, 1923-08-02
ATTACK ON WOOL Law

Continued from Page Nine)
States increased the price would
naturally increase and would not be
effected by impOrtations until wool
prices in the United States reached
the level OF foreign markets plus
the 81 cents tariff unless manu-
facturers should buy abroad in or
der to. in a measure, control wool
prices in the United States. Wool
prices in the United States being
relatively lower than World prices
would raise as a result of an in
creased demand in the United States
where nearly one third of the wool
used in the world Is consumed,
would mean increased demand in
the world markets and increase in
the world price of wool. AS the in
creased price of wool brought on
Increased production of wool which
would naturally follow. the price OF
wool would adjust itself to fit the
supply. If honest labelling legisla-
ton were enacted in the United
States other coutries might follow
our example in this as in other mat
ters and increased demand for viz
gin wool might come from other
peoples who also prefer new wool
in clothing to the reworked second
handed article and so the price OF
wool in the United States might
have oom to raise still further in
order to reach the worlds level as
I direct result of labelling legisla
ton. 1t is assuming a good deal
for the Carded Wooden Association
to make the statement: And SO to
begin with the underlying object OF
wool goods labelling legislation. al
Increase in the price Of wool grown
by you in the United States is found
to be impossible OF attainment"
The operation Of the law of sup
ply and demand has been interfer-
rcd with by the using of shodfy or
reworked wool to supply the de
mand for wool. Naturally If legis.
lation required the identification of
shoddy should stop this deceptive
practice and the small supply of
new wool were used to supply the
demand for hat product and the
vast supply of shoddy had only to
fill the present demand for shoddy
then the price of new virgin wool
would go up and the price of shod-
dy or reworked WOO! would go
down.
If the public. enabled to distin
guish between shoddy and new wool.
learned that virgin wool cloth was
not worth the money paid for 1t the
price OF virgin wool would go down
and If shoddy cloth was found to
be worth more than the price paid
for it then the price of sho6dy
would go up. There is room for an
honest difference of opinion as to
how fabric labelling legislation
would effect the price of wool.
In their letter to the wool grow
ers of the United States the Carded
Wooden Manufacturers Association
further says:
Let us now consider the other
claim that the proposed wool goods
labelling law will protect the con
sumcrs against Misrepresentation
and frlud in the sale of wool cloth
ing This claim rests on two as
sumptions, neither of which is cor
rect:
81. That the value of n wool
fabric 10 the wcnrer depends on
whether il is made of new wool.
80. That new wool and recover
ed wool can be distinguished and
their relative proportions deter
mined by an examination and an
aiysis Of the fabrics made from
them"
A sufficient answer to the as
sumption of the author of this long
winded letter to the wool growers
Is that rs to the value of virgin
wool in a fabric to the wearer he
should be enabled to judge which
he prefers by having both shoddy
and virgin wool identified. How
will he ever know which Is best for
him II they are both known to him
as "allwool?" When shoddy is
sold in a fabric as all wool it Is
misleading. When the fabric is
marked virgin wool" or 'shoddy"
or "reworkcd WOOL there is moth
ing misleading about 1t. That is a