Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1920-09-11
PULLING THE WOOL.

The American WOODEN Company,s.
advertisement Of the reopening Of
its mills with its, explanation Of
why they we're closed, gives supp@~t
to the widespread criticism Of It's
suspension: of operations early n
last July =
That crificisfi was that the COM
pany had shut, down to prevent any
recession Of the high prices of is
goods. heademand at those prices
was falling off, Merchants began: to
mark down Clothing. in order to s>ll
it and to cancel orders for future de-
!ayeries at, the range of prices that
had prevailed. The American Wool
en- Company. which practically con-
trolls its field 'irthis country, refused
to sell itsSgoods al any reduction Of
the old prices. Rather than do that
It locked .its doors. quit work ard
settled down to wait til the market
should come back to its terms. That
this was its real motive is shown in
it's advertisement Inviting the
prompt purchase of its goods.
which it again places on sale today.
1t says in that advertisement that
its aim in Shutting down was "stead-
mess in prices and fair values for
it's goods ,S;'for its wool purchased"
fnot the wool Sold by the grower)
land for It's labor employed" What
were the ,prices Whoce steadineSs
must be maintained, and what were
the fair Values that must maintain
them? These questions are ans
we're the phices whose steaainoss
The prices Of wool and WOODEN
goods" it says, "wer4 at The highest
seen sincesthis company was a.
ganized" .:srhey were the peak
prices, higher even than the war
prices. and they must be kept at
the peak, OR the American Woo.cn
Company would have no goods for
sale. That was precisely The Cour-
ierJournsIs CRITIC Sss'aai : af.e;Itht COM
pamy's coufse at the time il closed
its mills.
As to thes. fair vat the labor
employed. the fonlpanE, shows that
It mad just,.made, $$epether increase
Of i. per cent n wages. an says
that it believes in ''the highest wages
that expenditure. by -wagc-earncrs
themselves: SwilI iustify.". -9is tie !
public is siinwilline,ato% pay c"ou,h
FOR clothessto enqhle, the comnanN 10,
keep up forever. that standard Of ,
prices and::S~ages: then the pahl;c
may go naked, soy,fars as the Ameri-'
can Woo'en' Comltlny is concerned |
The company says the Stacking de- |
mand for It's goods was due to TIE !
indictments for proftee,ing obtained
against it by the Goyernment. Tic /
trade accepting titesa. si ln!ssssite1ments rs
notice that prices tEy5nV'eu c?oth
must be reduced. --effafs3s may lie. /
something ain that. :, 1T is fat. /
however, that the market was ma .
terially Stacking before these in
dictments were found, The people |
had wcaried of paying peak prices
for clothinSsandishad begun to sto? !,
buying. Tbe. popular rebellion a
~ainst the American Wooden Com
pany's gougs, was well Ga before the
indictments 'Were found
That it was a; gouge i apparent
not only from the proof which the
Government collected bpt. from the
company's own stlow:nggsSSA According
70 its latest report this; corporation
has increased sssa'Ss ,''mcre,i
than 300 per cent sstilr last four
years and is cosRmoit stock earn
ings more than $50 per gent; while
its common'steck. earnings aho"e all
taxes and -,cl,asgsssslast year We're
nearly 10 pc, centseSen after Tie
payment ofF>the fabulous. salaries
and commissions allowed its presi-
dent by It's many mills.