The Hawaiian gazette., 1916-04-18
Heavy Factory Increases Call
For This II Standards Are To
Be Maintained
SHORTAGE or MATERIALS
AND DYES FORCE MARKET
Dealers In Honolulu Satisfied
That Customers win Continue
Buying High Grades

Survey Of the retail business in Ho-
nolum indicates that many factors win
combine to make the coming Fall sea,
son most difficult one for the cloth
ing dealers. Problems which manufac-
tarers in this line have never faced
before have come up In this industry
as a. result of the war conditions. The
main difficulties for the manufacturers
60 snrmonnt win be, of course, the mat
ter Of prices and the dye shortage. The
high levels which woolens and worst
eds have reached have, according 10
one Honolulu dealer, upset many a man
nfactnrer = calculations, and the invari
Pble result has been TO lift the cost of
manufacturing clothing by a material
percentage. Naturally this will meal
corresponding increase of retail price
everywhere, including Honolulu.
Merchants Win Maintain Standard
How will the retailers meet thes'
changed conditional Will the store
keepers hammer away with their old
Ilrice argumentsf .ln this connection
manufacturers in the mainland who
have been interviewed by buyers for
Honolulu retailers on the course of nc
Ion to be taken by their customers
answered the last question by saying
that the majority of merchants will
fling prices to the wind, make the nee
essary advances on their lines, anH
maintain their past standards. On,
manufacturer who is recognized as {
'leading "thinkerD of the industry ha'
given it as his opinion that the trad
ing down policy Of the retailers will
We replaced by trading up
THE retailers have talked over thu
matter with, - be said, "are generally
agreed upon the point that the public
is prepared to pay higher prices TO
their clothing. Outside of the war it
self, do not think that any other mat
tef has come more forcibly to the atten
ton of most men than the higher cost
Of manufacturing that the war ha
thought about. 1t would be most foOlisl
Cor the retailer to run his usual scale o
prices, lower his standard of quality
and refuse to take advantage of th'
sentiment that has been spread abroat
Ivy the publicity and talk deV Oted to tho
subject of higher costs.
Prices Being Marked Up
The manufacturers who are prepar
ing their lines for the coming season
now are marking up their prices. Oh
the cheaper grades of clothing a dollar
n suit more will probably be asked. o.
the low end merchandise it will be fOune
that, where a line formerly started a.
six dollars and fifty cents, it will begiI
at seven dollars and a half. The ad
vnnees made will be prOpOrtionate a.
the wholesale price is higher. In many
cases the manufacturers will show somt
merchandise at their usual bottom price
but these goods will be inferior to thu
quality ordinarily offered at that price
"The retailers will take their cu'
from the wholesalers and mark up then
prices. In some cases, if the merchant
Is accustomed to handle n line to sell
al fifteen dollars, Ne will ad
vance . such goods to eighteen
dollars and discontinue the fifteen dol
lar price altogether. Others tell mt
that they will take a small amount o.
merchandise to sell at the old figure
fifteen dollars, for the sole purpose OF
comparison. In other words, the ffteeI
dollar suit will represent a standard
of goods inferior to the kind hitherto
bought at that figure.
Keeping Down Inferior Goods
2 "Price is not the main consideration
with the public, said j. l.. Cooper OF
the Clarion, on Saturday, discussing
the local clothing trade. That hai
been proved a number of times in thu
past. The stores that have gained thu
most during NE last few years arr
those that have conducted their bust
ness along conservative lines. Thu
continual sale policy of some hy-by
night concerns has Melted them nothing
With the return of prosperity thu
stores being patronized more and NOR
are those which have maintained thei
standards even when the demand wa
dull'h
Summed up, the view Of the Honolulu
merchant, reasoned out by theTnselve
and picked up from their customers, ar
that the retailers can afford to ask bet
ter prices, and that the lowering O
standards would be dangerous and un
profitable.