New-York tribune., 1920-01-31
Women Ignoring
The Real Bargains,
O0thiers Declare
Insist Upon Fashionable.
High-Priced Attire, Man
ufacturers Tell Federal
Food Administrator Here

Clothing manufacturers told Fed
eral Food Administrator Arthur Will
iams yesterday that real bargains IN
women's coats, dresses and suits were
being ignored while the public CON
centrated its demand on the higher
priced attire
Mr.. Williams's meeting with the
manufacturers was to discuss charges
or prohteerlng in wooden goods made
against them by Harry P. Belsinger, a
manufacturer of cloaks and suits of 80
Madison Avenue. Those summoned IN
cluded Herman Crystal, of Weinreb
and Horowitz, 1140 Broadway: Simon
Sipkin, of Sipkin & Gorschen, of Is
East Twenty Street. and rep
resentative Of Alper g. Schultz, OF 1910
Broadway.
The manufacturer said they had sold
goods to Belsinger at gross profits OF
from to II per cent. Mr.. Williams
SAID he considered these margains fair
me clothing men present SAID the
mills which furnished their cloth were
conducting Combination sales" requir-
ing them to purchase unpopular goods
along with that in demand The lots
sold TO Belsinger had been purchased
as part of these combination sales. Il
was SAID. In discussing clothing prices,
MIR. Crystal said his firm was making
substantial fall and winter coats for
women at S10.75 wholesale, abou, S17.50
retail. The coats we're all wool. Mr.
Crystal said, but his firm took great
gamble III their manufacture because
of the public's dlsinterest IN lower
priced clothing.
sand coats which cost $40 each to make
up for $3.50, to be sold at retail for
about S39. He was forced to accept
these losses. he said, because of the
change in styles, which kept shifting
rapidly, leaving stock rooms Of cloth
iers choked with out date goods A
thrifty housewife, he declared. could
obtain substantial clothing at low
prices al almost any of the sales ad-
vertlsed IN the newspapers.
"But women don't seem TO care any
thing about this low-priced clothing, y
Mr.. Sipkin said. They seem to set
their minds on some so-calied fash
lonable variety of attire and they are
willing to pay any price to get it,
There is no marke: for certain
grades of substantial clothing except
among the negroes of the South. This
has been disastrous year for cloak
and suit manufacturers, perhaps the
hloSt ulSdSlFOuS IN history. Manu- &C
turers turning out cheaper clothing
nave suffered far greater losses, how
ever than those catering to the stylish
trade.
Mr.. Williams told the manufacturers
he would probably call upon them TO
assist in a campaign OF education to
persuade women to purchase the lower
priced clothing He asked for the
names Of the dealers who had bought
the bargains mentioned by the cloth
men, saying he was desirous of learn
iNg If the goods was offered to the
public at prices rejecting the forced
sacrifice Of the manufacturers.
Both Crystal and Sipkin declared
some woolen jobbers were boarding for
higher prices. They promised to sup
ply the administrators with information
concerning the identity and activities
Of tho alleged hoarders.
Representatives Of Hyman & Binder
IS East Twenty sixth Street. and Israel
Cummings, "a West Twenty y-ffth Street.
TWO firms mentioned in Belsingers ac-
cusation, viii meet. with Mr.. Williams
to-day to explain their part in the
transactions.