Omaha daily bee., 1921-07-24
" Truth IN Fabric !"
Will Put Stop to Shoddy's
Masquerading as Virgin Wool
(From the New York Times.)


New York, July 13.-To the Edi.
tor of the New York Times: A let
ter signed by B. Harrison Cohan at
! tacking the Truth in Fabric" bill
appeared in this mornings issue of
your paper and stated that had this
bill been passed six years ago. the
government would have been greatly
Handicapped in making war neces-
saries If the quantities upon quanti-
ties of reworked wool were not used.
Should this bill be passed it would
Immediately discourage the bypro-
duct industry and make the cost of
| wool in clothing manufacture al
most prohibitive."
This statement of Mr.. Cohan is, to
say the least. seriously mislea ding,
for the reason that the Truth in
Fabric" bill does not in any way re-
strict or limit the use of shoddy or
any substitute for virgin wool.
Under the terms of the Truth in
Fabric bill any manufacturer is at
liberty to use all the shoddy or other
substitutes he may desire, and any
grade he may desire. and there is no
by-product, either those mentioned
by Mr.. Cohan, and which he states
could not be used. or any other by
product, that could not be used un-
der the terms Of the Truth in Fab
ric' bill.
Mr.. Cohan estimates that 90 per
cent of the woolen mills use by
products. I agree with Mr.. Cohan
that great quantities of shoddy are
used.
The serious part Of it is that none
CT this shoddy has heretofore been
sold as shoddy. Even the most in
ferior shoddy may be "all wool"
and may be sold as 'all WOOL" which
the public understan ands to mean vir-
gin wool. This, of course. places a
tremendous premium on the use of
shoddy and CORRESPONDENCE dis
| cnurages and discriminates against
the use of virgin wool.
With the Truth in Fabric bill on
the statute books, all of this shoddy
and all Of these by-products. could
be sold, but they could not be sold
as virgin wool.
Those who desire virgin wool
could be sure they were getting
what they paid for, and if too high
price were charged for virgin wool
they would naturally purchase a
IaDrlc containing. Shoddy.
The opponents of the oleomar-
garine law were certain that if oleo-
margarine were identified it could
not and would not be sold, but the
fact is that Identifying oleomar-
garine has not prevented it's sale.
but merely prevented the sale of
oieomargarine at the price Of good
butter.
The Truth in Fabric" bill would
make the huge amount of shoddy
now sold in cloth and clothes as
virgin wool available at very mod
crate price.
Therefore, if shoddy possesses the
merit which Mr.. Conan and others
who eXtol the use of shoddy claim
for it the Truth in Fabric" bill
would bring great quantities of
clothing which Mr.. Cohan alleges to
be desirable within the reach Of
people of moderate means.
The statement that fine wool un-
derwear would have to be sold at
twice the price it is commanding and
manufacture would be almost pro-
hibitive is absurd in view of the ac-
tual facts.
VI STop Gsll-
mates Bulletin $50. page 81, states
that the table showing farm prices
for wool for the 10-year period 1911
to 1920, inclusive, shows an average
price of S1.2 cents per grease pound
II should be borne in mind that
these figures include the abnormally
high prices of 1918 and 1919.
The current prices of virgin wool
quoted in Boston trade papers July
6. 1921, range from Is cents for the
cheap grade to 80 cents for the very
finest grade, and this grade of de-
laine wool, which is quoted at SO
cents a pound. compares very favor
ably with the finest Australian
wool.
Enough of the very finest virgin
wool in the world to make the larg-
est size and heaviest weight mans
underEarnent would not cost more