Arizona republican., 1919-12-29
HIGH CL LOTH|NG PRICES DUE U PUBLIC IF MANC ASSERTS WOOL Consumers Insist on Having Finest Grades of Wool
 He Declares Blanes Government Sells Australian Wool at
 Figures Far in Excess
 of Cost Prices
[Repubiican A. p. Leased uir.1

BOSTON, Dec. 2S.-The insistence Of the public upon cloth made from fine wools is large factor in the pres ent high prices of clothing, according 10 William M. Wood, president of the American Woolen company. Mir. Wood. who recently charged that some of the merchants in Lawrence were demand ing excessive prices for necessaries and were in the habit of raising prices with every increase in wages in the company's mills here, gave out a state ment tonight in response to request for his views upon the high cost of clothing.
 If our people would consent" was his conclusion, ito wear good. sub stantial, durable clothes made of the coarser wools, clothing could be pur- chased at considerably lower prices than those which now prevail"
 His statement in part follows:
 Many Factors Contribute
 Tt is generally thought that the cost of cloth is the controlling factor in the cost of clothing, but the fact is that the cloth cost is less than half the cost of completed suit and other factors contribute quite as much to the price of clothing.
 Tn the last five years the price of cloth in the ordinary suit of clothes has advanced no more: indeed, has advanced a litNle less. than the cost Of ldDOf ana OLneh 1naIGTldlS that go Into the making of the suit. The following figures show this, which I have from a manufacturer and merchant of cloth ing of the highest prominence in Bos- ton:
 "The cost in 1919 of the cloth for d suit of clothes of a particular grade is s13.67. The corresponding cost in 1914 was s4.5s, showing an increase in the cost of cloth of $9.09. The 1919 cost of making this suit is s14.4f- The corresponding cost in 1914 was s4,9e, showing an increase in the cost Of making $9.49.
 These figures show that cloth con- tributes slightly less than labor and other materials to the increased cost of clothing. Therefore, to your ques- tion why prices of clothing continue so high throughout the country, the reply is because the costs of labor and cloth and other materials that go into clothing continue so high"
 Shortage Partially Responsible
 After pointing out that there is a shortage of cloth and clothing in the markets of the world, which always means high prices" and that almost every material and every process in has pay heavy tax, both state and Mir. Wood continued:
 Tn a measure during the war, and to a greater extent since, there has developed a curiouSiy 1nslStant de- mand for cloth made from the finer and more expensive wools. People will no longer buy cloth made of the coarser and consequently cheaper grades, although clothing made from these wools is both Serviceable and sound Before the war, the demand for these finer grades of cloth was chiefIy-indeed almost exclusively from the more fastidious in taste. But now everybody demands the finef clothes and nobody will take anything else.''
 we recently made up a sample oK cloth in which coarse wool was used in the warp only. The appearance of the sample was but slightly different from that made of finer wools. It had in a marked degree the smooth, soft .. texture of fine wool. Its cost was less than the fabric made of the finer grades As cloth it was good strong and serviceable. Before Inc war it would have sold readily bur we were absolutely unable to put iS on the market.
 Public Has Expensive Tastes
 Our selling agencies. told us that .here was no demand for it; people would not buy it; that customers i'm sisted on fine smooth, soft fabrics and hat accordingly, the manufacturers f we made it mp in quantity, because hey could not sell clothes made from t. To our suggestion that when peo- ole were complaining so of high prices. his cloth that would make a differ .nce of five dollars or more in the cost of a suit ought to sell readily, the .eply was that five dollars in the cost If the cloth for 8 suit of clothes did lot count at all these days, the people