Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-11-21
WAR CONDITIONS BRING
CHAOS IN DRY GOODS LINE
Cotton Goods, Linen, Silk and
Wool Markets "Up in
the Airn

Conditions brought about by the Eu-
ropsan var have produced a state Of
chaos in Ihe cotton goods, linen, silk anO
wool markers, according to the head OF
one of Atlanta's leading department
stores, who is just back from New
\ ork
Neither / nor any one else knows
where it is going to end" he said Sat
urday.
Take the wooden goods market, for
example. One Of the leading manufac-
turers of wooden goods, who makes a
Iull fne of goods in normal times, has
cut his line down to broadcloths, .poplin
and serge. In order to get these, for
the fall season of 1877, we must place
our order now, must accept the goods
on March l and must pay cash on March
10. Then We must keep the goods until
he fall of 1917 before we can sell
them.
THE supply Of sheep in Australia has
Dropped from about S,00G,000, which is
the number or foot in normal times,
TO about 3,5OO,O0O, and they are not
raising sheep as fast as the supply of
wool is being used. Sheep in the United
States are also far below the normal
supply.
NO MORE MACHINERY.
1.-The manufacturer of wooden blankets
from whom we have purchased most
of our line for years has sold his en-
tire output for 1917, giving each Gus.
omer exactly what the customer got
before, and no more. This manufac-
1urer can get no more machinery from
Germany, and the wool supply is also
short.
"In the linen market, it would not
surprise me If there should be an en-
barge on linen in the near future. The
major portion of the worlds supply OF
flax is raised in Russia, 1t is manu-
featured in Ireland, Scotland and Aus
tria. Russia's fax crop is way below
normal, and manufacturing in Ireland
and Scotland is off because of the war,
while Austria, as every one knows, is
cut off from the world. a linen towel
hat we used to sell for 80 cents now
costs US $3.50 per dozen, or more than
so cents apiece. 1t is not at all I'M
likely for the United States soon to find
herself cut down to the supply of linen
goods actually on hand, with no more
coming in.
prices of cotton goods are idiotical1y
high. / know of no better way to de-
scribe conditions in this market than
to say il looks like different planet.
The spinners are buying cotton at 20
cents a pound, and cotton is hard to
get, even at that price. There is abso-
lutely no stability in the price of any
manufactured cotton product. A mer-
chant simply must buy wherever he can
find the goods, and must buy at what
ever price he thinks he can stand, re-
sardless of how high it is.
BOUGHT FOR GREECE.
The other day l was pricing cotton
goods remnants in a big New York con-
Germ. One lot of remnants was priced
TO me at 10 1-2 cents yard. / threw
ND my hands. Standing behind me was
a pig fellow with a black mustaChe and
heavy black eyebrows. When l refused
10 nav Is IL cents, he bought the lot
at that price for shipment 10 Athens
Greece.
"Buyers from every civilized country
on the globe are in New York, hghtlng
To get the goods.
Raw silk has advanced from $3.50
round to Sc a pound, but in this market
conditions are not quite so extreme as
n the cotton goods, linen and wooden
goods markets.
And not only is this a description
of conditions in the four lines l have
mentioned-cotton goods, linen, silk ana
wool-but the same thing is true, l am
Informed, in every other line. Take
chinaware and crocKery. Or mems
wooden goods Or, diamonds. And, Oh
course, we all know the story OF soaring
prices of fcodstuffs.
what the end will be, no man can
tell"