Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-01-10
UNDERWEAR
GAINING IN POPULARITY

American underwear is gaining in
popularity and this fact is making for
eign underwear mt longer fashionable
in the country, say the government in
vestigators who have been making a
study of the industry here. The report
has just been made public by the De-
lpartment of Commerce. The investiga-
ton was made by the cost of produc-
ton division of the bureau of foreign
and domestic commerce.
The knit-underwear industry in the
United States, the report says, has had
a rapid growth in recent years, the in
crease in output from 1899 to 1909
amounting to more than 20 per cent
and since 1909, although exact figures
are not available. the growth has been
fully as satisfactory. The industry is
widely scattered, but a large proper
ton of the cotton knit underwear is
manufactured in Utica, Amsterdam and
other places in the Mohawk valley in
New York state. Cohoes. n. Y, is an
important center for the manufacture
of wooden knit underwear.
Sixty-three establishments were COW
cred by the bureau in its study of the
industry, and these concerns reported
capital employed in the business
amounting to ~sIs.126,o26. For these
profit on net sales was 5.73 per cent
and IN capital employed in business
3.45 per cent. Twenty-eight esta blish-
ments had a manufacturing profit of
more than 10 per cent on capital en-
ployed in business. The report reaches
the conclusion, therefore, tina the in
dustry as a whole was in a prosperous
condition during the normal times be-
fore the war. The fact that some mills
are ordinarily more prosperous thar
others is attributed in a measure to the
difference in mechanical equipment and
to the inferior cost-accounting methods
used in some mills. II is anticipated
that the criticism in this respect will
arouse as much discussion as did SINH
lar comments in the report or the hos
tiery industry. AS to the prosperity of
the industry since the war started,
there is no question, says the report.
Direct Sales Increasing.
As in the closely related hosiery in
dustry, a very marked tendency is no.
lticed toward direct sales from man.
ufacturer to retailer. Direct sales now
amount to more than 20 per cent of the
total, and although this Is considerably
behind the percentage Of hosiery sold
| direct, ii represents an important in
crease within the last ten years. The
advantages and disadvantages of H.
| rect sales are given considerable at
tention in the report.
The use of Anticipated machinery and
the failure to keep machinery in prop
err condition are given as causes of low
profits in some mills. There have been
many improvements in machinery in re-
cent ears, and mills that have contin-
ued to use the old-type machines are
finding themselves at a decided disad-
vantage. without being aware, in some
cases, of the real cause of the trouble.
In spite of certain adverse criticisms,
however, the p as a whole indi-
Gates that the knit-underwear industry
is in a soundly prosperous condition
- st. x1Arn 10 M A hi IN ,tsr.o,
that the future promises anything bu
a continuance Of that prosperity. Now
that the industry has developed suf-
nciently to meet the enormous home de-
nland. 1T is more than likely that
American-made knit underwear will
ind it's way in increasing quantities
into the most promising foreign mar
kets.