Norwich bulletin., 1918-12-21
To Get Rid of Word shoddy.

We believe it is time that the press of the country discarded the use of the word shoddy and adopted the new term of reworked wool. It has been. appar ent for years that the average reader, particularly of the daily newspapers and magazines, had firmly established in his mind that shoddy was synonym ous with rubbish. It is unfortunate that this view in reference to shoddy has become so fixed in the minds of the general public, but it is time that the press of the country should lend it's assistance. to clearing up this er- roneous idea and in no way can this be accomplished so well as by the elimination of the term entirely so far as it has any reference to textile fabrics. Shoddy to the average citizen has always meant something cheap and regardless of what may be writ ten or printed in reference to it, it is never likely to convey any other mean ing. For that reason it should be dropped insofar as it has reference to the commodity now known as rework- ed wool.
 The present time is an exceptionally 1 opportune one for getting rid of this unpopular and meaningless word. and we suggest that the trade papers, to- | gether with the daily newspapers and magazines, refrain from using this ob l jectionable word and use the term re- | worked wool in it's place. The idea 1 that shoddy is rubbish or at least necessarily very cheap has been ex- ploded by the fact that the govern ment has allowed from 35 to 50 per cent. of such material in the blankets and overcoatings of it's naval and mill l'tary forces, and tt has done so after proving by exhaustive tests that nc combination of wool and cotton is | equal in warmth and durability to a garment made of virgin wool and re- worked wool combined. Some of the most prominent chemists of Great Britain who have recently aanlyze6 uniforms worn by German prisoners I have discovered that the material from which the cloth was made had beer carbonized seven times, and still con tained both warmth and strength Such a test proves conclusively tha anything described as rubbish is hardl! the proper term for a material whicl has so much to commend it in the wa! of wearing qualities.
 | With the formation of the war in
 dustries board a department was ere ated known as the woolen section witl
 chief in charge. This departmen
 
 nize dthe importance of reworked woe
 in the carrying out of it's war pro
 gram. It recognized from the star
 that reworked wool was to play
 very large part in colthing the Ameri
 can army. For the first time in tn
 history of textiles, reworked wool wa
 placed on parity with wool in mat
 ters of transportation and priority fo
 fuel. The government through tn
 war industries board even went fur
 ther and advised the civilian popula
 ton Of this country that not a poun
 of virgin wool could be released fo
 the manufacture of clothing for civil
 ians. We believe that the facts a
 above set forth justify the manufac
 turers of reworkel wool in asking, a
 they have asked, that the trade papers and the press at large, no longer mis
 represent their product by referrin
 to it as shoddy. Reworked wool is tn
 new name chosen. Let's use it!- Boston Commercial Bulletin.