The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1923-05-27
COTTON CLOTH IS
STILL A PROBLEM
AS PRICES SETTLE
Trade Is Advised To Be Opt
mistic And Sufficient
Reason Is Given

NEW YORK, NAY 26.-(Special)-
The cotton cloth market continues
to be problem. The trade is ad-
'vised to be optimistic, and sufficient
reason is given. The acute situation
in cotton which inevitably must de-
velop before many weeks pass, ac-
cording to statistics; the generally
excellent industrial conditi ons. These
should not be forgotten, just because
present business is quiet. Emphasis
of this sort comes from many CEN
ters, where efforts are being made to
keep mills, jobbers and others from
going to the extreme on the bear
side of the market. A good average
for the last half Of the year is pre-
dicted and prices are expected to be
higher than the present low levels.
All of this, good sound logic. has
lost much of its influence. The trade
is just sick and tired of statistics.
They have been buoyed by the mass
of optimistic d pc for some time, but
now they are reaching the stage
where only one thing countS-and
that is orders. Too many get nerv-
Gus. Facts regarding raw material
supply and buying power have be-
come less effective even though it is
admitted that they will eventually
prevail. This applies to mills as we'll
as to their customers. Mills become
uneasy after having gone some time
without orderr. even though they
have been comfortably fixed by COM
mitments in their books This may
not be a general condition, It it in
cludeS more than a few. Ideas of
curtain mill owners change and they
decide they would sioner have some
advance business bool- d. rather than
wait and bank on the cotton market
turning out all right. They state
they may regret their action later
but just now they are interested in
getting bids.
Gray Goods Quiet.
Gray goods have been following the
quiet and undressing road. While
the raw cotton market has made
quite gain from the low point dur
ing the past 10 days, cloth buying
has not been influenced materially.
Print cloth prices hold about I'M
changed.
Sheetings are lower on many styles.
There have been reports of one or
two inquiries for large quantities of
sheetings, but at prices somewhat
under what mills will consider.
The greatest declines in the past
week have occurred in the populal
sateers These had been pricej too
high at the peak of the market and
the ,eactcr is considered natural.
Combed goods have been rather
quiet. with prices showing compare
lively little change.
There has been no particular trend
to the markets in finished goods dur
ing the past week. Denims have sold
freely at the new prices and several
of the important lines have been sold
up and withdrawn. 1t has been
thught that this would have had
some influence on the balance Of the
markets, but apparently denims have
goods.
There has been talk of doing
something in work shirt chambraya.
The workshirt trade, however. has
been rather quiet and the sentiment
of most selling agents is to hold off
for some time before taking any ac-
ton on the chambray prices.
Bleached goods continue very quiet
with low quotations attracting no in
terest.
Percale business is reported on a
hand to- mouth basis.
Wash goods have been backward.
somewhat retarded by weather.
Index Number-17.1OS.
The cotton goods markets gradual
ly settle lower according to the Fair
child Cotton Goods Average Price
and Index Number, which is 17.10S
for the week ending May 10, COM
pared with 1925 for the week preyi-
Gus, and with the 1911 for the week
ending March "a, the high point for
the year.
Raw cotton showed up better last
week, than the week before, the
average price being 1856 for the
week ending May 10, compared with
1915 for the week ending May IL.
The following table shows the
movement of the index number for
the last three months: