Evening journal., 1921-01-06
COTTON CHEAP,
COLLARS DEAR
One Workers Profits In
creased $3,271,966 in
One Year
WHOLESALE COST
is M CENTS

PHILADELPHIA. Jan. 6.-Not so
long ago, mems collars, made partly
OF linen and partly OF cotton, sold at
the rate Of two for twenty-five cents.
During the war manufacturers put
up the price OF single collars first TO
fifteen, then TO twenty, later TO
twenty-five and finally to thirty-1ve
cents retail.
While the orgy OF spending was on
in the United States, men paid
thirty-flye cents for one collar with
out asking questions and without
complaint. But in the beginning Of
1920, when the buying public began
to wake up, popular indignation over
II the eXOrbitant price OF collars became
so general and so pronounced that
the makers were forced TO bring the
price back 10 twenty-five cents.
Long before the retail cost had
reached the thirty-1ve-cent peak,
however, there was no longer a sin
gle thread Of linen to be found in a
collar. As a matter OF fact. there
. was not even one-half OF 1 per cent.
Of linen in an ordinary stiff collar
when the war began. The manufac-
turers had found that certain grade
OF closely woven cotton. known as
"cambric." could be made 10 look, II
not TO wear, Just like linen. Since then,
the outer ply" OF the "four-ply" col
lar has been made OF cambric.
And today this all-cotton collar still
costs twenty-five cents, despite the
fact that the bottom has dropped
completely out OF the cotton market.
In the last six months cotton prices
have been coming down steadily.
Within the last few weeks the cut in
wholesale prices has reached the 80
per cent. mark. The price OF cotton
at present is just half OF what is was
six months ago and has returned to
about a pre-War level.
The manufacturer sells his collars
10 the retailer at S2.i0 a dozen or
% seventeen and One-half cents apiece,
with the request" virtually amount
ing 10 a command, that the collars
be hold at 50 a dozen, or twenty-five
cents apiece.
The material which goes into one
collar sold by the manufacturer for
seventeen and one-half cents costs
him a little more than three cents.
10 was learned from a local collar
manufacturing concern that four col
lars are made out OF one yard OF ma
terial. The materils used are cam
brio for the outer ply. a grade OF cot
ton known TO the trade as muslin"
for the band or neckpiece, and a dou-
bic layer OF a coarser grade Of mus
lin for the lining
From Miller. Balm & Boyer, a whole
sale drygOods house, at Tenth and FIJI
bert streets, was obtained the infor-
nation that. together with all other
kinds Of cotton. cambric and muslin,
such as are used in the manufacture
or collars, have come down 80 per
cent. in price within the last six
months.
The price Of the best cambria now
is twenty cents a yard and that OF
the two kinds Of muslin used in col
lars, twelve and thirteen cents a
yard In other words, a composite
yard OF collar material sells at an av-
erage OF seventeen cents wholesale.
With four collars 10 the yard, the
material In one collar would cost a
little more than four cents. But IL is
calculated that the collar manufac-
turers, who buy from the mills d.
rect, do not pay more than a little
over three cents.
The biggest collar manufacturers
are Cluett, Peabody & Co, makers OF
Arrow collars; Earl & Wilson, max
ers Of the "E x W. collars, and the
Ide Company, whose article bears
the trademark Tide" But the greatest
Of these is the Cluett, Peabody 4 Co
concern, which virtually controls the
market, so far as prices are con-
cerned. Where Cluett, Peabody & Co
lead, Earl & Wilson. the lde Company
and hundreds OF smaller firms follow
The cost Of labor and other over
head expenses have not advanced. bnl
have rather been reduced since tht
time when the price OF cotton began
tn slump. Thus, with the large dii-
ference between the cost OF making
collars and the high selling price, the
reason for the enormous profits rolled
up recently by Cluett Peabody & Co
j. easily seen.
In 1913 the profits OF the concern
amounted TO si,s7i 1853, according to it'
own balance sheets, published IN
poOr's Manual. But in 1919, the prof
q its jumped 10 the unprecedented rs