season and by this time We have received them, but don't suppose VIC will get any of them now"
 "Avhat will you do for Christmas things?" I asked.
 
 urers now said Mir. Loeb. They have the chance of their lives. With every industry of that kind closed down on the other side if they turn out a good grade of toys and do 1t fast enough they'll have everything their own way. The war ought to have good effect upon the American public in that it will make 1t patronize home industries. It is like d man from Birmingham who goes to New York to buy, when he can get just as good right here as ne can there. So 1t is with the Amer jeans who flock to Paris and pay dou- bic what they do here for things that are no better than we have in this country"
 MT. Ferd Caheen of Caheen Bros, when I saw him yesterday, was just in re- ceipt of a letter from his sister, Mrs. Simon Klotz, and in quoting from 1t ne said:
 My sisters letter was written two weeks ago from Paris. In the meantime she and MT. Klotz have arrived in New York She speaks of the tremendous dif- ference in the shopping districts of Paris. All the beautiful shops are closed-every- body gone to war. The Zouaves can be seen here and there, the mounted police and a struggling soldier or two. Mo- body, she says, Is thinking aboN style or clothes"
 .'WnaC mas been the eIIect ol tho ~oA on your buyers in New York?" asked4 'in regard to laces and dress materials?'
 We of course buy very much smaller stock of laces in the winter than we do in the summer" said MT. Caheen, and so far the greatest increase we have found to be in nets. Brussels net especially has advanced in price and also the Valen- cenes 1aces. There won't we any more 5-cents a yard faces for sometime, owing to the manufactures all being disabled. When I was abroad several years ago visited Ghent, Nadine and Brussels, where so many of the beautiful laces and fabrics of that kind are made, and l know just what 1t means when the industries are closed Also at Calais many beautiful laces are made, and all these, of course. are entirely out of business. Jetted nets are almost impossible to buy. and there is no doubt but that the spring prices will be away ahead of any we've ever known when it comes to laces and nets and things of that sort. Gloves are another article that will soar higher and higher on ac- count of the war, and many of the big glove houses are refusing to take orders after December because they know they can't supply the demand"