New-York tribune., 1920-10-31
Clothing Manufacturers Plan
TO Open Lines Soon, How
ever; Expiration of Com
tracts May Break Market

Despite efforts that will be made BY
some manufacturers Of mems clothing
to start the spring selling season next
month, 1t appears fairly conclusive at
this time that no large movement In
spring garments at wholesale will be-
gin much before the first Of the year.
A leader in the local manufacturing
field who is prominently identified with
the national trade organization of
clothing manufacturers, asserted yes
terday that so far as the New York
market Is concerned there was little
Likelihood of the spring seasons being
opened before January /. Normally
the spring selling and producing sea-
son should now be under way.
The chief causes Of the day lie in the
unsettled condition of the cloth market
and the large amount Of clothing made
up for this fall and winter. which has
been thrown back on the hands of
manufacturers through cancellation of
orders and returns Of merchandise from
retailers. The fact that the guaranty
on suit prices until November Is and
on overcats until December 1. entered
into last May between the associated
retailers and manufacturers, soon will
expire further complicates the stu
alton.
Hart, Schafner & Marx, leading Chi
cago manufacturers, have announced
a delay in their spring opening, and
through circulars and advertisements
have advised the retail trade to hold
on making spring purchases. A tele-
gram received by The Tribune yester-
day from the Stein Bloch Company con-
tirmed the report that the Rochester
manufacturers would open their spring
season on November Is. Alfred Decker
O. Cohn, Chicago producers, also in
formed The Tribune that they were
working on spring samples and would
show them "as soon as ready" B.
Kuppenheimer & Co., Of chicago.
through Ludwig Stein, vice-presidcnt'
replied as follows to a request for in
formation concerning their plans for
spring:
"The opening OF our line FOR spring
Will take place as originally planned
on November 15 In pricing our prod
uct we. shall take into consideration
not only the factors that have pre-
sented themselves during the asst
month, but also the future declines in
the primary market, which, we believe.
We can substantially discount. ANY
radical departure from the established
procedure in any basic industry at this
time would invite grave consequences.
We regard it as a duty to maintain at
whatever cost the structure and sub
stance Of our industrial system. All
public spirited manufacturers will pro-
ceed to operate and thereby stabilize
the market by assuring consumption
and keeping the vast army of workers
employed"
1t is reported here that one Of the
largest clothing manufacturers in the
country has had about 40 900 suits and
10000 overcoats returned by retailers
this fall. The accumulations in New
York, Chicago and Rochester are all
large, it is believed. One possible out
come of a general opening in Roches-
ter on November Is will be the pur-
chasing of this accumulated merchan-
disc rather than the placing of new
orders. Reductions in prices Of as
much as 40 per cent are expected with
the expiration of the price guarantee
period.
Clothing manufacturers expect fur
ther reductions in woolens and worst
eds with the fall, 1921, goods opening
around next month or the first of the
year. Because there is little difference
in the character and weight Of cloth
used in both spring and fall clothing
these new cloth offerings will provide
supplies for the spring season, the
manufacturers believe. SO far the
manufacturing clothiers have pur-
chased little spring cloth, having taken
little more than enough to make up
| their spring samples.
II have not bought dollars worth
of spring cloth for stock" said Henry
Fruhauf, of Fruhauf Bros. & Co. local
manufacturers, yesterday, "and I know
many other manufacturers who are
waiting for the new offerings of ma
terials by the mills. We feel sure that
cloth prices because of the drop in
wool and the signs Of lower wage
scales will show further reductions
There is no use in clothing manufac-
turers booking spring orders in No
vember, when they will be cancelled in
December or January if cloth prices
are lower. Besides. the labor question
in New York is far from settled. and
likely will not be settled for some
time. so that manufacturers have no
stable basis now on which to figure
spring prices"