The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-01-20
Stop Imitation Before Balloon
Blows Up, Warning.
Feature Speaker Second Day
CIOthiers' Convention.
APPAREL CLUB At C. OF C.
ID. P. Dawson Heads 0rganiza-
tiOn Another Year.
To Be Hosts at Banquet for
Tradesmen Wednesday Night.

Gov. Henry J. Allen in a brief ad-
dress this afternoon concerning alb
normal business conditions held the
interest OF the 400 visiting clothiers
who are in Topeka attending the an
nual convention Of the Kansas Retail
ers' association and the Kansas APP
pareI club.
Every wise business man will
realize that this is a period of infla-
tion in which We are living" the gov
ernor said. "a period of initiation
which cannot last forever. Every
man should work to end this condition
before the inflated balloon blows up.
I do not accuse any business man
of profiteering. The cause of high
prices is a fault of no one class: the
power of personal greed with all
classes-consciously or unconsciously
turks behind the unfortunate con-
dition."
State regulation of prices, in Gov
ernor Aliens opinion, would not give
comprehensive results. The matter
should be left to the personal regula
tion Of the business man, he asserted.
The profiteer in the clothing business
viii be forced TO change his ways by
the glare of public opinion if all
honest clothiers will get back of the
fair price committee, according to Ed
T. Hackney. of Wellington. Kansas
fair price commission, who spoke
Monday before the convention of re-
tail clothiers and apparel men now in
session in Topeka.
Price Problem Difficult.
THE fair price committee has q
problem as difficult to handle as any
trouble in the darkest day of the
war" Mr.. Hackney declared. Put its
task will be easy if the committee has
the backing of the merchant, and
wrong conditions will be elimina ted"
For an hour after his address Mr..
Hackney answered a rapid fire of
questions on price fixing from the
clothing dealers. The nature of the
questions demonstrated that the cloth
1ers present were anxious to under
stand what the state fair price COM
Tnittee expects of them, and to act
accordingly.
The great increase in labor costs
was given as the primary factor in
the high cost of clothing by Fred Vol
land, following the talk by Mr.. Hack
ney. Mr.. Voiland quoted President
Hillman of the Amalgamated Garment
Workers of America, with the start
ling statement that since 1914 labor
wages had increased 249 per cent. But
never in the history of the clothing
trade, Mr.. Voiland said, had there
been such fine workmanship in the
waking of garments.
Sweat Shop Clothing Passe.
"Sweat-shop-made clothing is
Thing of the past" Mr.. Voiland de-
clared.
Reporting findings of the national
special committee on plans which met
in Chicago recently Mr.. Voiland said
that the general agreement of the
committee was that thirty-three and a
third per cent profit was considered
fniT margin and that nf
thtrty-ffve per cent profit should be
realized. Research of the committee,
under the direction of Howard Figg,
assistant to Attorney General Palm er,
showing that clothing merchants had
been realizing a profit of from "a to
SO per cent. The SO per cent profit
was found in Pacific coast states. But
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