The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1919-12-29
DEMAND FOR finer
CLOTHES ONE CAUSE
OF PRICE ADVANCES

Dec. GS-Thc irsist"nce OF
the public upon cloth made from ine
wool is Il large factor In the Ir'Sent
high prices of clothing. acVoII'HH ~
William NJ. Wood. president OF thI .nna,
rrIruu Wooden Cumpany. Mr.. N""d' VINO
recently CharEcd that some OF tl'' lh'r-
chants IN Lawrence wrr" d'utah"lME ~
CessIyc prices for n"ccsSarles, ana were
In the habit OF raising prices WIN cEriS
increase in wages IN the 'uNlP"nS >
mills in that city, gave out n prepared
statement tonight in response u" 4 re-
quest for his views upon the high cost
or clothing. uoe
his conclusion, ito wear good subs'ah-
tial durable clothes made Of the ~co'rsrt
, woods. clothing could be purchase AT
considerably lower prices than those
woods Statement
His statement in part follows.
1T is generally thought that the cost
Of cloth IS TIN" controlling factor IN tnt
cost OF clothing. but IN" faEt Is tnat
the cloth cost is less than half the cost
OF n completed suit, and other factors
contribute to the high price OF clothing
, quite as much AZ the cost OF the cIuth' .
In the last five years the PriC: ",
cloth in the ordinary suit OF clothes
has advanced 10 more, indeed, mas al
. NAnCcd q little less than the cost OF
labor or other materials mat 20 into
the making Of the suit: The i"ii"wlhE
. INJURIES SNOW ltiN, MIl'H i ~ ''''
MANUFACTURED and merchant Of clothing
OF the highest prominence m Byslon.
"rhc cost IN 1919 OF the cloth Tor q
suit Of clothes Of a particular Hrau" ~
Sl3.GT. The CorrCSpuulIiE cost IN IVA
was Si.5S. showing an !Hrr'ts" IN the
cost Of cloth Of $".u9. .
The lglg cost "C making this suit
is $li.47. Tn" CORRESPONDING cost ~
l9l4 WAS SiiN. 81 an increase III
thr cost Of muhInE O! sag.
These figures show that cloth contrib
utcs slightly less than labor and other
materials to lh" i.'r'I~'d cost ~ 'ioth-
ing. Therefore. t. Your question why
prices 0f clothing continue so h,Hh
J throughout the country the rep y Is be.
Caus" IN" costs uf labor and cloth and
= other materials that s" into clothlnS
, continue So hIGh.'
! Shortage Of Cloth
After pointing cut that there Is n
shortage Of cloth and clothing in III"
markets Of TN" w"rId. wNu'h always
means hiph Prices. and ihol almost
! every material aud ivory process IN
volvrd IN the manuf,"tur" Of clothing
has L. pay 4 h"tvy 'H>' both state and
federal. MIR. Wood c"nl,nurd: .
In Il measure during the war. and
TO a prcat,r ,N:,ut s,mc". there has
: dyyrlupr j II rur.ru~l! rHsIstrUt demand
. for ciulh u.adr tram the Uurr and murr
t"Xpnu~l.r Nuul-. i".tnHI'i" Ia" LONGER puN
yl"Ih rral. ,' lhr r"nrs'r and Comse-
. ou-nih ia, al,r Nrddrs. although "iUlh-
N,rah'" and Sound Erfur" the war tn"
demand for this" finer grades of cloth
was CLirfiy-iud,cd almost exclusively
from the NOR frsiIdlouS in taste, but
now everybody demands the finer
clothes and nobody VIII take anything
else. ,
we recently made UP a sample Of
cloth in which coarse wool was used IN
the warp only. Tn appearance Of the
sample WIS but slightly different from
that mud" Of finer woods. !, had IN u
marked degree the smooth. soft texture
/ Of fine wool, Its cost was considerably
/ less than the fahri" made Ivy the finer
GRADES. As n cloth Il W." good. strong
and scrviccahlC. Ecfurc the war II would
have sold readily. but "" Wer" nhso-
lutcly Unable L. pat II ON the market.