San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-01-11
|EMAND FOR
SILK Crows;
| PRICES RISE
Hustry Was First and
Hardest Hit by Buyers
Strike"
ILLS SPEEDING UP
'uth Fears Labor Shortage
in the Cotton
Fields.
ILLS SPEEDING UP
BY j. c. ROYLE

New York, Jan. 11.-There is only
bugh raw silk in the United States to
t.panufacturers two months at the
esent rate of production in spite of
tremendous imports which have ar
ed in this country in the last few
Inths. That fact was emphasized to-
by prominent silk men in explaining
firmness. of raw silk prices in the
&c Of large arrivals in this market.
CONTINUED heavy importations, they
ded, cannot help but affect the mar
to some degree and may put prices
wn slightly temporarily. These re-
ctions, they indicated might be pass
right down the line through dealer,
anufacturer, wholesaler and retailer
the ultimate consumer, but they
freed that any slump would be slight
I'd predicted that in general strong
ices would prevail for many months
come,
Improvement in the silk industry has
ZEN largely psychological. and due TO
e trend of business sentiment, manu-
cturers declared.
Hit BY Buyers Strike"
Perhaps no industry felt more keenly
e results of the so-called buyers
| rike" than silk. Throughout the
Srly part of 1922, manufacturers, if
hey did not close down their Plants at
asst in part, ran on part time with
fduced forces. They asserted they
build not operate at n profit, although
|w silk at that time ranged around
d a pound whereas today some grades
Re well above the $3.50 mark.
The change was due, silk men state,
b the fact that consumers finally be-
bme convinced that they must pay
|igher prices for silk goods and that
|gber price levels were justified. When
bat attitude became felt by manufac-
|irers, even those who had held back
beir production schedules with silk at
u were encouraged TO increase out
Tut. The increase in price. therefore,
IS it has done in many lines of in
.ustry stimulated sales rather than dim
nished them.
As TO whether silk manufacturers are
perating at a profit, there still is
ONE question IL isolated cases. Some
,s~sSorrirs continue 10 complain in THIS
aspect, hut the majority undoubtedly
re operating on the right side of the
edger.t Some of the high cost manu-
acturers are working on n narrow
Margin of profit, but are holding up net
nrnings through volume production.
he great majority, however, are max
ne fair return
Mills Speeding Up.
As a consequence mills are speeding
p and they are absorbing readily the
hipments arriving through Seattle,
'ortland and San Francisco which in
he case of Seattle alone reached nearly
S0,000,000 in value in 1922. Con-
umer demand for silk goods has shown
o sign of diminishing since Christmas
nd the trade in general looks forward
D a prosperous year.
The general trend upward of prices
{ widely varied commodities is well ex-
mplified by the new catalogue Just is
ned By Montgomery Ward. one Of the
'ading mail order houses. Steel mills
both the East and Middle
'est are booked solidly throughout the
irst quarter and many have orders
INNING well into the second.
The danger which the South feels
threatened is through lack of labor
I the cotton fields is held in many
actions to be reflected in the bill in
reduced by Senator John Sharp Viii
ans of Mississippi providing for the
omission of 100000 Armenians above
le regular immigration quota.
Expansion of business has had n de-
ided effect on demand for office furni-
ire and equipment and sales of these
have increased perceptibly
moo tho first of tho veor