Evening star., 1924-01-29
SILK INDUSTRY
IN BETTER SHAPE
Arrival of Shipments From
Japan Has Relieved
Much Anxiety in U. S.
BY j. c. HOYLE.

epeeal Dispatch to The Star
NEW YORK, January 29.-Recent
shipments Of raw silk and silk goods
from Japan have served to relieve
anxiety OF manufacturers in this
country. which was aroused to some
small extent by the latest earthquake.
to improve the statistical position of
the commodity, and. In measure, to
stabilize prices. This has been re-
Elected in the recent declines in prices
for raw silk
Buyers Of manufactured goods have
shown a sturdy resistance to any
upward trend in finished silks and
the leveiing out of the raw staple
prices has tended to encourage man
ufacturers to lay In supplies with
more freedom. The stocks Of raw
silk in this country are not excessive,
but they are sufficient for immediate
demand. Moreover. the speed with
which shipments from the orient have
been handled recently indicates that
no serious shortage need be feared.
Present Supplies ON Hand.
! There were approximately 41,000
} bales IN warehouses here January /,
while almost an equal amount was
That is sufficient for about three
months consumption as mills are
operating at present. The speed in
handing shipments has been In
creased. however, until less than
fourteen Is consumed between Yoko-
hama and New York.
The present record is thirteen days
three hours and eight minutes. The
9ilk cargoes frequently range in val
Ge up to $10,000,O0O and the loss in
interest alone for each days delay
keeps the shippers on edge to save
tevery minute. So speedily are the silk
bales unloaded at Pacific coast ports
and transported by the transconti
mental railroads that frequently in
the past the silk has arrived in New
York before the documents referring
20 1t reached the consignee. To obvf-
ste this, aeroplanes now meet the
jncoming silk boats at Victoria, and
carry these documents to Seattle.
where they are placed on connecting
EAST mail trains so as to bring them
into New York before the SILK arrives
here.
Many Shipments From KOBE.
Imports of Japanese porcelains.
beads, tableware and manufactured
elk goods now are coming from
Kobe rather than Yokohama. as the
Pacific coast importing houses have
made arrangements to have their re-
quirements filled from that point.
10 replace the goods ordered and de-
stroyed in the September earthquake
at Yokohama
The cargo carried by the President
Grant of the Admiral Oriental Line.
which arrived at Seattle last week,
brought this trade back to near nor
NAL and it is expected that 1t will
: show complete recovery within two
months.
Silk manufacturers here claim that
the prices of silk goods have risen
less rapidly since 1913 than other
classes of textiles. Taking 100 as the
1913 base, prices today are on a level
of 21O per cent, drop of sixty points
from the peak prices of 1920.
Business In finished silks is show
Ing steady increase, as compared
with the later months of 1928. and
there Is an unmistakable trend to-
ward mill expansion.
New Trade Term Adopted.
Hereafter artificial silk" will dis
appear as trade term. The trade
groups engaged In making or han
ding this commodity have decided
that this product shall be known as
"glos" This action was taken in
the belief that the so-called artificial
silk has now been developed into
an entirely separate and distinct
textile and as such deserves name
which will set 1T apart as something
more than an imitation OF another
material.
The effect of the change in styles
IN women's hosiery to the thin SILK
New England cotton mills. 1t was
this, 1t is said. which induced the
management of the Ipswich mills to
pass their dividend recently and take
steps to revise their machinery SO
rs to produce the silk grades.