Evening star., 1922-09-11
BY j. G. ROYLE.
Special Correspondent Of The Star.

NopSrlgnt. lS--j
NEW YORK. September 11.-Wear.
ing apparel Enthusiastically is headed
for higher prices. but the increases
IN prospect will be kept within
fairly narrow limits. This trend Is
being shown especially in the case OF
woollen goods, according to tele-
graphic reports received from New
England manufacturers within the
last twelve hours, and to the opin-
ions of the early arrivals among re-
tan dealers here for the meeting of the
National Retail Clothiers' Association.
over million school children re-
turned to their studies today in this
city alone and other millions
throughout the country began their
school year. The outfitting Of these
children for the fall and winter. al
though delayed by warm weather,
can be counted on to exercise a tre-
mendous influence in the apparel
trades.
Wool Market Strengthened.
The agreement of the tariff con-
ferees on S1-cent-a-pound duty on
wool has strengthened the wool mar
ket materially. Buying in the wool
centers by manufacturers of cloth is
widening and domestic woods are
becoming more scarce. Holders of
wool are convinced that prices must
move upward, although the limit of
their advance is clearly marked by
the point at which foreign woods
may be removed from bond Sr i'm
ported in competition with the do
mestic product.
Manufacturers of woolens and
worsteds reported today that there
was steady Improvement in demand
for their products. especially for
mems suitings and overcoatings. and
production of the mills is increasing
Labor costs are also on the increase.
Iors ever, for manufacturers are hav-
ing 70 go tntJ ths market and hid for
labor against other Industries other
manufacturing costs are high and
manufacturers therefore regard in
creased prices for wooden cloth as in
evitable.
Cotton Firm Increases Wages.
The employees of the Amoskeag &
Manufacturing Company. operators of
the largest cotton mills in the world,
went to work at Increased wages to-
day. The amount of the increase was
not fixed, but textile men believe II
Will be more than the 20 per cent re-
duCtion made last month. All the
Maine textile mills and the ma jority
OF the Massachusetts mills have re-
stored the old wage scale. and SINH
lar action is expected by New Hamp-
shire mill owners
Retailers. however. declare that
price advances must be held to min
imum because of the tremendous
pressure from the buying public
against higher quotations. They
point to the fact that the big demand
Tor mems clothing at present is for
garments ranging from SIS to S35 in
price. whereas the lines selling at
from $50 to 500 are moving in small
volume.
As a further factor in price levels.
manufacturers in widely separated
sections indicated today they are not
yet convinced of the ability of the
railroads to handle the increased flood
of coal which will be needed and pro-
duced in the next few months and at
the same time deliver adequate trans
portdtlon service on other lines and
Commodities
Roads Lining Up Rolling stock,
The railroads are making strenuous
preparations, however. The seven
anthracite carrying railroads were
inning up rolling stock and locomo-
tiVes today to move the hard coal
which the $4,000 miners who went
back to work today will release
within the next few days. In some
cases passenger trains Were Cancelled
to insure equipment for moving
freight. The carriers show no signs
of let-up in the purcha sing of new
equipment. Already nearly 1901 900
new freight cars have been ordered
this year and thousands more will be
built before December 81
Still further anxiety was manifested
in view of possible strike of shop
men on the Canadian roads, which. if
effective. would still further burden
the American lines with transporta-
tion of wheat.
keeping Down Production Cost.
Efforts to keep down rising costs
of manufacture and distribution are
seen in the renewed reports of com
ing mergers among companies in
various lines of industrial endeayor.
The action taken by the Federal
Trade Commission in the recent Re-
public -Midvale-Inland steel merger
and the LackawannaB Bethlehem mer-
ger gives no evidence of having
placed a check on the tendency to-
ward consolidation. Word was re-
ceived from Washington today that
similar action would be taken by the
commission in the case of the twelve
or more large coal companies in
western Pennsylvania now complet-
ing plans to merge under one man
agement.