Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1920-07-22
Why Wool Is Cheap.

Wv "OSh - St3ap.
The Sheep and Wool Bureau has is
sued the following statement ex-
planatory Of the slack demand and the
low price offered for this years wool
clip:
Half a billion pounds Of shoddy
were thrown on the American clothing
market in 1919, while a billion pounds
OF manufactured virgin wool were
accommodating in the storehouses.
Shoddy is made OF wooden rags, respun
perhaps as often as eight times. Ii is
woven with snail percentage of
virgin wool to stick the broken fibers
together or the 620,OOO,OOO Yards of
"all WOOL cloth produced by the ma
tons mills, the straight shoddy cloth
had been turned out Mixed with a
little sew wool, il entered into the
consumption OF vastly greater yard
age. In the same period, the amount
Of new wool used would have produced
240,OOO,O00 yards OF virp;- wool cloth.
il il had not been adulterated with
shoddy.
These statistics were made public
by the National Sheep and Wool Bur-
eau OF America, which is organizing
the sheep, farm and business interests
of the country behind the French Cap
per Truth in Fabric bill. This bill
was left in the hands of the Interstate
Commerce Committees OF both houses
OF Congress at adjournment. Ii is de-
signed to compel manufacturers to
stamp their cloth with the percentages
OF virgin wool and Of shoddy il con-
tains. Howard E. Greene, secretary
OF the bureau, said:
Last year, as never before, the
shoddy interests succeeded in foist-
ing their goods on the public. On'v
6OO,OOO,000 pounds OF wool in its
natural state, or 30OOOO,O00 pounds
had been made into pure virgin wool
cloth, it would have provided only
240,OOO,OOO yards, as against the $780,
100000 yards of shoddy goods.
ut would have taken l,55OOOO,OOO
pounds of virgin wool to have made
the entire 620,0O0,OOO 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 competition between
virgin wool cloth and shoddy and for
fair range of prices. Instead, through
the lack of stamping, hoddieS were
sold as all wool and the public, ac-
cepting all wool to mean virgin wool,
was denied the right of choice and the
benefit OF range Of prices.
To-day the stores are filled with
shoddy clothing and a billion pounds
OF virgin wool fill the storehouses. The
shoddy interests have become so
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 interests an arti-
hclal over-supply of virgin wool.
I'm spite of this billion pounds in
the StorehouSes, the world produces a
third less wool annually than it needs
and the demand for new wool is as
great as ever. The shoddy manufac-
turers have simply thrown themselves
between the public with its demand
for virgin wool and the sheep men with
their supply.
"As a 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 Francisco Federal Bank to ad-
vance money to help carry their unsold
clips. But this aid affords only tenn
porary relief. The farmers and sheep
men must have permanent relief from
the unfair competition of the rag-pick
ers.
The billion pounds of unmanufac-
tured virgin wool in the storehouses,
kept from the public that wants and
needs it by the legal right of manu-
facturers to use unidentified shoddy
in their all wool cloth, threatens the
annhilation Of the sheep and wool in
dustry. 1t is to the interest of every
voters to get behind the French Cap
per Truth in Fabric bill and see that il
is enacted into law at the next session
OF Congress. Between enlightened
public opinion and the Truth in Fabric
law, the wool growers may be able to
recover some Of this springs losses at
next springs clip"