Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-08-22

~ a congressional investigation into the
high cost of clothing are now being
widely circulated throughout the clothing
trade here AS yet the public IS pleasantly
unaware of what. it will have TO pay for
clothes this fall. bit YOU may know that the
price situation is pretty bad when buyers
talking about government interference, and
even manufactuTers admit that the trade is
Ids OF DrOtiteers.
Just which end Of the trade IS making the
exorbitant profits IS hard to discover. The
retailers accuse the manufacturers and the
manufacturers, IN turn blame the iobbers
and wholesalers. But so much is known:
That there is no shortage Of material OF
labor: that this country has & larger surplus
of wool and cotton On hand this year than
it had lat year, when prices were lover;
t:,"- Elia ..ajorial is nOt being exported, be-
cause the European buyers standing OF,
waiting for a fall in PRICES and that the
higher cost Of labor and higher overhead
charges do not excuse the present eXorbi-
tant prices of ready-made clothes.
1t is further known thai, with plenty OF
material On hand production is being cur
tailed in order to create scarcity in the
market, and thus keep prices up. Many mills
are now refusing to supply fall orders, and
are holding their materials until spring
when prices will be even higher These con-
ditions are no secret They are freely dis
cussed throughout the clothing industry, and
several well-knOwn manufacturers and mer-
before the public in effort to stop the mad
riot of profteering.
81 look for thorough probe Of the prices
of both food and clothing by congressional
committee chosen to investigate the high
cost of living" declared New England
clothing dealer, who owns a chain Of stores
the other day. when fall clothing prices
are marked up there will be a howl of pro-
test from the consumer. II the investigation
does not come, then it will surely follow
the marking of next springs goods. [ al
most revolt, myself when prices for spring
delivery goods are quoted to me- [ hate
to order the goods at the prices asked"
While the comparison may not be fattering
the clothing industry may be likened to
band of highWaymeh, about half Of whom
are unwilling victims Of the more braZen
desperadOGG. In other words, a large num-
Der of manufacturers and dealers, having
studied economics, realize that eventually
prices must reach their highest point, and
tlat then the movement is apt to be rapid
n the other direction.
THE public will stand just so much" said
q cloak and suit manufacturer in discussing
tili3 place OF the situation, land then it will
rc3el. First thing you know, the bottom will
fell out of the market and where will honest
dealers be then-bankrupt, perhaps?' 1t is
this contingency which is causing the greatest
! uneasiness throughout the clothing trade
An example of the public's sudden capac-
ty for Independence was recently evidenced
in the attitude of European buyers. AS soon
as the armistice was signed, there was much
talk of profitable fields for American goods
TO be opened up in Europe. But a pur-
chaser, Europe has proved a tremendous dis
cpnOiutmepr She has bought in moderate
quantities, it is true, but for the most part
the European buyers biding their time
ana refusing TO pay the present inflated prices
Inis is al example which the American
public apparently refuses to follow. While
people grumble, they do not rebel, but con-
liaue buying anything that strikes their
fancy, with much more carelessness than was
exhibited last year The man who makes
two dollars where he formerly made one dol
lar seems perfectly willing to pay three times
~ much for his clothes. A trip through sew
al New York department stores discloses
the usual frenzied crowd of purchasers,
swelling the governments luxury tax revenue
and admiring the new fall models, most of
which are marked. in three figures before
you come to a decimal. glance in one
c2OD showed young woman to be purchas-
og a gray WOODEN sweater at the price of
$50, stenographer ordering her new fall
coat at $125 and school teacher buying