The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1920-07-09
Sheep and Wool
Bureau Versus
Shoddy Clothe.


can clothing market in 1919, while
billion pounds of manufactured
virgin wool were accumulatin n
the storehouses. Shoddy Is made OF
wooden rags, re-spun perhaps as
often as eight times. 1t is woven
with small percentage of virgin
wool to stick the broken fibers to-
gether. Of the 620,000,000 yards of
''all WOOL cloth produced by the ma
tons mills, the amount of shoddy
used would have produced 100000
0oQ yards, if straight shoddy cloth
had been turned out. Mixed with
little new wool, it entered into
the composition of a vastly greater
yardage. In the same period, the
amount of new wool used would have
produced FAC, 100000 yards of virgin
wool cloth, if it had not been adul-
terated with shoddy.
These statistics were made public
by the National Sheep & Wool
Bureau of America, No. 20 South
La Sale street, which is organizing
the sheep, farm and business inter-
ests of the country behind the
French-Capper Truth in Fabric bill
This bill was left in the hands of the
Interstate Commerce committee of
both houses of Congress at adjourn
ment. 1t is designed to compel
manufacturers to stamp their cloth
with the percentage of virgin wool
and Of shoddy it contains. 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. Only
600,000,O00 pounds of wool in its
natural state, or 800, 100000 pounds
of cleaned wool, were converted into
cloth. Most of this amount was
mixed with shoddy to make it stick
together. If the entire 800, 100000
pounds had been made into pure
virgin wool cloth, it would have pro-
vided only 24O,0OO,OOO yards, as
against the 3S0,000,000 yards of
shoddy goods.
1T would have taken 100000
600 pounds of virgin wool to have
made the entire $40, 900 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. Instead, thru the lack of
stamping, shoddies were sold as all
wool and the public, accepting 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 billion pounds
of virgin wool fill the storehouses
The shoddy interests have become
SO thoroly intrenched thru 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.
''ln spite of this billion pounds
In the storehouses, the world pro-
duces third less wool annually
than it needs and the demand for
new wool is as great as ever. The
shoddy manufacturers have simply
brown themselves between the pub
ic with its demand for virgin wool
md the sheep men with their sup
)ly.
"As result, the waol-growers
ire being forced into insolvency. To
ave those of the west from ruin, the
ederal reserve board has authorized
he San Francisco Federal Reserve
Sank to advance money to help them
AIRY their unsold clips. But this
i'd affords only temporary relief.
HE farmers and sheep men must
ave permanent relief from the I'M
air competition of the rag-pickers
THAT billion pounds of unmanu-
actured, virgin wool in the store
ouses, kept from the public that .
'ants and needs it by the legal right
f manufacturers to use unidentified
hoddy in their all wool cloth, .
threatens the humiliation of the
heep and wool industry. 1t is to
he interest of every voter to get ,
ehind the French-C apper Truth in
'abric bill and see that it is enacted
ito law at the next session of con-
ress. Between enlightened public
pinion and the truth in fabric law,
he wool growers may be able to re-
over some of this springs losses at 4
ext springs clip \
While loaning the sheep men
loney to withstand the rag pickers' q
the United States gov U
is doing more than any h
her single agency to swell the rag v
Ickers income. In the supplement i
} Commerce Reports" issued April q
0, the bureau of foreign and do h
este commerce, of the department s
commerce, reports under the
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