The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1920-06-24
SHODDY WOOL DEALERS =.
FORCING WOOL GROWERS.
!. N. ....:... :. INTO INSOLVENCY
One Billion Pounds of Virgin
Wool Held in Storehouses
| , " 5 e Causes Condition " "'%.SE'

4 1919, while billion pounds of un-
Observation-Disclosures wool were &C.
|: cumulating in the storehouses. Shod-
@dy is made of wooden rags, ,re-spun
! perhaps as often as eight times. II
\ is woven with small percentage Of
virgin wool to stick the broken fibres
4 together. OF the 620, 100000 yards
of "all wool" cloth produced by the
nations mills, the amount of shoddy
I used would have produced $50, 900,
900 yards, if, straight shoddy cloth
had been turned out. Mixed with a
little new wool, it entered into the
4 comp position Of a. vastly greater yard
age. In the same period, the amount
Of new wool used would have pro-
3duced 100000, 900 yards Of virgin
wool cloth, if it had not been adulter-
ated with shoddy. -,
today by the National Sheep and
Wool Bureau of America, No. 20
South LaSalle street, which is organ
ling the sheep, farm and business in
terests of the country behind the
J French Capper Truth in Fabric bill.
This bill was left in the hands Of
the interstate commerce. committees
! Of both houses of congress at adj
4 journment.s ~ It is designed to compel
manufacturers to stamp their cloth
with the percentages Of virgin wool
and Of shoddy it contains. Howard
~ Greene, secretary of the bureau,
said: i ~"4 n l4S IT, ~
/ AstLast year, as never before, the
shoddy interests succeeded, in foist-
inri their goods on the public. Only
600, 100000 pounds Of wool in it's
natural state, or 900, 1000, 900 pounds
ofscleaned wool, were converted into
cloth. Most Of this amount: was
mixed with shoddy to- make it stick
together. II the entire 0,00O, 900
pounds had been made into pure vir-
GID wool cloth, it would have pro-
vided only 240,000,0O0 yards, as
against the 380,000,000 yards of
shoddy goods i. .''''.> :. g.
& .ta'It would have taken / $3.50, zoo, 900
pounds of virgin wool to have made
the entire 100000, 600 yards of all
wool, cloth turned out by our mills.
But the entire amount need not have
been, made Of virgin wool. There
should have been virgin wool cloth
for those who could afford it and
shoddy for thinner purses. That
would have provided for fair, COM
petition between virgin wool cloth
and shoddy and for fair range Of
prices. si Instead, through the lack Of
stamping, shoddies were sold as all
wool, and the public, accepting all
wool to mean virgin wool, was de-
MED the right: of choice and the
benefit Of range Of prices. --.--'...
Today, many. stores are filled
with shoddy clothing and billion
pounds ofsvirgin2 wool fill the store
houses The lshoddy interests have
becomeY 50 thoroughly ,intrenched
through the right Of their product
to masquerade as new WOOL under
the popular term, all WOOL that
they have been able to create in their
own interest an artificial over-supply
Of virgin wool. -
Is "As q result, the wool growers are
being forced into insolvency. To save
those of the west from ruin, the fed
,eral reserve board has authorized the
San rancisco Federal Reserve bank
to advance money to help them carry
their unsold clips. But this aid at
fords only temporary relief. The
farmers and sheep men must have
permanent relief from the unfair
Competition Of the rag-pickers.