The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-02-05
LOWER PRICES At
CLOTHING STORES
DrygOOd Prices Also Sub
stantialiy Less i'm
BrattlebOrO
LOCAL MERCHANTS
ARE INTERVIEWED
Heather Goods and Shoes Much Lower
0yeralls Which Sold for S33.5O Dozen
Pairs Before War Now Bring Less
Than Half That Sum.

Than Half That Sum.
Someone was heard to remark IN Brat
tIeboro this week that Everything has
come down in price but drygoods and
clothing That someone certainly
must have bought good supply when
high prices prevailed, for if he had visited
the local clothing and drygoods stores
within the past few weeks he would have
found no ground for the statement.
As a parallel to the story which ap-
peared in last Saturdays Reformer on
the decline in prices of foodstuffs the in
formation in the following paragraphs
should prove equally as interesting The
per cent range of the drop in prices is
somewhat wider than in the case of food
prices, the figures showing a decline of
from 10 to 10 per cent and in a few in
stances as much as 30 or - per cent
and these quotations do not apply to
! special sale goods but to regular stock
majority of the merchants however.
who were interviewed by The Reformer
representative. said that O. conservative
statement Of the average decline would
place 1T at approximately 80 per cent.
The market. however, cannot be ex-
pected to decline as much more in the
next few months or a year. asin the past
equal period. as labor conditions and the
apparent unwillingneSS of labor in many
of the textile centerS and garment man.
ufacturing establishments to accent cut
in the enormously high wages which
were paid during the war and have con-
unued since enter materially into the
cost of all cotton, wOolen and silk gar
ments. On the other hand. prices of
cotton goods already have begun to show
a slight rise. which is attributed TO sub
normal production. Until labor is re-
adjusted and production becomes normal
the merchants declare. there will be no
steady prices, but slight increases and
decreases will alternate. They look for
ward, however to approximately pre-
! war prices eventually.
As in the case of the grocer, net all
! the decline in prices has been suffered
by the manufactures of wearing apparel
the local merchants having shouldered
their full share of the re-adjustment
loss. but a fair sample of the re-adiust-
ment which is taking place is found in
the statement of w. HI. Proctor of the
Hooker. CorSer & Mitchell CO.. who said
that oyerallS which sold during and i'm
mediately following the war for S33. 80
dozen pairs are selling now for S16.50
a dozen pairs.
Mems and wOmen's suits are selling
at from 20 to 33 Is per cent less than
A., the prices of year ago. according to
the grade of material and amount of
work in the particular style, and the
same rate of decline applies to women'S
]
suits which sold for S69.50 last season
are selling this season for $3.50 to
SO, and those which sold for SO to $50
are selling for 500 to $50. The same
approximate reductions apply to silk and
wool dresses.
Knit underwear does not show as
marked a decline, the approximate re-
ductiOn being given as p per cent. Hos
ierv, however. is considerably lower than
few months ago. silk hose which sold
for $50 now selling for 81 -. and some
grades of cotton hose which formerly
sold for 50 cents a pair now are quoted
at - cents. This make sold before the
war for - cents.
Leather goods, too. have shown the
effects of the lower market. trunks and
bags being from II to - per cent lower
than six months ago Kid gloves show
about the smallest decline.
All kinds of shoes for men. women and
children have been lowered an average
of from 20 to 40 per cent. and there has
been some decline in rubberS. but this
article did not advance so noticeably as
other footwear and therefore cannot be
expected to come down to the same ex-
= tent.
Mems shoes from regular stock which
sold at the highest pitch for S11 are now
marked at 81 and those which sold for
SO are selling for S6 to $3.50. The
highest grade of wOmen's shoes which
We're SIT are now selling for S12 and
those which sold for $3.50 to S11 have
come down to S49S.
There are many other articles which
might be mentioned specifically, in fact
one might write columns on the items
which have entered into the II. G.. l..
but which now belong TO the VI. c. L.
(medium cost of living) and which the
public still has faith will reach the l..
c. l.. stage when the country has passed
through the reconstruction and read
iustment period which ALWAYS must fol-
low an upheaval like the World war