Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-01-02
Marked v, rh.y Cell Fsstsr.

Women do % per cant. OF the rvtail
buying in this country. Il In estimated.
Miss Edith strauss, appointed few
weeks ago BY tho Department Of JUS
tice. washinston, to organize the wo-
men OF tho country to fight the high
cost Of living. has como into contact
with this problem from three sides.
tho retailers the manufacturers, and
the consumers. and finds each illumi-
mating.
First as TO rampant extravaganza
data obtained from retailcrsi
Retail merchants have come TO me-"
said Miss Strauss, whose official title
Is Director of women's Activities, III.
c. L.. Department OF Justice. land
said How can we Cooperate when
people will not buy the cheap things
but insist on having the best that
money will get7' was told of a shoe
factory which formerly made work.
ingmen's shoes exclusively but has
practically discontinued that line be-
cause there was no market for such
shoes, and is now turning out fancy.
high grade footwear for the same
trade. A merchant In New York was
trying to sell women's coats q GER
tain lot he had--at SS5 apiece They
were fashionably made and q good
value. He wondered why they would
not 20 and asked a travelling salesman
II he thought the reason was that
they did not have fur collars. The
answer made was that the merchant
had the. coats marked too low; he
was advised TO put them at SIS and
see what happened. He adopted tho
suggestion and had no trouble in sell
ing the coats at the fancy figure.
"A Kansas merchant who desired to
CO. operate in our campaign to increase
the buying OF necessary things by
making prices more attractive and
thus reduce the call for luxuries
marked up his silk stockings % per
cent. and marked down his cotton
ones 20 per cent. In spite of this he
could not meet the demand for SILK
stockings. while the cotton hosiery
went begging. \ test of the extrava-
giant tendencies was made In Boston
by q shoe man. He was offering his
shoes at q narrow margin Of profit
comparatively speaking. Sales drag
sed. Two shoes stores on opposite
sides of the same street were select
ed for the experiment that was de-
cided upon. They were close togeth-
er, one Of them occupied by the man
referred TO. Forty. pairs Of shoes or
the s-rre style and wholesale price
were picked out. Twenty of them.
marked at s14 pair, We're put in the
show window of one OF the stores and
twenty marked 80 pair in the show
window Of the other store. Most OF
the shoes at s1s pair were sold he
fore a single pair of the sawe shoes
at go a. pair were disposed Of
This tendency to extravaganza, in
which of course, many take no part,
'-~~ r~o~ a-g-avatcf by the chansed
attitude Of numerous wealthy people.
During the war they set an example
of economy, avoiding any display OF
fine apparel. wearing their old cloth
es. But these seifimposed restrictions
were cast off when the war ended.
DR.. Henry van Dyke, in a letter TO
me on the work we are undertaking,
saws, The display of extravaganza
IN dreSs. WINCH iAas 'S SSh "a -
orr great cities is not only IN eX-
hibition of folly, but also a direct In
citernent to envy and unrest among
the poor The latter, however, show
that their objection to this kind of
display is not truly philosophical by
initiating it themselves as soon as
they get a little money.
TT would he great help in check
ing extravaganza If the rich wouic
set the example they followed during
the war. There is just as much need
of f1is sort Of thing now as there was
while the fighting was going on"